Charlotte Bates – "People skills are vital for Media/PR harmony"

Charlotte Bates has not taken the typical route to sports presenting.

The TRT World presenter was born and raised in Cumbria and after studying at Newcastle University, managed to secure a place on the highly competitive Broadcast Journalism MA at the University of London.

Charlotte’s ability to make things happen has seen her travel the globe during her burgeoning television career and secure interviews with some of the biggest names in sport.

She started her career as a freelance Assistant News Editor at Channel 5 News, part of ITN, helping presenters, producing, editing and writing.

With a passion for sport, she then secured her first permanent opportunity at Sky Sports, where then-Executive Producer Andy Cairns asked her during her interview about her interest in watching and playing golf.

Charlotte explained: “I obviously wanted the job so I exaggerated and spent the next year learning how to play so I could join in with (Sky colleague) Charlotte Jackson for their Sky Sports team. It got me a job, but I just needed to learn how to play golf in a very short amount of time!

Over the course of three years, Charlotte did a range of producing and reporting, gaining the skills that give her an understanding of the various different facets of television production.

“Now I have the ability to edit my own work and to produce my own work, which I think is so crucial and I think it sets me slightly apart. Sky gave me those opportunities to learn in different positions, so I felt very lucky to start my career there. But I'm an impatient person and I wanted to be a presenter straight away.”

For most, that would mean seeking opportunities at other British networks but for Charlotte, that meant moving to Beijing without speaking a word of Chinese.

She added: “Everyone thought I was crazy leaving Sky Sports and while I thought it was for CGTN’s hub in London, when it became clear that it was in China, I had already decided to join.

“Even though it was quite hard leaving a brand like Sky Sports to live in Beijing, I think it's so important to do these sort of things to develop your career and your life experience.

“Discovering different cultures and countries really develops you and allows you to be more confident. Now I can live anywhere in the world by myself and I'd be fine.

“I had a lot more of a free reign in China because there was less control over me as an international presenter. I had a lot of leeway on what stories to cover. In the UK you have more of a hierarchy, but as a young female reporter I had an advantage.

“In China, the NBA is huge and with the shoe deals, there were a lot of players coming over, there was investment in football as well and it allowed me to make contacts and get interviews that I wouldn’t have got back in the UK.”

Charlotte also worked for Star Times as an anchor, working both jobs with little sleep, which ultimately prompted her to look for a change.

“It was amazing because at that age, in your 20s, you don't really get that sort of experience in the UK, but I knew that China wasn't me long term and it was time to try new networks in different countries and develop my skills in in other areas. I loved Beijing, but I had done a decent shift.”

She returned to London and did freelancing for Amazon Prime and BT Sport just as the new Premier League deal had opened up the broadcasting rights before Covid-19 put a stop to live sports broadcasting.

When TRT World came calling in 2021 looking for a permanent studio sports presenter, it gave Charlotte the chance to continue her career ascent in another new country.

“It was a steep learning curve, with a focus on the Middle East and Asia alongside American sports and the Premier League as well as the Turkish. Super League.

“In my roles, I have been dealing with a lot a lot different cultures, so I have had to very much learn how to adapt. There are different ways to approach athletes and coaches in different parts of the world, so you have to be a people person.

“TRT has given me so much. I would never have been able to do the sports and news presenting in the UK that I have done here. I have done breaking news like the earthquakes, the US elections and American politics which was the first time I've ever presented news.

“Being thrown in the deep end, even though it's scary, was such a blessing. It really developed me as a presenter a lot faster than if I had stayed just doing sports.

“TRT has a lot of rights so I have presented at major events such as the (UEFA) Champions League Final, Paris 2024 Olympic Games, and Wimbledon.”

Tennis is where Charlotte’s heart lies, having played a lot as a youngster and using her in-depth knowledge to interview big names such as Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz both at tournaments and at the Laureus World Sports Awards.

With an ambition to one day move to the United States to present sports on one of the major TV networks, Charlotte believes that athletes in different sports can learn a lot from tennis.

She explained: “I've always played tennis. I've always watched tennis and I love interviewing tennis players because they're so humble and they really, really give you a lot.

“Tennis is one of the sports where women are getting an equal footing to men in terms of salary and audience. I find sometimes with footballers, obviously they've been media trained and they don't want to give too much away.

“But with the likes of Djokovic, even if you've only got one question and he's got a lot of people to get through, he gives you a two or three minute answer which I think is very rare nowadays.”

Charlotte has advice for PR consultants trying to pitch or manage media opportunities with reporters, who she understands have to balance their own priorities with those of the media.

“Having people skills and being able to connect is so important. Providing information early, understanding what a reporter is looking for and building sets the dynamic on the right path from the start.

“I think a lot of organisations can learn from the NBA too. I love the way that their PR works, because they're so open. I remember when I went to the China Global Games and they said we could interview anyone. All the players were there waiting for us. You just don’t get that in other sports.”

Committed to TRT, Charlotte believes America will come calling when the time is right.

She concluded: “TRT has given me so much and I'll always be grateful to them, and as long as I'm growing, I'm always happy.

“But when I first started out, I always dreamed of ending up in the US. That's where I want to be. I think my personality and the style of presenting, which uses a lot of humour like me, suits the American audience. I love how big the sports productions are over there and one day want to be a part of it.”

To watch Charlotte’s highlights, click HERE