Jamie Tucker

That’s TV is the Freeview news bulletin that covers 22 locations across the UK. It covers all news, from politics to sports and tries to focus on human interest stories that matter to the public that it serves. The channel broadcasts nightly bulletins, featuring a mixture of presenter read stories, and interviewee to camera sections. All news presented is hyper local, meaning if you’re in Cambridgeshire you will only see news from your county, making it appeal to those who are not interested in national stories.

The team of journalists here work harder than anywhere else I’ve seen. Everybody is their own journalist, researcher, producer and editor. That means everyone is responsible for their own work, and also gets to take credit for the absolute fantastic output that they broadcast. They are an impeccable team and I couldn’t be luckier to work with a group of people who work so hard. Everyone cares about the community they serve, and I am proud to call them my colleagues. They will all go on to have fantastic careers within the industry.

My journey into journalism wasn’t straightforward. I actually worked incredibly hard to get here. At 15 I joined a community radio show, which sparked my love for journalism. I knew that’s what I needed to do with my life. I chose my A-level subjects around being able to follow that career, and at 17 I emailed the producer of a local radio show everyday until he invited me for a tour. While in the building, I begged that man for a job when I left sixth form. He politely declined my persistent ask, and said I needed a degree before they’d even consider me. So I was off to University. I hung on that man’s every word. I went to a school he suggested, I got my NCTJ alongside my multimedia journalism degree. And then I graduated in a global pandemic. Which meant the radio station still wouldn’t hire me, but this time it wasn’t for my lack of qualifications. I had all the attributes, in a world that was crashing down. But I stuck it out. I took the freelance opportunities offered to me, and waited my turn. In that time, a full time position at a Freeview news channel based in Manchester became available. So I threw myself into it. Spent a month up north, learning the business and eventually made it back to the town I grew up in, to work in the county I called home. I worked my way up, from Reporter, to Senior Journalist, to News Coordinator. I grew the respect of my boss, and even tried my hand at ‘acting’ Head of News for a few months during a difficult period. This job taught me skills and life lessons that I needed in my early 20’s. Ones that shaped the journalist I am. I still actively freelanced on top of this to keep my skills sharp across the sector. Being a journalist is who I am, and I’m proud of all I have achieved.