Court

I've achieved two firsts today. My first report from court and my first 2 way (where you are interviewed by a presenter on a story). I've been working at BBC Radio Derby this week and I jumped at the chance of going to Derby Crown Court to cover a story about a bloke in Derby who worked as a driving instructor for 2 years without the qualification to do so! You can read BBC online's story here. Scroll down on the story and watch the East Midlands Today report - I'm in the frame next to the con man at the end of the report!

The sentencing was heard at 10:30 this morning and I scribbled like mad to get the judge and barristers' quotes down (you can't use recording equipment in court) - this was a day when shorthand would have been useful! Once I interviewed the head of fraud at the Driving Standards Agency Andrew Rice and attempted (and failed) to persuade the fraudster to an interview as he walked out of court, I rushed back to Radio Derby and turned around some bulletin stories, including this voicer one which went at 2pm:

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN, THEN CLICK PLAY

After that I scripted the 2 way, set up the Driving Standards Agency man to come on to speak to Ross Fletcher the drivetime presenter following the 2 way and then gave it my best shot:

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN, THEN CLICK PLAY

Freelancing really does give you the wide range of experience I'm after.

Freelancing - 1 month in

I've been a freelance radio journalist for a month now and I've experienced a lot.

On Friday I found out that the bulletin shift is tough. After choosing which stories to run from the various sources at your disposal, you then have to script it to the required length of time. Delivering the bulletin, although very challenging, is only the final stage of the process.

I've been learning how to do the bulletin shift at BBC Three Counties Radio and did my first ever bulletin on radio on Friday:
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN THEN CLICK PLAY

Last weekend I did 'lives' at the Henley Royal Regatta for BBC Radio Oxford. Why's it 'Royal' and is it merely a middle and upper class affair? I found out when I spoke to the Regatta Archivist Michael Jones:

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN THEN CLICK PLAY

Then I learnt a little about Henley fashion from a group of fantastically dressed ladies:

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN THEN CLICK PLAY

The best thing I've found about freelancing is that you do a range of different jobs from producing programmes, bulletins, to live reporting, with different people in various parts of the country.

The Next Big Thing?

What's the next digital creation?

Well while I was chatting away away to Nana Ruth, a good friend of the Ansell family, I think I came upon what might be the next big thing. It's a combination of Google-like search and GPS.

I think the next big will be searching on your mobile for the nearest place you can get hold of the item you require. So for example, you'd type into your phone 'loo roll' and it'll tell you where the nearest place from where you are that you can buy roll and it'll also tell you how to walk/drive there.

You could then register your car keys and watch into your mobile phone so that when you can't find them, you simply type them in the search page of your mobile and it'll tell you where you've left them

What do you think? Is this already out there? If not, when you do first see it, remember where you heard it first!