Barnsley College’s inaugural radio conference takes place

We hosted our first ever ‘How to Make Great Radio’ conference, which enabled students to experience eye-opening sessions from industry experts.

Current Rotherham Radio presenter, Bruce Edwards; and freelance Producer, Presenter, Journalist and Events Manager, Hayley Grice, spoke about the importance of radio and why it matters today. They spoke about their combined 40 plus years of experience presenting and producing.

Sports Journalist and presenter, Adam Oxley, provided students with the opportunity to learn about live sports commentary on football games and how he prepares his stats before a match. The students then had a chance to analyse commentary and ask Adam how he would approach certain situations during the match.

The main activity of the week was an interactive workshop on music radio presenting with Rotherham Radio presenters, Stewart Nicholson and Bruce Edwards. They provided tips on how to keep your radio audience engaged, before giving the students the opportunity to create their own segment link using the radio’s equipment.

Stephanie Hirst, a former Barnsley College Media student and current Hits Radio presenter, returned to the place where her career started to speak to students about her career in radio which started at the age of 12. She spoke fondly of her time hosting the commercial Top 40 show nationally and her huge success with the breakfast show on Capital FM Yorkshire and Vinyl Heaven on Gold, giving our students a real insight into the industry.

Thomas Sharp, a Level 3 Creative Media Production student, said: “The ‘How to make Great Radio’ conference was a brilliant day and really enhanced what we’re studying. I learnt quite a lot from the day and it was nice listening to professionals in the industry I want to join.”

Adam Oxley, BBC Radio Sheffield Journalist, added: “I enjoy speaking to students about my role and my career, so I was really grateful for the invite to attend the radio conference at Barnsley College. I think it’s important to ‘send the lift back down’ whenever possible, to give time to those aspiring to become journalists, reporters or sports commentators. I was really impressed with the questions that came from the students involved in my session, as asking questions is a vital part of my job!

“It’s incredible to think that commentary is becoming part of university and college courses. It’s my main passion in my role, so to spend time analysing some commentary clips, having discussions with the students and sharing what my approach would be, was both fun and rewarding.”