A reporters role at a radio station is to gather and present stories, which make up that stations news output. Reporters can work for any type of radio station, including commercial, public services and community, while possibly working for other media strands of the station such as television and online. They might work alone or in a small group, with this varying with the size of the radio station that they are working with. Reporters can be based anywhere, as some may be based abroad to report on international news (foreign correspondents) while some may be based domestically reporting from the scene of a large-scale news story. This can involve detailing what is occurring on-scene and interviewing people who were involved/witnessed the event. Others may be primarily based at the radio station, presenting news as it comes in and writing pieces for online. Some reporters may even work at home, creating pieces which they will then send into a radio station for broadcast. How much they contribute and how much time they put in will depend on factors including the type of radio station and who they work with. For example a reporter for a station such as Key 103 may only create a small news bulletin but for a news-based station such as BBC Radio 4 they may create a longer feature in the form of a documentary.
Reporters can work on a wide range of news stories such as politics, sports, celebrity news and finance. How much they do on each topic, if any, as stated previously can depend on the type of station as some will have much more of one news-genre than another. While based at a station a reporter may be assigned a specific news story, which they must then research and assess the reliability of the stations sources. A reporter may also have to pitch news items for consideration to broadcast to a stations commissioner, producer or editor. To research a news story a reporter may interview those involved or who witnessed it, while also using various forms of research to gather as much information as possible. This may include secondary resources such for some news stories and personal news contacts for others. They may also have to utilize other resources such as a library, which may hold information such as statistics for it's local area. This can be the same for the internet with various websites archiving historical events, which a reporter may refer to or use for more information. When conducting an interview they will be expected to get the answer that provides the most information- and the one listeners want to hear. They will conduct both pre-recorded and live interviews and so for the latter will have to have the confidence and intelligence to respond quickly to an interviewee's answers with appropriate questions. Some reporters may also have to contribute to the radio stations other media platforms, such as posting news bulletins on social media, and compiling pieces for use on a website. This might mean that they have to shoot video footage and take pictures of the news event that they are reporting on. Typically before joining a radio station as a reporter an individual will most likely have had journalism experience, in either print or television, before moving into radio. Someone who has worked for many years in print journalism will have lots of experience in the reporting field, with a great sense of what makes a good story and what to do to get the information on it. This may mean that they instantly get a high up role in a radio station's news hierarchy. A person may also have been a news reporter for a small station such as a community, hospital or student radio and have had the experience to the job competently and professionally on a larger scale. The hands on experience having already worked on a radio station may impress any possible employers as it would mean that you would need minimal training, due to already having the essential skills. The pre-employment work in radio would show that you have a genuine interest and would appeal to a potential employer. A radio station may have trainee schemes in which they train people in all skills required to become a radio reporter with the select few who excel going on to be fully-employed by the company. A reporter may start off small on a news team in radio, such as doing runner-type jobs, assisting other reporters in their work. Some people who have certain qualifications may be employed by radio stations as they might already have the skills to do the job. Some reporters are hired solely for their expertise in a certain field. They may report often or on occasion depending on the size of the certain news topic. For example a station aimed at teenagers will most likely have a showbiz correspondent, with a reporter on current affairs such as politics and foreign news having a peripheral role. There are many skills that a reporter will need to thrive and do well in their job. These include knowing how to gather information on news stories, through many different sources. These can include internet research, phone calls, interviews and other archive resources such as libraries. They will know have to know how to do each of these things correctly and to a professional standard. For interviews, a reporter will have to try and get as much information as possible to create a picture of the news event for the listener. A reporter has to know what makes a good news story, so if an event came up or was sent in for consideration by an individual they must decide quickly whether it is in the public interest to broadcast. They must know what their specific radio audience wants, this might be through looking at the demographics