Wendy J Whalley…

One of the joys for me of working with radioinfo, and now Radio Today, for so many years (since the end of the last century in fact), is the relationships built up via email, phone and in person with the people in the industry.

I had the pleasure of visiting TR FM to see my long-term mate, Mat Cummins, and several people at the station.

ACE Radio was fortunate enough to build the station from the ground up by selling an adjacent piece of land, which enabled them to work with an excellent architect who gave them more than they could have imagined. My favourite part was seeing the studios that are built in a hexagon with all the doors facing the centre, and large soundproof windows that allow the presenter to see up to four different studios by looking to their right or left.

There is a lovely outdoor area complete with a barbecue, an outdoor undercover seating area and a garden for children to play in.

The culture of the station is supportive towards one another and also by the ACE management in general. People who do leave for any reason invariably return (up to four times by at least one person I met!) because it is such a great working environment. They support fundraising when staff participate in local events, such as bike rides to benefit a charity.

I feel privileged to have visited today, and it just crystallises my belief that people stay in radio because it is something that they are passionate about.

Thank you, Mat, and TR FM, for taking the time out to give me such a thorough and thoughtful tour.

Mat Cummins welcomed Wendy to ACE Radio’s TR FM in Traralgon, Vic