Ever wondered how to land a career in radio journalism? We spoke to three fantastic radio journalists about their pathways into their roles, their top tips for networking and their best advice for anyone wanting to do the same.
All three of our guest speakers completed their NCTJ at News Associates.
We asked our panellists what the best advice they have is for anyone wanting to pursue a career in radio.
Freelance European football writer and broadcaster Lee Davey spoke about how he struggled to get his foot in the door at the start of his career.
When he first got to write at talkSPORT, he used every opportunity to network to get him working in broadcast and radio.
He said: “I live in Northampton and every Sunday night I was driving down to London to do the late night radio show, so I have done the hard yards.
“Knock on doors, make sure that you are making lots and lots of connections where you can, network wherever you can. It’s an ongoing thing.”
Only half a smile tonight in the studio. Still work to be done next week in Paris 🙏🏾🔴🔵 pic.twitter.com/L7kGv6yZ63
— Lee Davey 🏆 (@_leedavey) April 29, 2025
Radio 4 broadcast journalist Marta Santiváñez also said that being proactive is essential in your early career.
“Keep on trying everybody that is doing work that you think you would like to do,” she said.
She also reminded early-career journalists that you should take any opportunity to be in a newsroom, even if it isn’t related to what you exactly want to do. You never know who you’ll meet!
“Don’t ever be afraid of making cups of tea, it can make people see you when you’re nobody in the newsroom.”
Radio News Hub journalist Grace McIntosh said that making content as well as studying for her NCTJ was what put her in good stead for a role at Radio News Hub.
“You don’t realise how much power you now have if you’ve got a phone or laptop.
“Do some TikTok videos on a topic you’re interested in or make a podcast for SoundCloud.
“It is really valuable for employers to see that you care enough that you spend your free time writing things and actively practicing journalism.”
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We asked or panellists about how early-career journalists can start making connections in the industry.
Marta said: “In-person events will always be better than a LinkedIn message, I promise!
“Approach them, introduce yourself, ask for an email address and they you can drop a line.”
There’s nothing I love more than tomatoes except maybe a great space story so you can only imagine how I feel about this one https://t.co/EBExXV5q2i
— Marta Santiváñez (@MartaSantivanez) December 13, 2023
Grace also stressed the importance of making an effort to go to in-person events.
She said: “Be methodical about it.
“Make a calendar of all the different networking events of things you’re interested in.
“There’s nothing like having face-to-face connection.”
Lee spoke about how important it is to make yourself visible to more senior journalists even if it feels scary at first.
He spoke about how before he started his NCTJ he was on the same flight as The Independent’s chief football writer Miguel Delaney.
“I waited for him [after the flight] and we connected.
“Now any time I email him, he emails me back, he follows me on social media.”
Did you enjoy our ‘Getting into Radio Journalism’ panel? Join our next free journalism workshop here.