Fiona Siobhan

Hello Scouse Journalist!

Look for your local public broadcasting station. I have a very good (if poorly paid) career in local broadcasting at a public radio station.

I'm not "famous" , but that's not what I wanted...fame. I am having a fantastic time. I went from doing board op work, to having my own one hour show on classical music and the arts.
I also do my fair share of voice overs.
The trick is finding a place and a market that loves the British viewpoint, and a British accent.
It's not all a piece of cake, you've got to be flexible, and if you are, or could be successful in Britain , then you have what it takes here.

I find the biggest difference is that most American stations expect their talent to be multi talented.
I do so many jobs, that you couldn't fit them all on my name badge.
I engineer, am an on air host as well as produce shows.
My friends who work at the BBC cannot believe how much I have learned to do.
Locate an area of the country that likes a British accent...and go for it!!!
The money in public broadcasting is rubbish, but the freedom to create is wild!
Just today I went to my boss with an idea for 3 one hour specials. He just smiled and said
"Go for it!"
Keep us posted!

Retseh

Personally when I see a British tv reporter, I change the channel.

I recently broke my rule and watched a Brit reporter working for CNN interview the president of the company at the center of the west virginia mine disaster - to say he was a rude and arrogant little prick would be a gross understatement, I would gladly have punched him in the gob if he had asked me "are you able to sleep at night knowing what you may have done to those men?".

British tv personalities from Simon Cowell to Anne Robinson to Len Goodman are making money from portraying the British as rude, arrogant, and heartless, and the americans are just lapping it up.

Unfortunately, it's a stereotype I don't welcome - as witnessed by a comment from one of my peers about how difficult it is to fire employees - "oh we should just get Mike to do it, it won't bother him at all, he's British" - said with a straight face and in all seriousness................

ian-mstm

This is true of Don Blankenship also.

Ian

Fiona Siobhan

Not all of us Brits who work in broadcasting are rude, or uncaring.
It's just become fashionable to allow certain people to get away with it.

But the "famous" are few and far between, there are plenty of us on the smaller scale who are doing a lot of fine work, who remain decent and polite.
And we are getting work.
We are enjoying careers, not flash in the pan moments of stardom.

Ridski

This is all dependent on where in the US you're moving to.

So... Where in the US are you moving to?

ScouseJournalist

I'm moving to the Mid-West (Minnesota).

Hey Fiona thanks for the encouragement, I'm looking into PSB right now, how did you get into it? Did you network with people, develop a reputation, that kind of thing?

SJ

Englishtart

Do you mean PBS?

ScouseJournalist

"Public Service Broadcasting"

Your right though, in America its PBS(Public Broadcasting Service), I was getting confused with the British equivalent "PSB".

Ridski

I believe Minnesota's main PBS station (for radio, anyway) is MPR, or Minnesota Public Radio. Looks like thy're run by American Public Media (as opposed to National Public Radio). Here is the APM career's page.

Good luck with your search. My wife actually went to broadcast school and got a job through an internship as a producer on a Sirius Satellite Radio show here in NYC. After a year, there were some issues with the talent and she was let go, but she's now pursuing a career as a voice-over artist and professional podcaster. So, perhaps, despite it being a crummy gig to start with, interning is one possible way to get the contacts you need to get the job you want.

megalaser

Fox and Sky are the same company.

Ridski

Yes, but it's still difficult, even within the same company, to get on-air talent to work out well in different markets. I mean Fox News Channel and Sky Sports are the same company, but I don't think Huckabee would play too well on Sky Sports, you know what I mean?

megalaser

Huckabee has got to be the worst presenter on any channel.

goldenstate31

Personally I think the Americans love the Brits! although not too sure, after the latest 'British Petroleum' disaster, that Obama keeps refering the name to now.

scrubbedexpat099

Have a look on MSNBC

Admittedly not may do.

Ridski

Look! Up in the sky! Is it a bird? Is it a plane?

No, it's my point, flying right over your head.