Paul Appleby wheedled his way into the British Broadcasting Corp.'s Natural History Unit after receiving a degree in zoology. Several years of making TV programmes later, he's now involved in the Beeb's new media enterprise. He describes [6] the making of the 'learning journey' Web site that accompanied the recent blockbuster BBC series, The Blue Planet.

Jennifer Callahan [7] undertook an internship at a local TV station at the same time as finishing up her PhD. What may have seemed foolhardy at the time, even to her, paid off handsomely when she landed a job with U.S. public television's premier science series, NOVA.

Jens Degett tells [8] us how he made the transition from research scientist to host of the most-listened-to talk show on Danish radio. His show's popularity proves that even complex science can make great listening.

Now an editor in charge of science programming at German radio station DW-Radio, Ute Hänsler started out a few years back as a research chemist. She offers [9] tips for those who'd like to follow in her footsteps.

So you want to be a TV producer? Hilary Marshall [10] spoke to several and found that there are a host of opportunities at independent production companies for scientists with great ideas and plenty of get up and go.

Bob McDonald has 25 years of experience in science journalism and is well known across Canada as the host of the Canadian Broadcasting Company radio show, Quirks and Quarks. He spoke to Next Wave Canada's Lesley McKarney [11] about what it takes to break into broadcasting.

Ivan Semeniuk [12], a producer for Discovery Channel, Canada, explains the essential similarities and differences between working in television and print for a science journalist.

In a career lasting almost 70 years Heinz Sielmann [13] has become one of Germany's most renowned wildlife film producers. In his experience, being a film-maker is not always a dream job (in German).

TV producer Axel Wagner coordinates scientific news coverage for all of Germany's broadcasting stations, and he also produces reports for the popular science show Nano. Wagner explains [14] his transition from biology student to science broadcaster.

Interactive broadcasting is the latest thing at the BBC. Former physicist Richard Williams [15] explains the 'sit forward' experience and the opportunities it creates for science communicators to add value to series like the brand new Walking with Beasts.

Training

Homegrown science programmes are few and far between in Singapore. But the time could be ripe for that to change, suggests Next Wave's Singapore editor Jennie Wong, as she rounds up the broadcast media training opportunities [16] available in the island-state.

Imperial College London [17] has been running a well-respected master's course in Science Communication for 10 years. Now they've launched a new course, in Science Media Production, aimed at would-be science broadcasters. We hear from Nick Russell, director of Imperial's Science Communication Group, and one of the first students, Richard Scrase, about what the course has to offer.

The Discovery Campus Masterschool [18] in Leipzig, Germany, aims to help European documentary-makers develop programmes that are both excellent and commercially viable in a world-wide market place. Freelance TV producer Silvia Beutl describes how the school works and what documentary-making has to offer the scientist interested in a career transition.

Resources

As if all these role models weren't enough, the Next Wave team has also compiled for you a whole slew of Internet resources [19] that may help you start your career in broadcasting.