97.3FM’s Daniel Thomas celebrates a Radioversary this week having kicked off his commercial radio journey 20 years ago, on Friday December 10 1999, at Melbourne’s TTFM (Now KIIS 101.1).
Like many others, Daniel says his radio dream began early, and from age 4 he was recording mix-tapes and pretending to be a radio jock on a double cassette boombox with mic.
In 1997, he got his first real taste of radio with narrowcast broadcasting 87.9FM Mornington, and then two years later met Corey Layton at TTFM which lead to answering phones for his late-night show.
Daniel says, “PD Mike Perso must have been sick of me turning up at his office door after about 8 weekly visits with tapes in hand… but a couple of weeks before Christmas he gave me the best present and said ‘yes’ for some mid-dawn shifts and offered me panel op work for summer OB’s.
“I was then asked to panel for Richard Stubbs for what was supposed to be a few weeks but turned into the entire year”.
Unfortunately in 2001, casual work dried up, so it was off to SunFM Mt Buller, 3SR FM for some fill-in work and Drive on HitzFM.
He says, “I got a call from Craig Bruce and returned to mid-dawns on FoxFM until overnight automation began late 2002, then moved to Brisbane with my fiancé, now my wife, Cressey and we have been here ever since with our 2 boys.
“Over the past 17 years, I have also worked at River 94.9, then some freelancing, voice overs, etc. and now 97.3FM .
Daniel says his favourite career moment so far would be from January this year, being asked to be the opening DJ for Phil Collins for his ‘Not Dead Yet! Live’ tour in Brisbane, … “and a very close second was meeting, and having dinner with one of my childhood music hero’s, Kirk Pengilly from INXS with Layne Beachley at an event 973 was part of a few years ago. Major fan moment!
digital stream.”
