When I was In Hobart recently on a work/holiday week I discovered a community radio station on my hire car radio.
I listened to it whenever I was driving and it brought back memories of my experience as a radio presenter on community radio in the 1990’s.
I had my own Friday afternoon show from 3.00-5.00pm. I played my favourite music and conducted the occasional interview.
The radio station was tiny, as was the studio. When I was due to go on I had my collection of LP’s sorted, ready to play on the turntable and quickly checked the control panel.
Trying to cue records, press buttons on the panel and remember to announce the radio staion call sign about every 15 minutes was not easy. Eventually I got the hang of it and could do it smoothly.
Then I was faced with four brick walls surrounding me. It felt like I was alone and just talking to myself.
I had to find a way of going beyond four walls and talk to any listeners out there in radio land. I discovered that if I focused on the microphone as a person and talked to it directly I could sound more human rather than a robotic voice.
It felt good talking to my friend the microphone on a one-to-one to basis and I was then able to go beyond four walls and make a connection with my listeners.
Leave a Reply