UKJournalism » BBC ‘Best Presenter’ Award for radio graduate

BBC ‘Best Presenter’ Award for radio graduate

Submitted by UKjournalism on November 2, 2005 – 9:32 amNo Comment

Former BA (Hons) Journalism student Nicola Rees has been recognised by a prestigious BBC Radio award.

Nicola and fellow presenter Graham Liver collected a bronze ‘Presenter of the Year’ BBC Gillard Award for their light-hearted Saturday morning programme on BBC Radio Leeds.

The awards, which are named in honour of the founding father of BBC Local Radio, war reporter Frank Gillard, celebrate the best of BBC Local Radio.

Nicola said: “It was a total surprise to me to even be nominated, especially in the ‘Best Presenter’ category. I had to double check with my Managing Editor to make sure they hadn’t made a mistake including my name!

“Of course it would have been nice to win Gold, but that was never going to be easy against the likes of Andrew Peach and Tony Snell.

Subbuteo World Championships

“The BBC Radio Leeds entry included a live report that I did from the Subbuteo World Championships at Leeds’ Elland Road earlier this year. It was very light-hearted and a little bit cheeky if I’m completely honest so I think the judges must have been looking for something a bit quirky!

“My name’s now been added to the ‘Glory Wall’ in the BBC Radio Leeds studios and that makes me feel really proud, especially as my Radio Lecturer Andrew Edwards gets to see it every day when he arrives to do the Breakfast Show.”

Nicola joined BBC Radio Leeds as a reporter soon after graduating in 2003. She spent three weeks at the station on placement during the final year of her BA (Hons) Journalism degree, when she specialised in radio.

She added: “I’m so lucky to have a job I love and to work with brilliant creative people every day. I think making good radio is a lot about being real on air, and having the guts to push the boundaries and to throw the scripts away sometimes.

Dream job

“It’s still my dream job – every day is different. Already this week I’ve entered the Yorkshire Pudding Making Championships, been on the bus with the victorious Bradford Bulls fans, interviewed descendents of the Bronte family, and been hang gliding in the Yorkshire Dales! Not many people can say that!

“There’s a little bit of luck involved in getting a job like this, but in the main I think you make your own luck. The Journalism Course at Preston is one of the best in the country. You get to try your hand at newspaper reporting, making a website, reading the news to camera, and producing live radio programmes in genuine studios.

“You’re always treated as a Journalist, never a student, and that’s because all the staff have worked in the industry for years and they know their stuff. The best thing though is that you never actually feel like you’ve left… You can always get back in touch for a reference or a bit of advice

“And, not many people know this, but I had absolutely no idea what I wanted to do when I started uni!”

This is Nicolaís second BBC award. An extended version of the documentary she submitted as her final project on her degree course won the “Outstanding Merit” prize in File on 4ís Student Journalist Competition in 2003, held to mark the programmeís 25th anniversary.

More info:
BA (Hons) Journalism >

Popularity: 3% [?]

No related posts.