BBC announces events to encourage women presenters into local radio

BBC Local Radio and the BBC Academy’s College of Journalism today announced a series of events to encourage new female presenters into local radio.

The events will give those selected a taste of what it’s like to work in local radio and to see if they’ve got what it takes to be a presenter. It’s also hoped that the events will grow a diverse pool of local radio presenter talent for the future, and will attract people from outside the usual entry routes. The events will be held in three locations: Birmingham (6 December), Salford and London (dates to be announced).

Those attending the events will have the opportunity to network with and meet local radio presenters and senior executives from the BBC, with meet-the-expert sessions, keynote and panel discussions, workshops and some tips on interviewing and presenting on radio. The day’s programme has been designed by BBC English Regions and the BBC Academy, which was behind the recent highly successful Expert Women training events around the country.

There will be a rigorous selection process to achieve one of the 30 places at each event. Entrants must be over 18 and will need to submit a CV, a 200-word programme idea for a mid-morning show and why it’s relevant to the listener and - most importantly - a two-minute audio file describing what life is like where they live. While the events are by no means a guarantee of employment, applicants will have the opportunity to meet key BBC people and learn new skills. The successful delegates will be a mix of people from outside the BBC, who are not currently being employed by a UK radio station, along with a smaller number of BBC staff who are not presently working as presenters.

David Holdsworth, Controller of English Regions, says: “This is a brilliant opportunity for us in local radio to reach out and find new and engaging female presenters, particularly those who might not have considered this as a likely career for them. It will also complement the BBC Local Radio initiative that aims to increase the numbers of female presenters on our Breakfast shows. Our listeners are passionate about their local radio station and we’re committed to finding the best talent that we can for the future. “

Anne Morrison, Director, BBC Academy, says: “After the success of our Expert Women initiative, we know that training events like this can really help boost women’s confidence and skills, and help them find ways of getting on air.”

Details of how to apply for these events and full terms and conditions can be found on bbc.co.uk/academy.

Notes to Editors

The BBC Academy, launched in December 2009, is the BBC’s centre for training. It houses the Colleges of Journalism, Production, Leadership and the Centre of Technology. As well as training our own staff, we also have a remit under the terms of the BBC's Charter Agreement to train the wider industry. We aim to share as much of our training as possible with the wider UK broadcasting industry for free. We also offer some of our courses on a commercial basis, both within the UK and abroad. More information about the Expert Women initiative can be found on bbc.co.uk/academy/work-in-broadcast/events/expert-women

BBC English Regions is responsible for all BBC non-networked television and radio output in England and the Channel Islands, as well as the BBC's local websites covering the English Regions. There are 39 BBC local radio stations.