‘I came in via the typing pool… if there’s no struggle, there’s no progress.’ Cult Manchester meets the women behind the mic and in front of the camera.
When we started Cult Manchester, we wanted to make sure women’s voices and stories were heard - especially in the creative industries, where noisy blokes can often be the ones to get attention…
We’ve already heard from women photographers and visual artists - next up: broadcasters. From chasing Prince Harry in the Arctic to meeting musical heroes and championing voices that might otherwise go unheard, broadcasters Katie Walderman, Becky Want and Simone Riley know a thing or two about a good story.
Katie presents ITV’s Granada Reports, Becky hosts The Late Show on BBC Radio, and Simone is a presenter for BBC Radio Manchester.
Cult Manchester’s Katherine Macfarlane spoke with them as they reflect on the challenges facing women in the industry, memorable moments on the job and the little things that make life behind the mic so special.
‘We face so much more abuse and harassment online - especially for our appearance.’
Katie Walderman - co-presenter, Granada Reports. Liverpool-born Katie joined Granada in 2024. Before that she spent 12 years with the BBC.
Cult Manchester: Broadcasting and the whole media landscape have changed completely in the last couple of decades - how has your job changed since you first started?
Katie Walderman: It’s been around 20 years since I started off as a journalist and the change to the industry in that time has been massive! Gone are the days of separate radio, TV and print reporters. It’s now essential for journalists to be able to do all three as part of our day-to-day role. Reporters now are expected to be super self-sufficient. If you’re out on a story, you’re often self-shooting and editing, writing accompanying articles, cutting separate story explainers for social media and providing more in-depth coverage and analysis for the likes of podcasts - all alongside a traditional TV report.
Tuning in for Granada’s flagship 6pm programme is still important to many of our core viewers - what we produce, where it goes and how fast we react has massively evolved. When a major story breaks, our audience expects immediate coverage. The turnaround speed for content has also changed dramatically; I still remember when footage from the top of our patch in Cumbria had to be physically biked back to make the evening programme!
From a personal perspective, I find this shift really exciting. Previously, a report that took weeks to research, film and edit was broadcast to a limited audience, at a scheduled time, in a certain area. Now, our stories can live on indefinitely, with the potential to reach anyone, anywhere. We also get instant feedback - which gives us new lines and ways to revisit important topics.
I’d like to think we’re also more mindful in our approach to interviewees and the personal impact of their involvement. Newsrooms also feel way less cut-throat now than when I first started out. But they’re also much quieter - with more people editing remotely and unfortunately way less jobs! But I feel the fundamentals remain the same - you can’t beat a good story, a great talker and a colourful character.
CM: What stands out in your mind as something that’s happened to you at work?
Katie: This is a tricky one to choose - but one of my most memorable shifts came while I was the radio pool covering Walking With The Wounded’s expedition to the North Pole. Prince Harry also joined part of the trek - and I wasn’t supposed to get an interview with him. But I hounded - and I mean hounded - the press team for days until they relented.
My big moment came - I knew I had just two minutes with him outside in minus 35 degrees. The extreme cold kept draining my batteries, so I shoved them down my thermals. However, when he turned up, I couldn’t get them out fast enough with my big gloves on… so he arrived as I had my hands down my pants trying to find them! Luckily, he saw the funny side.
CM: What has your experience been as a female journalist, and how do you think the industry has changed?
Katie: I have no doubt there was a time when working in such a male-dominated industry was exceptionally difficult for women. And I know those still facing challenges today, especially women in sport. We also face so much more abuse and harassment online - especially for our appearance. I like to keep the best ones for a book that I’ll never have time to write!
But so many of the women journalists I started out with have gone on to forge amazing careers within so many different media organisations. I guess it’s hard to say if our paths there would have progressed further or been easier if we were men. And whether that’s due to the industry or wider society in general. I certainly know I wouldn’t have had the career I’ve had without the backing of many fantastic male colleagues I’ve met along the way.
That said, I’ve certainly experienced misogyny over the years - being told by a male co-worker I was unlikely to get a promotion because I was heavily pregnant is a comment that still makes my blood boil to this day (I did get it, by the way!). I've also had senior male colleagues shout and swear very aggressively at me in packed offices - something they didn’t dare do to our male counterparts.
But thankfully, I feel the culture within the newsrooms I've worked in at least has completely transformed over the last decade or so. I also think the next generation of bright and brilliant colleagues I work with now just wouldn’t stand for it. And I know if they saw it they’d call it out in a way no-one did for me as a young reporter, which I love!
CM: What would you say to women wanting to work in broadcast news today? What advice would you give them?
