MEDIA RELEASE
More than 150 student journalists from up to 25 BJTC-accredited universities around the country will be joining forces on Thursday (December 12) to broadcast election results on a national radio programme.
Working through the night, the students will be phoning in interviews and the latest results from election counts throughout the UK, contributing to eight hours of special coverage on radio station NLive as well as a number of student radio stations. The programme will be hosted and coordinated by students from the University of Northampton, under the guidance of BJTC board member and Senior Lecturer, Kate Ironside.
Ms Ironside said the show would provide invaluable experience for students on the verge of breaking into the industry.
“The BJTC firmly believes in providing journalism students with as many opportunities for professional practice as possible. We are delighted that so many of our wonderful journalism courses at universities across the country are joining forces to contribute to our very own election night special in which our student journalists will be reporting from counts across the UK,” she said.
While the BJTC has overseen similar coverage for previous elections, the scale of this year’s operation is unprecedented. With more than 150 students taking part, the programme will be able to report from counts which may not normally be represented in mainstream election coverage.
“This is going to be an extraordinary election, the most important in several decades, and our students will be giving it the widespread coverage it deserves,” said Ms Ironside.
“They will be able to say they reported it alongside the biggest broadcasters in the country. It’s a fantastic thing to be able to put on their CVs and it will give them a competitive edge when they are looking for their first jobs.”
NLive broadcasts across Northampton on 106.9 FM, and worldwide online at nliveradio.com as well as smartphones and smart speakers via the TuneIn app. The election results programme runs from 10pm on Thursday the 12th to 6am on Friday the 13th of December and is available for other stations to simulcast. The programme will be supported by updates on the @BJTC_Vote_2019 Twitter handle which will be live once the programme starts.
Note to editors:
Further information can be provided by calling Helen Hurd on 0845 600 8789 or sec@bjtc.org.uk
BJTC Background
The Broadcast Journalism Training Council (BJTC) is a non-profit educational charity working in partnership with all the main multimedia broadcast employers in the UK. Our current partners are BBC, Sky News, Channel 4 News, Reuters, ITN, ITV, Global radio, Associated Press, and the NUJ.
One of the largest independent journalism accreditation bodies in the UK, we currently accredit more than 50 courses at over 40 educational institutions.
Our Council members are made up of leading industry and training experts – working together to ensure students of BJTC-accredited courses receive the best training possible. Together they set the criteria for accrediting courses, then teams of professional journalists and tutors advise and inspect them.
Our accreditation standards are relevant and responsive to the operational demands of the broadcast industry and are based on direct and practical experience, ensuring BJTC-accredited courses are valued by teachers and students, as well as employers and employees.
