Well, I wrote this about two weeks ago now and didn’t get around to posting it, so here it is now…update coming up!

So I have been up since 4.30 this morning, and am slightly delirious as I write this post but I know if I don’t do it now I may never get around to doing it!

Why up before the sparrows, you ask? To fly solo in the producer’s seat for the weekend breakfast program, of course!

For the last 3 weeks (Fridays and Saturdays) I have been learning all about the production side of radio. It’s been a fantastic experience and producing is definitely the path I want to follow post-jschool.

In my first week I was learning under Peter Scott, an amazing producer who is also the usual Weekend Breakfast announcer. I believe in order to be a better radio announcer, you need to learn how to be a great producer first and understand what it takes to make a program successful. Peter knows exactly what it takes and his wealth of knowledge is astounding. I feel very lucky to have worked with him, if only for two days.

With Peter on holidays, the wonderful Amy McDonald has been showing me the production ropes and I have to admit, it has been a lot of fun. Amy is the kind of person you instantly love, full of energy and a real comedienne. She comes from a commercial radio background, and has a real journalistic mind – she always knows the most interesting questions to ask.

For the last two weeks I have researched and contributed stories for the Saturday breakfast program, organised ‘talent’ to come in to the studio or arranged for them to give phone interviews, edited tracks and pre-records and shared some very hearty laughs with my ABC ‘colleagues’.

And today, I leapt into unknown territory. There is no better way to learn than diving in at the deep end, so with Amy taking a family trip to Stanthorpe this weekend, it was decided I could produce the Weekend Breakfast program, with Matt Webber as announcer.

The hardest part was probably waking up in the pitch black and making my way to the studio! Once there it was full steam ahead, and just a case of teeing up phone interviews, organising Matt with his scripts, answering talkback and making sure everything ran smoothly.

We both survived my first stint as producer, so I couldn’t have done too bad a job. Sadly I finish up with the ABC on Saturday next week, but fingers crossed they will let me back through the doors for a bit more work experience later in the year. Cake and coffee bribes in my last week probably won’t hurt my chances of that happening….