Katie: I think the best advice I could give would be to be yourself, back yourself and don’t give up. I’ve lost count of the amount of times I was knocked back from job interviews and career opportunities. But being resilient and persistent always pays off… and prepares you for viewers' feedback emails!
I’d also try to find someone whose career and speciality appeals to you - and ask them for advice and feedback. It doesn’t have to be anything formal. I’ve been helped and supported by some amazing women over the years - and it’s a great way to network, too. If you have a hunch for a story, keep going at it. And don’t be afraid to be brave in who you bid for - you never know if they’ll say yes.
CM: What’s your favourite cult thing ever?
Katie: I’m aware this is a very niche cult, that may consist of just me and my eldest son - but I’m obsessed with salad cream! I literally have it on everything - from roast dinners, pizza, steak and chips, cheese and crackers - the list goes on. My husband reckons it’s almost a divorceable offence.
Cult Manchester asked Katie to share some memorable photos of her career:
See Katie on ITV Granada Reports - weekdays at 6pm. Katie's Instagram is here.
‘I got up at 5am and sat in on the breakfast show on Christmas Day morning because I just couldn’t stay away.’
Becky Want - BBC Late Show. Becky used to work at Piccadilly Radio and other commercial stations – as well as Granada TV - before joining BBC Radio Manchester in the early 2000s. Her late-night show is now broadcast from Salford across all BBC radio stations in England.
Becky Want has spent her entire broadcasting career on radio and television in the North West. But three years ago she took a major step up, presenting the BBC’s All England Late Show. From meeting her musical heroes to navigating the changing media landscape, Becky talks about her career, the progress women have made in broadcasting and why she once turned up at 5am on Christmas Day just to sit in on a breakfast show.
Cult Manchester: How has your job changed since you first started?
Becky: My job has both changed hugely and also not at all. In 20 years there have been massive tech advancements with great opportunities for multimedia coverage, certainly at the BBC. Something which may have once just been a radio item can work really well online and on TV, so there are lots more opportunities. But the core values are the same - the holy grail is to build a relationship with the audience. I think the key to that is authenticity.
Nobody could have been more surprised and flattered to be asked to present The Late Show than me. It’s been a lot of things, including a swift geography lesson! I‘m now pretty good on pronunciations from Northumberland to Cornwall. It seems you can teach an old dog new tricks.
CM: Tell me about a couple of career moments that have stuck in your mind.
Becky: I’ve been so lucky to meet my musical heroes. Elvis Costello walked past my desk on his way to do BBC Breakfast TV and I asked him if he had five mins for a quick interview with me for Radio Manchester. His team said no, but he said yes…….and gave me 30 minutes. There’s no truth in the rumour that I was at the studio two hours earlier than necessary, just in case!
Then there was the time I got a phone call from my editor saying you’ll be presenting the flagship Breakfast Show on Radio Manchester from Monday. It’ll only be for a couple of months, until this Covid business is over… 18 months later, I finally moved on!
CM: What has your experience been as a woman working in broadcasting - have things changed?
Becky: Undoubtedly, when I started in the 1980s, it was much tougher. The power imbalance was very much in existence and women tended to be in admin roles, rather than in management or on air. I came in via the typing pool and gained traction that way. But in my experience, if there’s no struggle, there’s no progress. I’m delighted to say that the media world, as far as equal opportunities are concerned, is now unrecognisable.
CM: What advice would you give women wanting to have a career in broadcasting?
Becky: It’s very competitive and the opportunities are fewer, but if you really want to go into TV or radio be proactive, get as much experience as you can. Self-generated content always shows you in a good light. Go and volunteer at hospital radio or a small local station. If you fall in love with it, as I did, then you’ll never want to be away from the studio. If you don’t, then maybe it’s not for you. When I got my first on-air job at Piccadilly Radio, I got up at 5am and sat in on the breakfast show on Christmas Day morning because I just couldn’t stay away.
CM: What’s your favourite cult thing?
Becky: The Rocky Horror Picture Show - I do a mean ‘Time Warp’.
CM: Tell us about the photos you've chosen to share with Cult Manchester?
Becky: This photograph was taken on 13 March 2020 when I was happily walking in to present my lunchtime show on Radio Manchester. Little did I know that a week later I would be presenting breakfast and our world would have turned upside down thanks to Covid.
Becky: This photo was taken last month. I have a ‘broadcast drawer’ which contains a pair of headphones and tuck shop quantities of chocolate, sweets and biscuits. I’m particularly partial to white chocolate and come 11pm, myself and the Late Show team take a deep dive into the drawer for sustenance. Our lovely listeners know this and regularly replenish!
Listen to Becky’s Late Show BBC Radio. Becky's Instagram is here.
