TV Presenter

Even the early morning starts aren’t enough to dull Sally Bowrey’s passion for her job as a television presenter with the Weather Channel on Foxtel. “It definitely isn’t pleasant getting up but, when you get used to it, you actually feel like you’re ahead of everyone else because you finish around lunchtime and have the rest of the day to yourself,” she says.

Bowrey works closely with Weather Channel’s meteorologists and presents Your Weather Today, a weather information and news program, weekdays from 6am-10am. She thrives on the unpredictable nature of her job. “If any breaking weather news rolls in, for example the hail storm that hit Sydney last week, we drop all the normal programming and we go straight in to continuous rolling headlines,” Bowrey explains.

“It goes into breaking news formula in the studio and we will be speaking with people who have been affected by it; keeping people up to date. Cyclone season is one of the most exciting times for us. Of course you never want anything serious to happen to people in these areas, but it is amazing how quickly things can turn.”

When the weather is less dramatic, Bowrey and her team follow a more regular formula. “We have bulletins every 15 minutes which focus on the three to four breaking weather headlines of the day,” she says. “I do my own research and writing for the program. It’s a fairly fast-paced job because we work to hourly deadlines.”

Qualifications: You can become a TV presenter without formal qualifications, but it is a competitive industry, so tertiary studies are recommended. Numerous universities offer journalism degrees, including the University of Technology, Sydney, Macquarie University and Charles Sturt University. You can also do a diploma in journalism at a private college, such as Macleay College, or a Certificate III in News Media (Journalism) at TAFE.

Course description: Course contents vary according to institutions. The Bachelor of Arts (Communication — Journalism) at CSU is a three-year degree that allows students to specialise in broadcast or print journalism. Subjects include news production in radio, television, online and print media, communication law and news writing. Students must also complete an internship in their final year.

Costs: Course costs are different at each institution. For the CSU degree, the annual fee for 2007 is $4992, but students can defer payment under the Australian Government-supported FEE-HELP scheme.

From the inside: Sally Bowrey, who has a passion for acting and journalism, says television presenting allows her to engage both interests. Bowrey studied journalism at CSU before landing her first job as a presenter reading news updates for Foxtel’s Arena. She says confidence in front of the camera is a must. “The first bulletin I ever read was nerve-racking,” she says. “It was so daunting standing there, but I knew I had to just let the nerves slide away … it felt so good when it was over.”

* Contact Charles Sturt University on 1800 334 733 or www.csu.edu.au