PRESS RELEASE                                                          11.11.2013

A better media gender balance

The Gordon Burns Partnership is planning a series of media training courses for women in business designed to give women confidence in broadcasting on television and radio.    They have linked up with former BBC Radio 4 Woman’s Hour producer, Janet Graves, to deliver the courses.  She has a special interest and expertise in promoting women in the media.

The courses, which are a response to the call from the BBC Director General, Tony Hall, to see a better gender balance in broadcasting, will be supported by former BBC North West Tonight presenter Gordon Burns and the rest of the Gordon Burns Partnership team.

One of the partners, Martin Brooks, the former Head of Regional and Local Programmes for the BBC in the North West, said: “Promoting the visibility of women has become a burning issue for programme makers.

“We’re happy to support that by helping women learn the skills they need to appear on the media  as an expert or an opinion maker.”

Janet Graves has had a long career as a network television and radio producer and now heads a media company making factual programmes for radio.

She said: ”My working life is spent seeking out talented ‘story tellers ‘ for the programmes I make and my experience on Woman’s Hour gave me a particular skill in helping women tell their story.

‘The BBC is setting an example to other institutions who want to celebrate the diversity of their workforce by helping women take a more visible role.”

The BBC is not alone in working to create a better gender balance. The UK’s business community has been urged to promote more women directors. In a government report, Lord Abersoch said businesses should double the number of women in their boardrooms to 25% in 2015.

Janet added: ”I believe that these training days will help women feel  more confident in their working  lives as well as being ready to take up an invitation from the media.

“I noticed that the new Governor of the Bank of England was surprised that there were no female economists on the policy committee and said ‘ we will have to grow our own top female
economists.’   These training days will help all sorts of businesses invest in growing their female talent.”

The Gordon Burns Partnership, which also includes Paul Horrocks, the former Editor in Chief of the Manchester Evening News, offers a range of communications strategies and has clients in the fields of medical negligence, higher education, retailing, transport, legal and sport.

The first women in business course will be held at Media City in February 2014. For more details please contact the Gordon Burns Partnership on 0161-241-2064 or info@gordonburnspartnership.co.uk

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