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You may have heard over the last couple of days that ITV2 are running an ‘Apprentice-style’ television show for wannabe magazine journalists. ‘The Exclusives’ will run for seven weeks and follow six contestants as they are set weekly challenges based on magazine and celebrity journalism. The winner will win a 12 month contract with Bauer Media and complete a series of paid internships across the company at titles such as Heat, Closer, Empire and FHM.
Lots has been said about it on Twitter recently and it’s received quite a mixed review already. A lot of people have said it sounds ‘interesting’ (but take that as you will!), some seem genuinely excited about it, while others have labelled it ‘depressing’.
I can’t quite work out if this is the best idea I’ve ever heard or the worst. It really depends on how exactly they plan to format the show and whether they plan to pick people who will make good magazine journalists or who will make good television.
If they go for choosing people who will make good television I think the show will really anger me. Especially if they’re people who haven’t shown much interest in journalism until the start of the show. The kind of people who saw an advert for the show in a magazine (as Bauer are running adverts across their titles to promote the show) and applied on a whim thinking that it sounded like fun to get to interview their favourite celebrities.
Having said all that, I know that I will watch the show and I will get drawn in and addicted. I know I’ll love it, even if it is really bad (let’s be honest, you’re talking about a girl who loves TOWIE and Made In Chelsea, of course I’m going to love a reality show about journalism!).
Plus if it’s anything like the American show ‘Running in Heels’, it has the potential to actually be quite good. And as the production company behind the series (Twofour) were also responsible for the amazing ‘Educating Essex’, I am hopeful.
If this sounds like your kind of thing and you’re interested in being on the show, send an email to apply@twofour.co.uk for an application form. Applications close January 24 though so be quick about it.
Also, let us know your thoughts on the Apprentice-style show via the comments or tweet us @wannabehacks
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Make of this what you will, but I'm a journalist (whether or not I'm a good one is open to debate I suppose) who has appeared in a couple of national mags on a freelance basis as well as writing for various publications on the web. Due to an interest in trying to break into the industry in a more permanent way, I went along to audition for the show with around 400 other hopefuls. I didn't even make the final 50.
This will be really interesting to watch! I undoubtedly will be tuning in as I have worked at several titles at Bauer. It will be interesting to see how they convey working at a magazine in the UK, (it really isn't as glamourous as they make out to be, so I wonder if they will glam it up for the show..probably).
Even though I will be watching it, as it will make good car crash television (if there is such a thing) I disagree with the notion we are seeing more and more of, journalism jobs as "competitions". Don't you think it devalues real life jobs in the media? And yes, it may be unfair depending on the candidates they pick, from someone who has worked their arse off for ages in internships to a relative newcomer winning the "prize job".
You're rather undermining your own argument here by saying hiring candidates that will make good television as opposed to good journalists angers you before comparing the show to other 'personality'-driven shows like TOWIE and MIC and talking about how this will make good television as a result.
@RedHeadFashion I wasn't intentionally likening it to TOWIE and MIC, I meant more even if it's really bad I'll still undoubtedly love it because I love such shows. Even if it annoys me that they've chosen 'tv personalities' because I love TOWIE even though most of them annoy me for giving Essex a bad name!
Of course they are only going to choose candidates who will make good television. These programmes get commissioned on the basis that they will make good enough television to make decent advertising revenue. No-one for a second should be thinking that ITV are doing this out of the kindness of their hearts for young journalists who can't get a break.
And I wouldn't put it past the show to put forward, as mentioned in the article, a bunch of candidates who just want to hang out with celebrities, and who probably don't have the experience that many of us in this community would feel we've worked hard for (unpaid internships, student rags, freelance).
But no doubt we'll watch it, and tweet alongside it, and there'll be more articles on Wannabe Hacks and others about the show.
It's once again a depressing reminder of the state of both television and the industry. But it should also serve as motivation - who wants to let some talentless but "good for television" twenty-something get the job you've always wanted?
I always wondered how professional ice dancers felt about watching Dancing On Ice.
How it felt, after spending your whole life honing your art and pursuing your dream - often for very little reward - to see a group of people lured in by TV cameras transformed into "experts" in six weeks.
I don't imagine it feels great. We'll see.
@mikeysmith Very good point. Never thought of it like that. We'll definitely have to wait and see.
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