Impact of accent on radio work
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Danny Norton posted on Thursday 21st June 2012 at 19:07I’ve just completed a BJTC Journalism course through the National Broadcasting School at Radio City in Liverpool, where I’m from, and am now looking for work. My girlfriend has just finished teacher training in London and been offered a job in a school there, so I’m just wanting to garner peoples opinions on whether my accent will hold me back from jobs in the capital?
I think the old quote is about “north of the Watford Gap”, not the town of Watford. ;)
I would have thought, Danny, that the biggest barrier to entry might be the relatively few broadcast journalism jobs in London against the high volume of graduates? I’m sure your accent won’t hold you back – the BBC for instance, in my personal view, seem to try very hard to ensure that all on-air staff aren’t Home Counties-esq. Huw Edwards might be a high profile example!
It’s probably worthwhile mentioning that Huw Edwards and Kathy Clugston do have regional accents, but heavily, heavily, “toned down” for national BBC use.
That said, Simon Hirst managed to present the Top 40 show for a long while, without any attempt at disguising his Barnsley accent – so, Danny, I’d not see there being any real issue with a Merseyside accent on-air.
James Hamilton. I think “North of Watford” is older than “North of Watford Gap” Think either expression is fine.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watford#.22North_of_Watford.22_and_.22Watford_Gap.22
I often ‘lol’ at the whole northern thing. I also get rejection emails saying sorry but your accent isn’t suitable (I’m from Newcastle).
I read on Twitter today someone was glad that a northerner (Nick Grimshaw) was taking the reigns at Radio 1 breakfast. As a proper Northener I feel a little robbed of that claim. Manchester is a bit in the middle for me, and south of me so I’m not sure what location slang I would use there.
If people from Manchester are Northeners in the eye of Southerners (let’s not get into that!) – what are North East/North West people referred to as?
A very common North East observation is that anything ‘south of Scotch Corner’ (a well-known junction near Richmond in North Yorkshire) is southern England. Not geographically or culturally accurate, of course, but it’s probably the equivalent of ‘north of the Watford gap’ in the area.
Manchester for me qualifies, but I draw the line at a friend of mine that is adamant that Stoke-on-Trent is in the north of England.
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Oh no – you’re from the North. Don’t you realise how uncivilised people are beyond Watford?