Press Releases

BBC Cymru Wales is proud to announce the establishment of a new journalism bursary in memory of the journalist and broadcaster, Bob Humphrys, who died in August 2008 at the age of 56.

Bob Humphrys was a renowned writer at the Western Mail before turning his hand to broadcasting at BBC Cymru Wales.

After many successful years as a presenter and reporter on the current affairs show Week In Week Out, Bob moved to Wales Today as Sports Correspondent. He quickly established himself as the face of Welsh sport for audiences across the country, a role he performed for two decades until his retirement from the BBC in 2008.

The Bob Humphrys Bursary will help an aspiring journalist to study at Cardiff University on its Post-Graduate Journalism course. In memory of Bob, who dedicated his working life to Welsh journalism, both in print and on air, the successful candidate will be expected to demonstrate a strong commitment to a career in the media in Wales.

Menna Richards, Controller, BBC Wales, said she was delighted that Bob's life and work should be remembered in this way: "Bob devoted his whole career to bringing news and sports stories to the people of Wales. He is very fondly remembered by his friends and colleagues in BBC Wales and of course by the audiences who enjoyed and appreciated his reports and his incisive journalism. This bursary offers a wonderful opportunity to follow in Bob's footsteps and become a first-class journalist."

Julie Humphrys, Bob's widow, said she was pleased to hear about the bursary and that it would go to up-and-coming journalists.

"One of the things that was very close to his heart was giving his time to help his colleagues in the newsroom, particularly when they first arrived. After he died, we had so many letters from people who said how much he had helped them along the way, so the fact that it is going to a journalist just starting out is very fitting," she said.

Cardiff School of Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies is a centre for the study of all aspects of journalism, mass media and cultural studies.

Bursary details

The Bob Humphrys Bursary will be the second journalism bursary that BBC Cymru Wales supports at Cardiff University.

Applicants for the Bob Humphrys bursary will have already been accepted by Cardiff University to join its Post-Graduate Journalism Course.

If offered a place by the university, applicants will be invited for interview by BBC Cymru Wales in order for the bursary to be awarded to the most suitable candidate.

The bursary of £5,500 will contribute to the course fees and also provides the successful applicant with several weeks' work experience at BBC Cymru Wales, in the largest BBC newsroom outside London.

The BBC will award the bursary in July.

BBC Wales Communications