Cardiff Met Launches First Of Its Kind Sports Broadcast Msc

Cardiff Met’s newest programme – Sport Broadcast MSc – has been fully validated and offers the ultimate training for budding broadcasters, at the heart of one of Europe’s most vibrant sporting capital cities. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

The programme starts in October, is the only one like it in the UK, and has been designed and will be delivered by established Sports Broadcaster and Producer Joe Towns, who recognises Cardiff as the up and coming epicentre of Sport Broadcasting. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Based at Cardiff School of Sport, a centre for sporting excellence, ‘MOJOs’ (Mobile Journalists); ‘Preditors’ (hybrid producers / editors) and VJs (video journalists) of the future, will benefit from unrivalled industry experience and ‘on the job’ broadcasting roles and responsibilities. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Students on the course will graduate fully equipped for employment within digital, radio and television environments and with extensive experience in Sports News, Sports Features, Sports Documentary and Live Outside Broadcasting. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Programme Leader Joe Towns says: “We’ll explore and experience the full range of Broadcast roles on this programme – whether it’s traditional ‘on air’ positions like presenter, reporter, commentator or jobs behind the camera in production like producers and directors, to the more modern roles like MOJOs who do everything on their mobile phones – shoot video, record audio, edit and publish. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

“The sporting revolution won’t just be televised, it will be tweeted and streamed live on Facebook and You Tube, viewed through VR glasses and then carved in to short-form content and shared, liked, packaged-up and podcasted. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

“Technology is driving the change, 4K, 3D, HD cameras and hugely improved connectivity at stadiums. The whole experience of a Sport Broadcast is changing every season. That’s why we’ve created this new academic course at Cardiff Met to try and satisfy and serve a rapidly changing job market. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

“Cardiff, now considered one of THE sporting capitals of Europe, a Champions League host city no less, has always been a fantastic place to come and study to be a Sport Broadcaster. The School of Journalism at Cardiff University (JOMEC) is one of Britain’s most respected journalism institutions and has provided BBC Wales, ITV Wales and Wales Online with so many of their current front line sports journalists. Now Cardiff Met, a centre for excellence already in so many other areas of elite sport, has launched this programme.” ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

While designing the syllabus, Joe Towns has been informed by all of the UK’s major broadcasters and leading production companies – having worked with many of them at the Olympics, Six Nations, FA Cups, Commonwealth Games and Wimbledon – to ensure that those studying at Cardiff Met fulfil all future employers’ expectations. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

The programme also incorporates ethics and media law modules to tackle the potential pitfalls, dilemmas and dramas associated with dynamic modern sport. Joe and the University’s excellent connections mean students will become regulars at press conferences for top teams, sports organisations, pro sport teams and governing bodies. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Cardiff Met’s own top flight sports teams and elite facilities provide the perfect subjects for filming and recording on campus and Joe, who started his career at Sky Sports making tea for George Best on Soccer Saturday, added: ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

“At Cardiff Met University we’ve launched Cardiff Met Sport TV on Twitter and You Tube to broadcast our own content. Cardiff has so many professional sport teams, and they all have in-house media production teams making and broadcasting their own news, features and highlights; filming their own press conferences and training sessions and matches. That’s where the future Sport Broadcast opportunities are. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

“It’s true you now need to be extremely tech savvy to survive, you need to be able to use a camera, you need to be able to edit content on your laptop, you need to be comfortable across all social media platforms…But, above all that, you still need to be able to write. You still need to be able to spot a good story, find an interesting angle. Good writing and good storytelling remain at the heart of all good broadcasting – particularly sport.” ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​