for the station and the popularity of articles on the stations website. However, they may report on a variety of news so must have the ability to adapt and present/write in a certain manner. A good reporter will have a broad knowledge of current affairs so that they can report on a variety of things with some basic information on an event and its general background. Other necessary skills that would be required include having an appropriate personality, so to draw answers out of people without them feel threatened. To do this a reporter must possess patience and determination. A good presenter will present in a different style for different people. For example if they are talking to a woman about the death of her child, they will show empathy, speaking slowly and not cutting into the interviewee's answers. But if they are interviewing someone that may be being charged with a crime they will push the interviewee to get as much information out of them as possible. A reporter must also be able to work with a variety of people, such as other reporters, producers and technical people as well as independently. Due to the fast-paced nature of the job excellent time-keeping is key, along with the ability to meet tight deadlines. As this will be hard, a reporter must be able to cope with the pressure, keeping cool and intelligent during times of stress. A reporter has to maintain a fair presenting style and not appear bias to an individual or group during their pieces, as this could possibly detract people from listening. This is prominent among sports pundits as some are bias to their own teams, which leads to criticism. A reporter will most likely be taught basic rules about the media and their working environment. These will include media ethics laws for their reporting and health and safety laws for the studio in which they work. Due to the high amount of technical equipment that they use, they will need an extensive knowledge of how to handle the appropriate equipment and how to edit it accordingly. They may then have to upload it to a website or social media page so they would have to know how to do this. Education is essential if one is to become a reporter as unlike a presenter, personality isn't a huge part of the job but intelligence and knowledge on a wide range of current affairs is. A reporter will almost definitely require a background in journalism if they are to get the job. This may mean they have been the reporter on a community, hospital or student radio before applying for a bigger radio station. It may also mean that they have worked in print journalism and are looking to make the transition to radio. Those routes would most likely be required without a degree as a reporter will have picked up significant experience along the way. If someone is looking to directly apply for a job at a radio station, they may need a degree such as one in Broadcast journalism or some other form of radio-related degree, as a station may want them to have an extensive knowledge on radio and reporting. A media, radio-related qualification would help as it would teach you the necessary skills needed to be successful in the role as a radio reporter. Some people may specifically get degrees in subjects such as science, politics and history, so that they can become specialist reporters on their topics for a radio station. Reporters will most likely receive training from a radio station, to help them adjust to how that station handles certain things. Other forms of training will typically involve them learning more about current affairs, possibly in the form of a lecture and how to improve their IT skills. A reporter may earn any amount of money, ranging from a small fee for a weekly topical news show to a yearly, fixed-salary fee for daily news bulletins. There are a wide range of stations reporters work on, with each station's news output varying in size. this will most likely effect the salaries of various reporters. For example a news-based radio station such as Radio 4 will have many different news-based programmes with a variety of specialist reporters whereas a commercial radio station will only have someone to read an hourly news bulletin. A reporter, depending on the size and success of a radio show can earn between £20,000 and £50,000. The conditions of their workplace will depend on exactly that-where they work. A public service radio station such as the BBC will have state-of-the-art radio equipment with technology to get breaking news as it comes in. The technology will also allow them to make news pieces easily and professionally. They may also be able to travel to places where news events are taking place - at the expense of the radio station. On the other hand, someone working for a community radio station may work in a cramped small room, with old equipment and resources that they have to pay for themselves. As stated above how often they work will depend on the type of contract they work under. A reporter for a large radio station which delivers news regularly will most likely be under a fixed term contract. This may also apply for news-bulletin presenters on other radio stations. Some reporters may get paid per-appearance. This mostly applies to specialist reporters as they will not be required all of the time. The following is a link to the BBC's job page, advertising an opening for a job as a broadcast journalist. The role is on a 6 month fixed-term contract and sees a reporter trying to find 'great stories and turning them into compelling radio'. The radio station is BBC Radio Berkshire. http://careerssearch.bbc.co.uk/jobs/job/Broadcast-Journalist-BBC-Radio-Berkshire/7703 |