Ruth's media career on the right wavelength
Released: Monday 18th July 2011 at 11:00
A BIT like buses, Master's graduate Ruth Aiken had an anxious wait for a career in journalism to arrive, but now she's celebrating after landing two media jobs at once.
Ruth, who undertook a six-month internship with the Shields Gazette, is now juggling a full-time trainee journalism job with the News Post Leader and News Guardian alongside presenting her own radio show on new community station Ultra Radio, based in Northumberland.
The 26-year-old graduated from the University of Sunderland in September 2009 and found it difficult to get a foot in the door in the printed news industry. After six months she turned to the university for guidance and was notified of the opportunities made available through the Internship Scheme. Within one week of registering on the scheme she was offered a six month position with the Shields Gazette.
Ruth is delighted to have the opportunity to present her own live radio show at the same time of achieving her ambition to be a newspaper reporter.
She said: "I have always dreamt of having my own radio show which plays nothing but music from the 1960s and 1970s. I remember playing in my room when I was a child, recording my own radio shows on my double cassette player, so it's definitely something I always wanted to do. I am thrilled to be part of Ultra, presenting a two-hour show each Sunday afternoon, it's a fantastic young local station and I'm confident we have a bright future."
Stewart Allen, Programme Director at Ultra Radio, complimented Ruth on her radio skills, saying: "It is nice to find someone so young who likes 1960s and 1970s music. It is also lovely to find someone with talent, knowledge, enthusiasm and skills who doesn't require any training to make the programme. This is a great opportunity for Ruth to get into the community radio business and she is doing a great job."
During her Internship at the Shields Gazette, Ruth made a positive impression with the editor John Szymanski, who said: "We were very impressed with Ruth from the outset. She was extremely willing to learn new things, picked them up very quickly and swiftly began to make a useful and telling contribution to the Gazette, both in the paper and online.
"I had no hesitation in recommending Ruth for a job at our sister title as I was confident she would not let me or her new employer down. From feedback received, I am pleased that she is doing so well - it is thoroughly deserved."
Ruth, from Tynemouth, has also gone on to become a valued member of the News Post Leader and News Guardian team in North Tyneside.
Her new editor, Ian Arkle, has nothing but praise for her, he said: "Ruth is a rare commodity in today's modern world. Although still learning and developing as a journalist, she is one of those reporters you want to retain for as long as possible. Her personality and professionalism make her a delight to have in the newsroom."
And of her work at the newspaper and how the University has helped launch her career, Ruth is equally positive: "I am absolutely loving my job at the News Guardian and News Post Leader, I have wanted to be a reporter all of my life and feel I owe a great deal to my tutors and the Internship team at the University."
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