Ian talked to me about how much he loves his jobs, the occasional downsides and gives some fantastic advice on how aspiring sports journalists can get into the industry. I hope you enjoy reading this interview and I'd like to thank Ian for agreeing to do this and for giving some excellent career tips too.
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| Image copyright of jewishtelegraph.com |
Did you always intend to work in sports journalism?
Of course, 100%, it was always my dream from being young and I always wanted to be a sports journalist. Every lad wants to be a footballer, sure, but surely the next best thing is to talk about, watch and interview people about sports all day long.
Was it always broadcast over print?
Yes and I think radio journalism is personally my favourite to work in. I’ve done some television work but radio journalism is much more challenging than television which can sometimes be a bit lazy as you’ve got the pictures to do the talking for you. In radio journalism, especially sports, you’ve got to paint a picture for the listeners and bring information to life.
It’s also a much more intimate form of journalism and is obviously instant, I absolutely love it. I guess when you first start out that can make you feel quite nervous because you’ve got to think on the spot, but I’ve been doing this for 20 odd years now so I’m used to it and it’s like second nature, although I do sometimes get maybe a little nervous or perhaps it’s more excitement these days.
Did you go to university?
I went to Birmingham Polytechnic and studied for a degree in Politics. To be honest, it meant I got Monday and Friday off and only had six hours of lectures a week – which meant it was quite an easy degree and I could enjoy the experience! I then went and did a Post Graduate degree in Broadcast Journalism; my lecturer there was Jonathan Hewett and he was well known in the industry and most people who graduated from there got a job in journalism quite easily.
Sports journalism is tough to crack, what do you think gave you that edge?
It might sound clichéd, but it really is not what you know, but who you know, and always being in the right place at the right time. Of course, having the right qualifications like a degree and experience will also give you that extra edge over someone else too. But I’ve actually never got a job through applying for one or having a formal interview; it’s either been through doing freelance work or knowing someone who has recommended me for a job.
Which part of your job do you enjoy the most?
How can you not enjoy my job?! I get to watch football all the time! I get to meet and talk to footballers and managers and I get paid for it too. Millions of people would love to do what I do and I’m very appreciative of that. I get to get out and about meeting lots of famous people and attending some fantastic events. I’ve been to two World Cup Finals, World Snooker Championships and Wimbledon, and I’ll be at the Olympics next year too. The press seats are also usually the best seats too and I can honestly say that I’d actually pay to attend the events I get to report on and be paid to report on, so I’m very lucky.
Any bad parts of your job?
I wouldn’t say there are any bad parts. Yes the starts are early and the nights can be late but I love what I do. Sometimes you may be watching a match and it can be really dull; you’ve got to tell the listeners what’s going on and make it sound interesting for them, sometimes that can be difficult but if it’s the club they support then you have to make it sound interesting to them.
With any sporting event I’m working on you obviously have to be there quite early too to get yourself set up and do preparation, and you don’t leave until after everyone else has gone too, so there are a lot of long days. However, every fantastic day I have makes up for the odd bad days. I’m a glass half full kind of guy and I have the best job in the world – I’d rather have my job than any other because every day is new and exciting.
Any words of wisdom for aspiring sports journalists?
The main thing is to be enthusiastic and show that it’s something you want to do; you have to love what you do otherwise you won’t enjoy it. It can be a frustrating job with lots of waiting around but having to maintain that enthusiasm, whether it’s a press conference being late, a player not turning up for an interview or the print media doing their interviews first; but it’s always rewarding once you get that interview you’ve been waiting so long for.
You should always listen to what people have to say – managers and players – because they could provide you with a great piece of information that you can then use to create an entirely different story. I never go into a press conference or a interview with any questions written down, I let them do the talking and pick up on things they say and create interview questions that way otherwise I could miss out on something they’ve said that could give me a great lead all because I’m focussing on my next question written down.
I’d also advise any aspiring sports journalist to not just focus on one sport like football but to look at others as well, especially the more obscure sports because that’s where you’ll probably find an opportunity to get your name out there. Keep on plodding away on what you love and you’ll get there. Never take no for answer, pester people as much as you can and be forceful otherwise people will ignore you.
The best way to get out there is to just ask for an interview – if you don’t ask, you don’t get – if I saw Messi, Elton John or even David Flitcroft (!) walking down the street I’d just go and ask for an interview and if they say yes then great, you should never presume people will say no and unexpected interviews are always the best and then I’ve got something that no other journalist has.
Also, at every opportunity you have talk to people and make contacts, always get someone’s number and network as much as possible, like I said earlier, it’s not what you know but who you know.
You can follow Ian Abrahams aka The Moose from talkSPORT on Twitter @Moose_talkSPORT.
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