“In Mackay fishing is really, really big. There’s lots of beaches, and outdoor hikes to go on,” says Rachel Zonta, Breakfast co-host on Star 101.9.” She grew up in Perth and met her husband on a Contiki tour overseas and made the move to Mackay to be with him in 2014.
“I got my first job in radio as a sales rep, with dreams of being on air one day. I got my opportunity in 2017 when the breaky announcer went on maternity leave and I was her replacement. Lucky for me she decided not to return, and I got to keep the breaky position.
“Personally, I like the weather, it’s warm most of the year. Its’ so much easier living in a small town with easy commutes to work, it’s a very easy laid-back lifestyle. Wearing thongs to work is totally acceptable.”
But what really makes Star 101.9 a great place to work says Rach is, “The morale, I’ve never worked in an office environment where everyone gets on as well as we do here. It’s an extremely supportive work environment, where we all work as a team to get the best results for the station.
“A working day for me is not your average announcer’s day because, earlier this year, I came back from maternity leave after having my first child. So, two days a week I actually log in from my home studio (actually just set up equipment in my daughter’s playroom) and do the show from home.”
“Three days a week I’m able to be in the studio and have a ‘normal’ day. But for the other two days I juggle getting work done with a toddler running around,”
More than anything, what she really loves about her job is, “Giving away life changing amounts of money. In our first survey with Star, we gave one listener the chance to win a million dollars. This year another $10k was given away to a family, they were so grateful, it had me in tears when they won.
“Also, personally I love seeing ideas I have come to fruition. It feels great to have a random idea pop into my head in the shower and then with the help of a great team watch it become something big on air that hopefully entertains the audience,” says Rachel Zonta.
