Southern Cross Austereo’s Sydney News Director Deborah Clay is moving to ARN.
Clay is heard as newsreader on Triple M and was a recipient of the Brian White Memorial ACRA in 2013, which saw her travel to Singapore for an exchange program.
Speaking to radioinfo after winning her award, she explained her philosophy about FM news:
AM or FM, people care about news. With the growth of social media in recent years, the information cycle is extremely quick, so there is an appetite for more, up-to-the-minute news. Our news service strives to provide listeners with the latest angles on the stories that affect them.
Every second counts in FM news. The writing style is punchy yet creative, while audio grabs are likely to be brief. There is also scope to put personality into your work, so if you’re a confident broadcaster and comfortable in your own skin, the more you’ll enjoy the spontaneity of interacting with the personalities on air, and therefore succeed.
We endeavor to be ahead of the curve when it comes to digital trends. Radio reports, breaking news social media posts, photos and online, are all part of the skill-set for the radio journalist.
One of my biggest achievements over the last year is implementing workday news on 2Day FM. On my first day as News Director at SCA I asked for extra on-air time for news (we had bulletins across breakfast until 8.30am and then nothing until 4pm). While I didn’t get the reception I’d hoped for that day, I did get my wish; the workday news reflects what is happening across Sydney “now”.
Read that interview in full here.