Work Experience

When the time comes for me to pack up and head off to university next September, I aim to be studying journalism. During this course, I would hope to branch off and specialise in sport journalism in particular, which many of you would've already realised is my main interest in life. To bulk up my application and make myself more credible for a place, I need to step up my game and organise some work experience. During the October half term, I did just that.
    I had luckily got myself three days shadowing the sports journalists at Granada Reports in Manchester, who cover the main sports stories across the North West. In this blog I will share with you the experiences and skills I have gained from being involved with such a fantastic team.
    Firstly, as I walked into the office, I realised that journalism as a whole had an awful lot more to it than i had previously imagined. However, my expectations were exceeded by the end of the three days. The first day involved getting to know everyone in the department and becoming familiar with all the equipment I would be using for the very first time. Getting to know everyone was easy. There were four sports journalists who made me feel right at home straight from the start and welcomed any questions and queries. This was crucial for me as I felt that if we hadn't had gotten on as well, I wouldn't of gotten the best out of my time there. But anyway, the first day flew by. I had to help with editing pieces to go on air that night, and to be stored for later use, and I also got to watch the show from the gallery. It was very interesting to see how everyone coped up there, as they had to get everything right in order for the show to run smoothly. However, the atmoshpere was a lot more laid back, with there being a mixture of joking and hard work.
    The second day involved me going out around lunch time with one of the reporters, Dave, to UCLAN sports centre. Waiting for us there were the England Rugby League Team who were posing for a photoshoot and then having a training session ahead of the Autumn internationals. Before the shoot, we were aloud to interview players such as Sam Tomkins and Chris Hill. These interviews, along with the photos from the shoot and a few recordings of the team's training session, would go towards creating a 'package' that was used the next day. I thoroughly enjoyed the day, meeting international stars and getting stuck in. But I learnt another lesson....journalists have to be patient! We waited over an hour on the pitch for the players to get chaged out of their suits to come out and train. Madness, right!? When we returned, I analysed Dave editing the piece and watched the show once again from the gallery. Another enjoyable day.
   Sadly, the final day arrived, but it had the potential to be a great one. I had to get in early, which meant getting up at 5:30 to get the into Manchester at 9!! Me, and Chris headed out to the velodrome to get an interview with Olympic Gold medalist Steven Burke. We arrived and begain filming their training on the track, which was phoenominal to see up close. When the session had finished we once again had to wait, this time for about 45 minutes, until Steven came up for the interview. I stood behind the camera as Chris asked the questions, and we concluded with a handshake. An honour! We got back just in time for me to travel to Liverpool with Dan, the youngest of the 4 journalists, for David Price's press conference at Jamie Carragher's bar ahead of his fight with Matt Skelton. After setting up, Dan recorded the presser and got an interview with David outside. This time, we didn't have to wait at all really. 1 out of 3 eyy! This time, I observered the show from the studio floor, getting to see Tony and Lucy (The presenters) up close whilst they work. This gave me a fabulous insight into a presenters time on air, and how professionally the conduct themselves. Sadly though, this was my last day and I said my goodbyes and headed home. The sixth train ride in 3 days...!
    This experience has definitely developed my understanding of how a sport journalist goes about their business, and has enhanced my desire to become one even more. So I thank Mike, Dave, Chris and Dan for putting up with me and sharing their experiences with me over those three days. They were more than enoyable.




          Dan