From the World Cup to the Olympics, Formula 1, Commonwealth Games, the Open, 6 Nations and Wimbledon, BBC Sport’s aim is to provide broadcast moments that unite the nation through the world’s major sporting events. Throw in flagship shows such as Match of the Day, Test Match Special, Sportsday and Sports Personality of the Year, and we truly have a portfolio to shout about.

But it’s not just the big events and national moments that are covered here. The BBC Sport Centre is a state-of-the-art sports newsroom, making the sports news bulletins that go out on BBC One, BBC News Channel, BBC World News, Radio 5 live and the World Service. It’s also the home of the world class BBC Sport website.

A student sport journalism placement will give you the opportunity to work as part of the BBC Sport team. Placements are available in 6 key areas of the department: TV Sports News, Radio Sport, Global Sport (TV and Radio), Sport Online, Multimedia and TV Sport.

TV SPORTS NEWSSports News is the part of BBC Sport that provides the daily sports journalism and news stories for the whole of the BBC. The TV Sports News output teams produces content for the hourly sports news bulletins on the BBC News Channel. During a placement here you will learn how producers source material, edit pictures and write scripts to make packages for on air broadcast. You will also see how they arrange for guest contributors to appear in our bulletins either live on set or from another location. You will work closely with duty editors, presenters, reporters and producers from our

teams that produce the bulletins and those who gather material in the field. By the end of the placement you should have gained an insight into how the BBC deliver bulletins and breaking sports news whenever needed on one of their TV outlets.

RADIO SPORTAs well as being the home of domestic and international live sport commentaries, the Radio Sport area is also responsible for the daily 5 live Sport programme, which includes sports documentaries, sports news specials, and discussion about key sporting issues. Our Radio Sports News area is responsible for providing bulletins throughout the day on BBC Radio 5 live, as well as supplying material for use on the BBC local radio network. For 5 live our producers and broadcasters research and write stories, edit audio (interviews, commentaries and reports) and compile 3’00 bulletins for the network. Our producers also fix sporting guests and pundits to comment on

the sports news of the day on 5 live programmes. A placement with Radio Sport offers the opportunity to shadow both radio sport areas, learning more how bulletins are put together, and how programmes are planned, produced and broadcast.

GLOBAL SPORTBBC Global Sport produces the TV and radio coverage of sport for the BBC’s Global audience in English, reaching up to 140 million people a week. Our editorial goal is to bring our audience around the world the best sports stories and coverage of the key events and figures. Our biggest radio audience on BBC World Service is in Africa, many of them drawn to our coverage of the Premier League. We carry commentaries from the key games in our flagship show Sportsworld on Saturday and Sundays – and keep our listeners across the day-to-day developments in Sport Today and Premier League Update. We cover all the key global sports in detail as well, especially Athletics, Cricket, Boxing, Tennis and Motorsport, as well as detailed coverage of the big US leagues like the NBA and NFL. Our TV

coverage on BBC World News is built around our regular Sport Today programmes, again the agenda reflecting our radio coverage closely. Our aim on both services is to bring our audience unrivalled expertise and accuracy, and access to the biggest names in sport.

SPORT ONLINEBBC Sport Interactive is responsible for all the BBC’s digital sport products covering the website and mobile site, the app and coverage across the Red Button from text to streamed programmes. Our output reaches a huge

audience worldwide. The BBC Sport website is the largest in Europe with a weekly audience of around 18 million unique browsers in the UK and about another six million globally. The BBC Sport currently has five million downloads, while approximately 500,000 people read our Digitext updates each week. The text operation of Sport Interactive consists of about 80 journalists with duties as varied as news and feature writing, statistical collation, live text commentating, social media, conducting interviews for broadcast and subbing and production duties. While working with the team, students will get the chance to be involved in our daily news and live output which covers 18 hours a day (sometimes longer) seven days a week. Students will be expected to have a good knowledge of sport, digital and social journalism and be prepared to work in a fast-paced, pressurised environment where the emphasis is on accuracy and speed in a world of constant deadlines.

MULTIMEDIA TV SPORTThe Sport Multimedia team produces live and on demand video content for use across BBC Sport’s digital platforms – Online, Mobile, Tablet and Connected TV. Working in a lively, fast-paced environment, the team is called upon to perform a wide variety of tasks, from producing the 24 Live streams at the London Olympic Games to cutting a video feature about a big football transfer.

TV SPORTThe TV Sport department includes major sporting coverage such as Wimbledon, Match of the Day, Six Nations and F1. The TV portfolio also includes Sports Personality of the Year and a number of high profile sporting documentaries. Students will expect to have good knowledge of a number of sports and be willing and able to work under pressure, be part of a large TV production team and to be prepared to undertake many and varied duties such as VT logging, administrative tasks and general runner duties.

How To Apply

We are looking for confident applicants with some journalism experience, a keen interest in Sport and good interpersonal skills. You’ll understand how the broadcasting industry is changing, how the different platforms operate and have the technical skills needed to support the team in your chosen area.

You can apply for one specific placement area. However, if the team think that you have the relevant skills and experience, they may also consider your application for some of other opportunities.

You need to submit your application to your university tutor by Thursday 20th November 2014. You tutor will shortlist and send a maximum of 6 applications to Clare Proffitt clare.proffitt@bbc.co.uk by 1pm on this date.

We will let you know if you have been selected for interview by Friday 5th December. Interviews will take place at MediaCityUK, Salford either mid-December or early January. Placements will be 3 weeks long and will take place at some time between February 2015 and June 2015. Exact dates will be discussed with the successful applicants directly but please do let us know if you have preferred months / dates.

Please use the form attached when you submit your application.

Good Luck!

BBC Sport Student Placement Application Form

Name: University:

Course:

Tutor:

Please indicate your preferred placement area:

☐ TV Sports News

☐ Radio Sports News

☐ Global (TV and Radio)

☐ Sport Online

☐ Multimedia TV Sport

☐ TV Sport

Placements will take place between February 2015 and June 2015.Please let us know if there are any dates that you are not available during this time:

Question 1Tell us why you want to work in BBC Sport and what skills you could bring to your placement area

(300 words max)

Question 2Tell us about a sports story that you think would be interesting for one or more of BBC Sport’s

content platforms (300 words max)

Question 3BBC Sport is looking for journalists who can make stories relevant to all our communities in the

UK. Using your own background, interests and creativity, please suggest an idea for a story or the treatment of a sporting event which you think will attract viewers, listeners, or online users who

would not normally tune in to the BBC.