After completing a post-graduate diploma in Radio Journalism at the London College of Printing, Anna Hill started working for the BBC as a local radio reporter in 1986. For the next seven years she covered local and national news at several different radio stations around the country, as reporter producer and then Editor. She then moved to Broadcasting House in London, as an Announcer at BBC Radio 4.
In 1994 Anna combined her journalism and presentation skills, as presenter / producer at FARMING TODAY, on BBC Radio 4. In the last six years she has had to learn about all sectors of agriculture and food production, and the domestic, European and international politics surrounding the food and farming industry. FARMING TODAY won a prestigious Gold Sony Award in 1999 for its coverage. She also presents ON YOUR FARM, an in-depth 25-minute programme, in conversation with individual farmers who have made their mark on the industry, in the UK and abroad.
Anna has reported for the BBC on farming in The Falklands, with Mennonites in Bolivia, and South Africa. She has also presented two special reports for BBC Television's COUNTRYFILE programme, on the work of the FAO with farmers in Kosovo.
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is funded by license fee, paid by everyone in the UK with a television. It operates under a Royal Charter, and has a commitment to public service broadcasting. Unlike some other national broadcasting institutions it is not run or funded solely and directly by government.
There are five national BBC Radio Stations: Radio 1, Radio 2, Radio 3, Radio 4 and Five Live.
BBC Radio 4 is the domestic service for news, current affairs, documentaries, features and factual programmes. From the Rural Affairs department based in Birmingham in the English Midlands, it produces two and a half hours of rural news and features a week, in three main strands:
Open Country Saturday mornings 0610 - 0700
On Your Farm Sunday mornings 0635 - 0700
Farming Today Monday-Friday 0545 - 0600
One fifth of the population in England live in "rural" areas. That means the majority of people listening to our output, have no direct contact with farming or the countryside. So BBC Rural Affairs has to provide informative and entertaining programmes for people who are not directly involved in farming or food production. The combined aim is to cover a broad range of rural issues, including the farming industry and food production, the countryside and conservation, and agricultural politics.
Each programme has a specific remit. Open Country explores the UK from a leisure-based standpoint. It speaks not only to listeners who live in rural areas who want to hear how other communities around the country manage, but also to city-dwellers that want to visit the countryside, and explore their national heritage. Each week Open Country visits a selected part of the country, and reveals the local geography, wildlife and cultural history in an entertaining way. Broadcast on a Saturday morning, it has a "weekend" feel to the tone of the broadcast.
On Your Farm is an in-depth interview with an individual farmer or farming family. Walking round the farm, and talking in detail about how the business is run, it reveals the character of the interviewee(s), and questions the motivation for their work, the choices they've made and their opinions on current farming issues. The programme allows listeners who don't live in the countryside a glimpse of a working farm, and an insight into some the philosophies which govern different farmers' lives. A relaxed conversation, often with people who have influence in the world of agriculture, On Your Farm brings considered opinion to the farming debate.
Farming today is the core news output for BBC Rural Affairs. On weekday mornings it brings listeners the latest news about farming, agricultural politics, food safety, and consumer and conservation issues. Because the majority of listeners are not from the farming community, its coverage of technical information has to be handled in a way, which will not alienate them. Controversial issues such as the financial crisis in farming, BSE, GM crops, and European politics are freely debated by the leading exponents in their field. Farming Today's specialist knowledge means it often breaks stories, which are then taken up by other news outlets in the BBC, showing that rural news interests many more people than just farmers themselves.
BSE, and the consequent collapse of the farming industry in the UK, has meant farming is now a "hot potato" and part of mainstream news. Agriculture has become controversial, an area of life which concerns everyone. The debacle of BSE has led to a renewed interest by consumers in what happens on farms, how safe the food they buy is, and what effect farming has on a countryside which is generally perceived to be a national leisure resource. So, the agenda for farming journalists has changed too. They have to compete with other news outlets, which want to cover agriculture too. In a country where the majority has no direct connection with farming, apart from the food they buy, rural broadcasting has to be the bridge between the urban and rural populations, between the farmer and the shopper. As specialists we should bring a better quality of debate, and remain one step ahead of the general news output.
