Community / Jen moves back to the isles to take up radio post
BBC Radio Shetland has appointed Jen Stout to join the Pitt Lane team as a journalist/producer by the end of June.
Stout, who grew up on Fair Isle and Bressay, will replace Mike Grundon who left the station earlier this year after 22 years in the job.
She will also become the only female voice in Shetland’s male dominated news media.
The 31 year old journalist has worked on BBC Scotland’s national news hour The Nine since 2018. Prior to that she was a local newspaper reporter in Stranraer, an online reporter with Commonspace in Glasgow, and also worked at Radio Shetland briefly in 2016.
She took her NCTJ diploma at Liverpool college, and worked freelance, writing for the New Statesman, Open Democracy, Bella Caledonia and others.
In 2016 Stout was commended for her coverage of a deportation raid in Glasgow by the Scottish Refugee Council; and in 2019 she got a place on the International Journalists’ Programme, covering stories in central Europe for German broadcaster MDR.
She said: “I’m totally delighted to be coming back to Shetland. Having worked in print, online and television, radio’s always really had my heart – it was never off when I was growing up, and I really value the role that BBC radio plays in our lives.
“I’ve moved around a lot – from Stranraer to Plockton, and around the central belt – but moving home has always been on the horizon, and I’m so pleased to be joining the team at Pitt Lane.”
BBC Radio Shetland station manager John Johnston added: “I’m very pleased to welcome Jen back to Shetland. She’s a passionate storyteller with lots of ideas and the team here at Pitt Lane are looking forward to working with her.”
Become a member of Shetland News
Shetland News is asking its many readers to consider paying for membership to get additional features and services: -
- Remove non-local ads;
- Bookmark posts to read later;
- Exclusive curated weekly newsletter;
- Hide membership messages;
- Comments open for discussion.
If you appreciate what we do and feel strongly about impartial local journalism, then please become a member of Shetland News by either making a single payment, or setting up a monthly, quarterly or yearly subscription.
Already a member? Sign in to hide this message.
