Making ends meet in Radio…

After 25 years in the business Nik James admits he can’t do it any longer.

 

The last 25 years in the radio industry has been an absolute roller coaster ride and I’ve enjoyed every minute of it.

I appreciate every opportunity I was given to prove myself and develop my skills and worked alongside some incredibly talented people. Some of the stand outs include Anthony Maroon (left) (in Goulburn), Byron Cooke (Lithgow), Matt de Groot (Coffs Harbour) and Mark Strachan (Port Macquarie). 

When I was growing up in Sydney listening to 2SM I either wanted to be just like the late Frank Hyde and call the Rugby League matches or play the Top 40 Hits and sound like the legendary Ron E Sparks (below left). Then came Triple M with the crazy Doug Mulray and the laid back Rob Duckworth and that’s when I knew Radio was something I wanted to pursue.  

 

My first job was at 2DayFM as an Office Assistant during the awkward crossover period from an easy listening format to playing pop and rock and that’s where I saw first hand the “revolving door” policy that Cap City radio stations employ when ratings and sales don’t reach expectations. 

In that 12 months I took in as much as I could from watching Nick Bennett, Keith Williams (below left) and Mike Hammond work their magic. One Friday night I was asked to panel the two shifts between 7pm and 1am while the staff went out to a ratings party. I later discovered that I only had enough pre-recorded voice overs for the first three hours and although I could have just played non-stop music until the next Announcer arrived as a 20 year old desperate to break into the on-air side of things I took the chance to turn on the mic. 

With my heart beating so hard I thought it was going to burst I stuck to the basics and several times I pre and back-announced songs, mentioned the station and frequency and threw in a couple of time calls. I used that little stint on-air as part of my audition tape and before I knew it Gil Taylor at 2GN offered me a job.

In Goulburn I did the weeknight and weekend breakfast shifts which I absolutely loved and the team there were super supportive. My next move was one out of the box but as a young single bloke taking a risk and trying something new was exciting so I headed interstate to work at the combined stations of 7AD Devonport/7SD Scottsdale in Tasmania. 

I was employed as the full time copywriter but also worked on-air doing weekday afternoons and Saturday mornings. It was also the place I met my wife Lynne who worked on Reception and in Schedules. However a sudden change of ownership saw all staff made redundant except for myself and a couple of Sales Reps. 

The new owners asked if I was prepared to give away the Announcing gig and become a full time Copywriter in Launceston to which I said “No thanks”. I had two quick responses to my job applications one from the Ace Radio Network in Victoria and one from 2LT in Lithgow. It was hard to pass up the opportunity of being just two hours away from family and friends in Sydney so I headed back to NSW. 

As we know hindsight is a wonderful thing and perhaps there would have been better job prospects in the future if I had linked up with the team at ACE. 

Over the next five years I was given the responsibility of holding the dual roles of being the News Director and Breakfast Announcer. However, the workload eventually took it’s toll and sucked the enthusiasm for radio out of me. 

On a brighter note over four years John Kerr (left) on 2UE’s overnight program invited me to be the alleged “AFL Expert” where I provided my tips. Although the segment aired at around 4.45am it was a major highlight each week. Even more importantly I married my wife and our first child was born and so we were keen to find a new and perhaps warmer place to bring up our baby. 

After a few frustrating months of unsuccessful applications to find new work my former PD from Tasmania Pete Diskon got in touch and told me about an opportunity to do breakfast and sales at a community radio station in Coffs Harbour. I hesitated initially thinking that would be a major step backwards in my career but eventually when I weighed up the pros and cons of what was best for my family and how I can potentially return to commercial radio down the track we packed up and hit the highway. The Coffs Harbour gig reignited my passion and also allowed me to host a 3 hour Sports Show on a Saturday morning where I met and interviewed stars from all the major footy codes and even went out and provided live reports from various sporting events which I loved doing. 

Just over a year later 2MCFM in Port Macquarie was advertising for a Promotions Manager and although I was not entirely familiar with the role I gave it a crack and a few months later our second child was born. I then returned to air full time on Drive while continuing to work in Promotions and was fortunate enough to fill in on Breakfast when required. 

I’ve enjoyed immense job satisfaction guiding the team through the annual Give Me 5 For Kids Hospital Fundraising Campaign that has generated almost $350 000 since 2005. Despite living my dream job for more than 2 decades and spending almost 11 years in Port, it’s time to put family first again. The kids are growing up (aged 10 and 13) and we’re very much settled, so moving to another station outside the area at this point in time isn’t an option. 

I’m sure I’m not the first and won’t be the last to say that we just can’t make ends meet by staying in radio on the current wage being offered. So this week I start work for the Holiday Coast Credit Union as the Promotions Manager which is based locally but has branches from the Hunter Region to the Coffs Coast and I look forward to the new challenges this role will bring. 

I’m not saying goodbye to radio forever, just for now. Former Radio Colleague John Piva told me a joke earlier this year which I though was entirely appropriate at this point in time “What’s the difference between a Radio Announcer and Term Deposit … A Term Deposit eventually matures!”

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