This issue we chat with Ann Charles, a freelance Broadcast Technology and radio production consultant.
Give us your elevator pitch. Who are you and what do you do?
Hello, I'm Ann Charles and I'm a Radio Production and Technology Consultant. I help individuals and companies get the most out of their station's technology so they can make the best programmes in the world.
How did you get started in the Broadcast Industry?
I've got a slightly unusual background, because I started out as a radio producer and then became a broadcast engineer - not many people have that combination!
I started out working for BBC Local and Regional radio and tv in the East and then went to London where I was a children's radio specialist and also worked for the BBC World Service. In local radio, you have to be able to turn your hand to anything, so I was always interested in the techy side of things as well. I applied for an internal development post as a specialist on radio playout systems and from there became a project manager, working on the two largest projects the BBC had ever done - at the same time, and with the same team! It was pretty full on...
What do you enjoy most about your job?
I'm a programme-maker at heart and also think that the technology side of things is really creative. I don't want to choose so now I run my own business so I can do both.
I left my job on what was meant to be a sabbatical but it turned into starting my own business so that I could work in radio in other countries. This led me to teaching journalism in New Zealand and also training broadcast engineers in South Sudan.
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