B04 – Young Indian Broadcast Journalists Programme

The Programme

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), in association with The Thomson Foundation, offers a maximum of 8 scholarships to experienced broadcasters from India for placement on the Thomson Foundation's annual three-month course in news and current affairs broadcasting.

The course is open to professional broadcasters with at least three years experience in television or radio. The emphasis will be on news and current affairs. Participants will study modern techniques and developments and investigate the problems facing journalists through discussion with British experts and fellow professionals from other countries.

The course will be run by broadcasters with vast experience of news, current affairs and documentary broadcasting, mostly with the BBC and ITV. Participants will learn to use an editorial computer system to write their stories and develop bulletins. Fundamental skills such as writing, interviewing and presentation are at the heart of the syllabus.

The course will be based in Cardiff. Participants will be required to undertake a major research project, and will visit BBC and ITV stations for observation and for work experience. All participants will close the course by participating in the production of current affairs programmes.

Course Content

The course will be based at the Cardiff University, which has radio and television studios, professional sound and video recording and editing equipment, a computerised broadcasting editorial system and a journalism library.

The course is an intensive programme of lectures, discussions, demonstrations and exercises which call for active participation by all course members. It stimulates realistic broadcasting activities, under close professional guidance. The course includes practical training in and professional discussion of:

·         news compilation

·         selection and reading

·         electronic newsrooms

·         critical assessment of programmes

·         presentation and interviewing

·         video and sound tape editing

·         writing to pictures

·         developing ideas

·         team leadership

·         political and investigative journalism

·         sports reporting and editing

·         documentary techniques

·         lighting and camera formats

·         ethics and values

Participants will prepare news bulletins and current affairs programme under realistic conditions. They will have to find stories, write them, conduct and record interviews and actually edit tapes, write television scripts, work from agency tapes, build up a bulletin, and shape and produce a full programme.

About the University

The Thomson Foundation was established in 1962 by late Lord Thomson of Fleet to improve media standards around the world. In the past 40 years more than 3000 journalists, broadcasters, managers and engineers from more than 100 countries have completed advanced training courses in the UK. Thousands more have benefited from in-country training.

The Foundation is non-political and non-commercial.  It believes that training people in the media to be highly professional and objective assists the development of democracy and contributes to the common understanding and the well-being of society.

Set up by Lord Thomson all those years ago, it is today recognised internationally as a leading independent provider of practical training without political, ideological or commercial strings.

Cardiff is the capital city of Wales and home to The Thomson Foundation. It is only two hours from London and Britain's major airports. Small enough to be explored on foot, yet large enough to attract world-class theatre, cinema, music, art and sports. Cardiff is a cosmopolitan international city, which manages to retain its Welsh character and friendliness.

Cardiff is a tourist centre offering easy access to coastline, wild open country of the Brecon Beacons, ancient castles and historic houses. It is an excellent place to experience life in Britain.

It is also an excellent place for media training. The city has two daily newspapers, the national paper of Wales, a Sunday paper and a host of smaller weekly papers within a 30-mile radius. It has three television stations, including one devoted to programmes in the Welsh language, and two radio organisations -the BBC and a local commercial station. Cardiff is second only to London as a media centre.

Number of Scholarships:                   Up to Eight (8)

Subject(s):                                            Broadcast journalism

Level and Duration:                            Advanced training programme of twelve (12) weeks

UK Institution:                                     Thomson Foundation, Cardiff University (www.thomsonfoundation.co.uk)

Target professional group:                Professional broadcasters working in television or radio

  Note: Applications will also be accepted from experienced Print Journalists, with a minimum 3 years of continuous experience, but earnestly looking for a conversion from print to broadcast journalism (either TV or radio)

Age limit:                                               25- 35 years as on 30 November 2005.

Eligibility:                                                Applicants for this programme should be professional broadcasters working in television or radio with at least three years continuous experience in radio or television.

(Note: Applications will also be accepted from experienced Print Journalists, with a minimum 3 years of continuous experience, but earnestly looking for a conversion from print to broadcast journalism (either TV or radio)

Programme Dates:                               12 weeks beginning June 2006