While prepping stories about the finalists for this year’s ACRAs, and the Xtra Insights survey results for Darwin, I noticed that July marked ten years at Mix 104.9 for morning presenter Katie Woolf OAM.
I’d met Katie fleetingly at the 2023 ACRAs, where she was awarded both Best Talk Presenter and the Brian White Award for Radio Journalism for a second consecutive year. I was impressed with her personally and professionally and made contact with ARN to set up a chat to celebrate the occasion.
Katie Woolf winning Best Talk Presenter (Non Metro) at the 2023 ACRAs
In between I realised also that the 2024 Territory elections are coming up on August 24. Anyone who presents a commercial talk program in any state, territory or town will know that the period leading up to an election is like December for retail. There will be additional hours and overtime and stressed and anxious customers/constituents.
What I didn’t know was that Katie’s first day presenting 360 was among her worst.
Katie was born up north, in Mouth Isa, to a sporty family and with two older brothers. She could swim nearly before she walked, played footy and ran. A lot.
She said:
“I played so much sport growing up that I know you win some, you lose some. Either way, it doesn’t make me a different person, right? I’m still the same.”
In May 2013 Katie’s beloved dad Rod died after a short battle with prostate cancer. On Father’s Day that year Katie initiated the first Run with Dad Fun Run in Darwin to honour Rod and raise funds for Prostate Cancer research. The first year raised $20K. The 10th event in 2023 pushed that tally well over $200K, with around 1000 runners.
Katie was working as a media consultant for the Territory’s Power and Water Corporation and as a news presenter for Network 10 when she was asked to help out producing the morning 360 program that legendary NT broadcaster Pete Davies hosted. Katie had worked with Pete before and adored him, sometimes covering for him when he would take a fishing holiday.
It was supposed to be a temporary gig, which suited Katie and her very young family. She did it for Pete, and took on the role permanently shortly afterwards when it was offered to her.
But then Pete got sick and couldn’t shake the illness. He was diagnosed with cancer of the oesophagus and went to Brisbane for surgery. He died, surrounded by family, in September 2015.
Katie: I was living a hectic life with a baby and a three-year-old. My dad had died a few months before and then one of my best friends from breast cancer. But then I had to get on air and explain to our listeners that somebody who they thought was going away for an operation would never come back.
I think the most difficult day you could ever imagine on air was essentially my first day in the job.
I thought to myself, I can’t let the legacy Pete has created die. I owe it to him to at least try and step up and do the show.”
Katie and I paused for a minute here.
All journalists carry the burden of being the bearer of the most awful news sometimes. I am aware now that this milestone for Katie carries a different emotional weight.
It wasn’t exactly being thrown in the role, as Katie had a significant journalistic background, local knowledge and political interest, but she quickly learned “you can’t fake it in radio”, working hard, ably assisted by her producer Krystal Gordon who is also up for an individual ACRA this year.
Her family has gotten accustomed to the irregular working hours, with Katie saying:
“I’m a very humble person and my husband and I teach my children to be humble too. They see I’ve had great success. But on the other side they see me working late at night, and on the phone, trying to juggle being a mum, taking them to sport and different things, and people coming up and wanting to talk to me about the issues that they’re experiencing in the community.
They know that it’s really hard work. I don’t get a lot of criticism. But when you do get that bit of online trolling or criticism from people, I want my son and my daughter to know that it’s okay, particularly as a woman, to have an opinion and stand by your opinions and be proud of them. Not everybody’s going to agree with them. But that’s okay too.
I particularly try to make sure that in the afternoons I’m present and doing things with the kids. But my daughter, who’s 13, could honestly tell you more about the upcoming election than most adults could.”
Mix 104.9 and Hot 100 are up for eight ACRAs at the upcoming awards night in October, including a nod for longtime GM Michael Harvey who is a champion of his staff and stations. Katie is up for five this year; Best Talk and Best Current Affairs Presenter, Individual Talent of the Year (Provincial), the Brian White Award for Radio Journalism plus one for Krystal and Katie for Best News Event Coverage.
Katie: “We’ve had a tough couple of years in the Northern Territory where the crime rates have been really high. Some days you feel like you’ve got the weight of the Territory on your shoulders, but then you think to yourself, I’ve got a voice for others that don’t. I’m the conduit to make sure that they’re heard by people that are making the decisions for them. That’s never lost on me.
I don’t think I’m better than my audience. I don’t think I’m smarter than them. I don’t think I’m different to them. I’m facing exactly the same issues that they are, every day. I’m seeing the same things that they do.
You’re fighting because you want the place to be the best that it can be. Whether you’re working in the Northern Territory or in any other state, you’re doing your job presenting real issues-based radio, because you want the place to thrive.”
In 2021 Katie Woolf was presented with an Order of Australia Medal for her contribution to broadcast media and charity work raising awareness of prostate cancer. She isn’t doing the Run with Dad Fun Run this year as Father’s Day is so close to the elections. I felt how hard it was for Katie to make that decision, to conserve her energy for her family, and the community.
She knows that her Dad, and Pete, are proud of her.
Katie: “Before Pete passed away, and I was filling in, I remember saying to him, Pete, I just don’t know if I’ll be up to this job. I don’t know if people are going to like it. He said to me, Woolfie, just be yourself and excuse my language, but don’t give a fuck what anyone thinks of you.
That’s stuck in my head. I thank him for that piece of advice. I’m surrounded by wonderful family, colleagues, friends and listeners. It’d be tough getting up and presenting hard issues otherwise. I just feel like I’m really lucky that I get to go to a job that I love every day.”
360 with Katie Woolf is on from 9am till 12 noon weekdays on Darwin’s Mix 104.9.
Jen Seyderhelm is a writer, editor and podcaster for Radioinfo