Susan Osman
Susan Osman is a British journalist and television news presenter with almost 30 years of broadcasting experience in both television and radio. She currently works and lives in Beijing hosting a live daily news programme, The Beijing Hour With Susan Osman, for CRI (China Radio International). Osman is one of the first western journalists to broadcast such a programme from China, and the programme celebrated its first anniversary on 25 January 2011.
Education
Osman graduated from Goldsmiths, University of London with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Drama. She also has a Bachelor of Education degree with Distinction in the same disciplines from the Central School of Speech and Drama.
Background
Osman had her first lucky break in television when she was asked to audition for HTV West. She has, since then, been a television news anchor/reporter for both ITV and the BBC. Her range of experience covers consumer affairs, 4 What It's Worth, Business News, European Business Today (BSkyB) News and current affairs ITN and the BBC.
Osman firmly established her broadcasting career and made her name in the early 1990s on the regional BBC One news programme BBC Points West. She is now the director of a media-consultancy company, 'Front Foot Media', but can still be seen occasionally on BBC News and BBC World News.
Osman also has a film company, Nick O'Time Films, which she co-owns with her long-standing writing partner, Rowena Goldman. Regularly attending the Cannes Film Festival, they have a slate of feature films in pre-production, namely Anagram, Barcelona Baby, Two faces of Mrs Holyroyd, Drinking Ink, Fighting for Hope and Herbs for Beginners.
Voted Personality of the Year by the Variety Club of Great Britain, Osman has always been a popular presenter.
She previously presented BBC Look East, Close Up West and had her own radio show for seven years, The Morning Show, for BBC Radio Bristol.
She became well-known when presenting on BBC One, BBC News and BBC World during a bomb attack on television centre while she was broadcasting in March 2001. In August 2007, she was ordained as an interfaith minister and is currently establishing a three-tier healing system, Rainbow's End Foundation.[1]
Osman had an extensive career in radio and television at the BBC. According to one article, Osman fronted Points West on BBC1 for 14 years, before broadcasting a slot on BBC Radio Bristol for eight years. She started her career as a theatre director in Washington, D.C. and was also a Speech and Drama teacher at the Guildhall of Music, Speech and Drama. Osman was recruited by the BBC after media executives recognized her talent at the Roedean School, a private girls’ school in the United Kingdom. Osman left her position at the BBC to pursue a broadcasting career in China, because of ageism. According to Osman, 'When she was working at BBC Bristol as a presenter, she was asked if she was menopausal by one of her managers.' According to a report, Osman stated, 'There seems to be a culture of ageism in broadcasting in this country, and it particularly affects women.' Furthermore, 'Osman claimed that she had many female colleagues who left the broadcasting field in the United Kingdom in their early forties, and it is a shame because older women could bring wisdom and empathy.'
Osman has recently returned to the UK after spending 18 months in China. She worked with China Radio International- Beijing - 91.5 fm. Osman edited and presented The Beijing Hour With Susan Osman. Osman also broadcast for BON in China, Australia and America - programmes were translated online in over 61 languages.
References
- ↑ Susan Osman looks back on first year as interfaith minister, This Is Bristol, 12 November 2008