CHASING MY ON-AIR DREAM

1978-79

Greg Newman

"Four Double G on the Gold Coast - with Greg Newman!" 

    I sat on the opposite side of the studio console watching my friend with envy as he went through the paces of his evening music shift on the local commercial radio station.

    How I longed to be in his place, with my own radio program. Since my early teens, I had dreamed of becoming an announcer on a commercial radio station. I was an avid listener to all the stations within range - 4GG, Radio 97 2MW, based in Murwillumbah south of the Queensland border, and several of the Brisbane stations. At night, I would also listen with interest to far flung stations in other states and even pick up the odd New Zealand station as AM frequencies were able to travel further in the evening atmosphere. This was back in the sixties and seventies in Australia. Of course, fast forwarding to 2020, just about every radio station from around the world can be received with total clarity via internet streaming.

    I visited the two local commercial stations in the late sixties to watch the announcers in action, and took the opportunity to observe them at work when presenting their music shifts from mobile studios at shopping centres and at the beach.

    But, along with my heartfelt desire to make it into radio on air as an announcer, there was a sense of real frustration. I knew that my right-sided paralysis from birth, which affected my speech (as well as appearance) would present a major hurdle to the realisation of my dream.

    I would often record "mock" programs on my reel to reel tape recorder (hey, I'm showing my age), at home, feeling excited that I sounded just like the announcers I listened to. When played back, though, the realisation was that the problems in my speech were quite pronounced.

    When I became a Christian at the age of sixteen, my desire for radio did not wane. However, I completed Grade 12 two years later and radio had to take a lesser priority in my life as I ventured into the world of employment.

    

Initially, I undertook hospital-based General Nursing training and then worked in my father's photographic and music retail business on Queensland's Gold Coast.

    As a Christian, my desire to be better equipped led me to undertake a two year Bible College training course at Lower Hutt, near Wellington, the capital of New Zealand.

    During this time, my desire for radio resurfaced - this time with the dream that I might work in a Christian radio station.

    New Zealand had a group of people with a vision to establish a permanent Christian radio network. At that point in time, their first permanent license had not yet been granted, however.

    The vision for Christian radio in New Zealand was championed by Richard (Dick) Berry, who in 1960, as a young man in Christchurch, had been healed by God of severe back pain. He told the Lord that he would commit his life to fully serving Him in whatever direction He would lead him. The Lord birthed in Richard a vision to establish Christian broadcasting in New Zealand, at a time when the only radio  stations across the nation were government-owned and operated. There were not even any non-government commercial stations at the time.

    Returning to Australia at the beginning of 1978, I again found work in my father's business. My radio aspirations were fuelled by a 30 week (one night per week) radio /TV course conducted by local media professionals in Brisbane. The principals were Jim Iliffe, well-loved for his television kids show "The Channel Niners", and commercial radio veteran, John Knox.

    At the end of the course, I sent applications with "air check" tapes to a number of country radio stations in Queensland and New South Wales. Some of the replies were encouraging, but the "big break" eluded me.

Did I ever fulfil my dream of becoming a radio announcer? To find out, tune in...oops, I mean, Log on to my Facebook page in coming days to read the rest of the story.

In the meantime, why not check out www.vision.org.au This is the website for Vision Christian Media in Australia, broadcasting to well over 700 cities, towns and small communities in every state and territory of Australia. The number of stations is growing all the time. They may well  be broadcasting in your area, and you don't even know it. Great Christian music, teaching programs, and news and current events from a Biblical perspective.