UCFB sports media student gains industry experience at BBC Radio Nottingham

One of UCFB’s sports media students has been gaining quality industry experience at a regional radio station, seeing her work broadcast on the BBC.

Isabelle Eden, a BA (Hons) Sports Business and Sports Broadcasting student, spent the day at BBC Radio Nottingham, and covered netball during her time at the station.

Read below what she had to say about her experience…

Last month, I was lucky enough to spend the day at BBC Radio Nottingham, and I’m delighted to say that my audio work was professionally broadcast on the BBC.

The piece originated from my major coursework submission for Guy McCrea’s UN5000 ‘Audio Storytelling’ module, as part of my degree course studies in BA (Hons) Sports Business and Sports Broadcasting at UCFB Wembley Campus. I created an audio feature about Jayda Pechová, who plays for the newly formed Nottingham Forest netball team as part of the relaunched Netball Super League. My feature included an interview with Jayda’s mum, exploring the challenges of raising a child in a sport with limited funding, and how the league’s relaunch with bigger arenas, increased salaries, and more support represents a huge positive step for netball.

At BBC Radio Nottingham, I began my day by shadowing producer Brooke Holmes and gained valuable insights into how a live radio show is put together behind the scenes. I then had the chance to sit in the studio during Dino’s live morning show, where he interviewed the magician Penn from Penn & Teller which was an incredible experience to see national-level broadcasting in action.

In the afternoon, I joined Arun Verma and Michaela Atkins on the sports show In The Game, where my audio feature was broadcast during the programme. To my surprise and excitement, I was also invited on-air live to talk about my work, sharing how I put the piece together and what inspired me to focus on Jayda’s story.

Not only was my feature broadcast to a professional audience, but I also had the chance to meet a range of talented people across the newsroom, learning about the different roles that make up a live production team and how they all collaborate under tight deadlines.

I’ve come away from the experience with new industry connections, a deeper understanding of live radio production, and the unforgettable moment of hearing my own work go out on the BBC, something that will look fantastic on my CV and inspire me in my future journalism career ambitions.

Find out more about UCFB’s dedicated Employability and Career Planning Team, who help our students gain invaluable experience alongside their studies.

You can also view a prospectus to learn about our unique sports industry-focused courses, our campuses and everything about student life at UCFB.