‘I believe we should be able to celebrate our achievements without feeling we have to represent an entire community every time we walk into a room.’
Simone Riley - presenter, BBC Radio Manchester. Simone volunteered for nine years at Manchester Afro-Caribbean community station Legacy 90.1 FM before being headhunted by the BBC.
From winning a Black trailblazer award to talking about her grandfather's journey from the Caribbean, Simone Riley knows a few things about a powerful story. The BBC Radio Manchester presenter talks about her career, representation in broadcasting and why believing in yourself is the first step to making your mark in the media.
Cult Manchester: Tell us about your experience of the changing media landscape.
Simone: The biggest change is the pace of the industry and how we connect with our audiences. When I started, radio was much more about what happened on air. Now, broadcasting is so much bigger than that. You’re thinking about social media, digital content, video, and how a story travels across different platforms.
Audiences also want authenticity. They want to connect with the person behind the microphone, not just hear someone read the news or introduce a programme.
Throughout my career at BBC Radio Manchester, I’ve covered major breaking news, elections, cultural events and stories that really matter to local communities. What hasn’t changed is the importance of good storytelling. Technology will continue to evolve, but people will always want stories that make them feel something, inform them and help them understand the world around them.
I’ve also learned that you have to keep evolving. You can’t stand still in this industry. I’m excited about exploring more television opportunities alongside my radio work, because I believe my experience, curiosity and ability to connect with people translate across both.
CM: What have been some highlights of your career so far?
Simone: One of my proudest moments was receiving the Black Creative Trailblazing Award for my work at BBC Radio Manchester. It was a reminder that the work you do, often behind the scenes and without knowing who it might reach, can make a real difference.
I’m particularly passionate about telling stories that might otherwise go unheard, especially those from Black communities. Recently, I pitched a story about pioneering Manchester Black activist and former councillor Locita Brandy to Newsround on her behalf - and seeing that story brought to a wider audience was incredibly rewarding.
Another particularly meaningful experience has been working on a BBC TV Morning Live film inspired by my own family history and my grandfather Oldain Williams, who arrived in Manchester from the Caribbean in 1959. He went on to become one of the early Black train drivers in the North West. Growing up, I saw his achievements around the house without fully understanding their significance. Being able to help tell stories like his has made me appreciate just how important it is to preserve our history.
Those moments remind me that broadcasting isn’t simply about being on air. It’s about using your platform to give people a voice, celebrate achievements and make sure our stories are part of the wider conversation.
CM: What has your experience been as a Black woman working in broadcasting, and how do you think the industry needs to change?
Simone: I do think Black women can face additional challenges in this industry. You’re not only working to establish yourself as a broadcaster. At times, you’re also having to challenge perceptions about who belongs in certain spaces and what a broadcaster should look or sound like.
Representation has improved, but there is still work to do. It’s important that Black women aren’t only brought into conversations about diversity or expected to tell stories about race. We have so much more to offer, whether that’s consumer affairs, entertainment, current affairs, lifestyle or hard news.
I also think access to opportunities, visibility and having people in positions of influence who recognise your talent are incredibly important. Sometimes, getting your foot in the door is one challenge, but getting the next opportunity and being trusted to progress is another.
That said, I don’t want to focus only on the barriers. Black women are talented, creative, resilient and making a real contribution to broadcasting. I’m proud of the work I do, and I believe we should be able to celebrate our achievements without feeling we have to represent an entire community every time we walk into a room.
Cult Manchester: What advice would you give to Black women wanting to work in the media industry today?
Simone: My advice would be - don’t wait for someone to give you permission to believe in yourself. Learn your craft, be curious, ask questions and get as much practical experience as you can. If you want to present, practice presenting. If you want to produce, develop your ideas and learn how to pitch them. Build relationships, make connections and don’t be afraid to put yourself forward for opportunities that might feel slightly outside your comfort zone.
I would also say, don’t underestimate the value of your own experiences. Your background, your perspective and the way you see the world can be your greatest strengths. You don’t have to imitate somebody else to succeed.
And find people who will champion you. Mentors and allies can make a real difference, but remember that you also have to advocate for yourself. Sometimes you have to be the person who says, ‘I can do that’, even when nobody has asked you yet.
Most importantly, don’t let rejection convince you that you aren’t good enough. This industry can be unpredictable, and opportunities don’t always come when you expect them to. Keep developing, keep pitching and keep telling stories you believe in.
Cult Manchester: Favourite cult thing?
Simone: Has to be Vimto!
Cult Manchester: We asked you to share some favourite photos with us...
Listen to Simone on BBC Radio Manchester Simone's Instagram is here.
Thanks to Katie, Becky and Simone.
