Behind the Scenes at BBC Radio Cornwall

Some of you may be thinking: “Ross, how the hell do you get yourself in these situations?!” Let me explain…

Lawrence Reed sat behind the radio desk

A few months ago, I attended a charity event hosted by BBC’s Laurence Reed. The event was in the form of an auction, where funds were raised for Active8 – a charity I’ve been involved with for many years now.

After the auction, Laurence and I were chatting and he very kindly gave me his number. He knew I was interested in the BBC and he said he’d be happy to invite me and a couple of my mates down to the studios.

This was really exciting for me as I studied Media in college and love keeping up to date with all the latest news. As most of you already know, my dream is to also one day work within the media – whether that be in TV, magazine or radio.

Ross outside the BBC Cornwall studios

It was such a fun experience getting to go behind the scenes and meeting different members of the team. I definitely underestimated the amount of hard work that goes into this profession. Everyone was so friendly and welcoming, despite the chaos that was going on around them!

This day in particular was very busy for news, as the breaking story was centred around a local fire that had swept through a social housing complex in Truro.

Ross's friend Mark wearing a set of headphones

Before Laurence started his midday show, he gave us a tour of the building. We also got to sit inside his booth and see how some of his equipment and computer systems work.

I for one never realised how much preparation and planning goes on behind the scenes in order to prepare for a radio show. Obviously every day is different depending on the news, but you really have to be a skilled multi-tasker in this job. Even the support team around Laurence were taking calls, checking social media and dealing with complaints – all whilst on air!

View inside the studio about to record

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and cannot thank the team at BBC Radio Cornwall enough. Listening to the show now feels very strange, but that little bit more exciting!