TV and Radio Presenter
Emma Jones is the breakfast show presenter for Staffordshire and South Cheshire radio station Signal 1 and the Leeds United TV presenter. She started working in TV and radio immediately after graduating from University of Staffordshire with a Masters degree in Broadcast Journalism, freelancing for Channel 5 and Greater Manchester station Key 103.
“I genuinely feel like the luckiest person in the world, doing my dream job,” Emma said. “I have University of Staffordshire to thank for that. When I left the University I was fully equipped to work in broadcast journalism and have worked hard to get where I am today. I would do anything for University of Staffordshire and have done a talk with the undergraduates about how to get into the industry. I want to give back to a University that gave me so much.”
Master’s in Broadcast Journalism
Emma is originally from Northwich, in Cheshire, where she attended Leftwich High School and Sir John Deane’s Sixth Form College, collecting A levels in Sociology, Psychology, Travel and Tourism. After leaving college, she attended Sheffield Hallam University, where she studied for a degree in journalism.
She recalled: “I’m really nosey and I’ve always been that way. At school I was told if I studied as much as I talked I would get somewhere. So the idea of a career in journalism suited me. It seemed like a dream job.
“After my degree in journalism from Sheffield Hallam, I left university and thought I should probably do something. I knew I wanted to do something in journalism but I didn’t know what to do or how to go about it. I was recommended to do a Masters, so I took a year out, worked in a call centre to save up to pay for it, had a look around and found the Broadcast Journalism degree at University of Staffordshire. It came highly recommended.
“It was amazing. The news days really stood out. They train you for what it’s going to be like in the real world, which is massively beneficial. It’s hands on experience in a safe environment, because you’re not actually live on air, but it’s a great way to learn. It’s a two-year degree and the second year is all about making documentaries. I had to make a 40-minute documentary for radio and TV, which is all great experience to get from university.”
Signal 1 and LUTV
During her Masters, Emma got work experience placements at Channel 5 in London and Key 103, both of which gave her freelance work after graduating. She soon realised hard news reporting wasn’t for her, however. She explained: “Hard news used to upset me. I went to cover someone’s death and I ended up crying with the family and it broke my heart. It wasn’t for me. After that I knew presenting was my thing.”
Emma got a job producing nine traffic and travel reports for drivetime and breakfast radio shows. “It was my break because it’s what I worked towards for two years,” she said. After a year, a job came up at Viking FM in Hull and Emma went to do a demo before being offered the position. During her two years at Viking, she got a call from Leeds United asking her to send an audition piece to camera for a presenter role on their digital streaming channel LUTV.
“I was working really hard, doing my presenter job at Viking during the week and then heading to Leeds for match days on the weekend. I don’t think I slept for five years. But I knew I didn’t want to be in Hull for more than two years so when I heard Signal 1 were looking for a new co-presenter I went straight for it. Since September 2017 I’ve been doing the breakfast show while still working for LUTV, where I’ve just finished my first full season.”
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