AFTRS radio and podcasting students are once again broadcasting from the Sydney Royal Easter Show.

Because Easter moves every year, this year’s Show Radio team have had a very short time to prepare. There were nerves, adrenaline and anticipation up to the day the live broadcast began, but once on air their skills kicked in and the broadcast is running smoothly. Managers looking for new employees will be listening to this first broadcast to identify potential hires when the course finishes. As the Graduate Diploma course continues through the year, there will be broaadcasts in other formats to equip the students for all their potential employment opportunities.

Visiting this year’s show, Steve Ahern met students Maddie, Brad, Felicity, Amber and Mick as they presented the morning shift.

For 12 days the Showground come alive with carnival rides, produce and livestock displays, the thrill of hard-fought competitions and enthralling entertainment. Close to a million people attend the Show every year.

With around 13,000 animals across 400 different breeds, the Royal Easter Show is a 203 year tradition in Sydney. AFTRS has been broadcasting its first practical simulation at the show for over 30 years, providing an opportunity for the students to learn field reporting, live production, presentation and social media skills in a real life setting.

Other Radio stations represented at this year’s Easter Show were:

• 2UE, a sponsor of Seniors Day
• KIIS FM is this year sponsoring the Ferris Wheel, which is a little more peaceful than the previously sponsored Kyle and Jackie O House of Horrors. Riders can share their carriages with KIIS personalitites Smallzy, Will & Woody and others, through life size pictures of them on each window.

• 2GB is broadcasting live from its OB site outside the Woolworths Fresh Food Dome

Ben Fordham, Mark Levy, Michael McLaren, Clinton Maynard, Luke Grant and the Continuous Call Team are bringing the Show’s highlights directly to the airwaves. The 2GB broadcast stage is at the corner of Showground Road and Riverina Avenue, with listeners encouraged to come down and experience the broadcasts live.

Easter Show General Manager and radio broadcaster Murray Wilton told Ben Fordham “there’s a stack of things to do here… talk to people, meet the farmers and the animals.”

• ABC702 Sydney was live from the Woolworths Fresh Food Dome in the first days of this year’s show.

• The ABC’s Country Hour is also at the show, as it is every year, broadcasting competition results, interviews and linking city and country.

NSW Country Hour presenter Michael Condon talked about the importance of the show in bringing the bush to the city.

AFTRS Show Radio broadcast and social media: