“That Joanne, she could take her place on Hyde Park Corner” – that was the not so flattering suggestion made by one of Joanne’s high school teachers in an attempt to try to stop her from talking, but rather than going quiet, Joanne has made a career out of her voice.
A journalist with an interest in politics and international development, Joanne is currently a newsreader on BBC Radio 5 Live where she also fronts programmes including Up All Night, Brief Lives and the special investigations strand, The Five Live Report. Ever busy, she’s also called upon to present programmes on BBC London 94.9FM. An experienced radio producer, nominated for a Sony award in 2002.
Starting in local radio in her home town of Luton, Joanne presented a weekly programme for the African Caribbean community which started life as a music based show, but Joanne believed the community needed a forum to discuss issues affecting them and so changed the format, got rid of the music and made it all speech. The show was nominated for a Windrush Award in 1999. As the station’s only black journalist, she made it her duty to reflect the wider issues of ethnic communities across Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire.
This passion led her to the capital where she developed stories for the Community Affairs Unit based at BBC London 94.9FM before she was approached to become the station’s Diversity manager. Over nine months, Joanne tackled all aspects of diversity, devising initiatives to encourage a workforce more reflective of the capital, identifying and developing new talent, creating and implementing training workshops for staff across TV, Radio and Online, fostering links and partnerships with community organisations and facilitating the creation of an online guide to diverse London with a group of young people who’d never worked for the BBC. Joanne also delivered a series of talks to the next generation of journalists on post graduate courses.
Joanne continues to champion diversity, volunteering her time to the Media Trust and acting as a mentor to young people trying to break into media. She also uses her experience to train budding programme makers in production techniques – most recently at BBC Radio Cornwall.
Away from work, Joanne is a keen traveller, stuffing her rucksack with mosquito repellent, good socks and boiled sweets at every opportunity, and has spent many months travelling through East and Southern Africa, Australia, Japan and India indulging in her love of giraffes and goats.
A journalist with an interest in politics and international development, Joanne is currently a newsreader on BBC Radio 5 Live where she also fronts programmes including Up All Night, Brief Lives and the special investigations strand, The Five Live Report. Ever busy, she’s also called upon to present programmes on BBC London 94.9FM. An experienced radio producer, nominated for a Sony award in 2002.
Starting in local radio in her home town of Luton, Joanne presented a weekly programme for the African Caribbean community which started life as a music based show, but Joanne believed the community needed a forum to discuss issues affecting them and so changed the format, got rid of the music and made it all speech. The show was nominated for a Windrush Award in 1999. As the station’s only black journalist, she made it her duty to reflect the wider issues of ethnic communities across Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire.
This passion led her to the capital where she developed stories for the Community Affairs Unit based at BBC London 94.9FM before she was approached to become the station’s Diversity manager. Over nine months, Joanne tackled all aspects of diversity, devising initiatives to encourage a workforce more reflective of the capital, identifying and developing new talent, creating and implementing training workshops for staff across TV, Radio and Online, fostering links and partnerships with community organisations and facilitating the creation of an online guide to diverse London with a group of young people who’d never worked for the BBC. Joanne also delivered a series of talks to the next generation of journalists on post graduate courses.
Joanne continues to champion diversity, volunteering her time to the Media Trust and acting as a mentor to young people trying to break into media. She also uses her experience to train budding programme makers in production techniques – most recently at BBC Radio Cornwall.
Away from work, Joanne is a keen traveller, stuffing her rucksack with mosquito repellent, good socks and boiled sweets at every opportunity, and has spent many months travelling through East and Southern Africa, Australia, Japan and India indulging in her love of giraffes and goats.
Newsreader and broadcaster on BBC Radio 5 Live Joanne has also worked as a diversity manager and commits a lot of energy to mentoring the young and people from minority ethnic communities.
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