University News Last updated 10 May 2012
Former Broadcast Journalism students from Birmingham City University are to come together this week as the course celebrates its 20th birthday.
The Postgraduate Diploma course was set up in 1992 at the request of the BBC in the Midlands and was specifically designed to produce broadcast journalists for today’s newsrooms.
When the Broadcast Journalism Training Council, the industry’s professional body, accredited the course it was one of only eight in the UK, and has gone on to earn an excellent reputation with employers.
Alumni are working in radio, television and online newsrooms across the UK and further afield. Many of them will be back in the city on 11 May as part of the celebrations. Some of those who won’t have good reasons; Alex Rossi, from the class of ’96, is SKY News’ India Correspondent and based in New Delhi.
Other alumni have sent congratulations via email, Twitter and Facebook. Chloe Arnold, who has worked as BBC Foreign Correspondent, said: “Sadly I won’t be able to return from Algeria for the anniversary celebration. It would have been great to catch up with some of the old crowd; I remember my days at the University so fondly.”
Moira Hickey, who has produced BBC network radio since leaving the postgraduate diploma in 1994, said: “The course set me up for years of really interesting and satisfying work which I am still enjoying, I’m very thankful for that.”
Diane Kemp, Course Director at Birmingham School of Media, part of the University said: “We’re really proud of our former students. They have to compete to come on our course, they work really hard when they’re with us and the fact that they still keep in touch after they’ve left means that they had fun in spite of it all.
“Many of them come back to the University as visiting lecturers to run news days or talk through the latest developments in the industry, but it’ll be great to have them here en masse, reliving a few memories,” added Diane.