I was proud to be given an opportunity to be interviews by Max Munday on his Biz Audio podcast, discussing my radio career & the future of the radio industry.

What was it that first drew you to radio?

It wasn’t actually radio which drew me to it. Growing up, the radio was just always on. Everywhere. My granddad would actually play John Laws on 2AD to help grow his award-winning oversized tomatoes.

And we’d always be driving to school listening to Alan Jones on 2UE… jumping out of the car just as Jim Angel would be reading the 8:30 news.

Then, it was my turn to choose the stations… as a young boy, I used to make little homes & shops – and I’d have Martin/Molloy on in the background, and go to bed listening to the late great Stan Zemanek.

It was definitely the variety of radio I was consuming at a young age – which drew me further to radio. I’d be flicking between FM music stations, and AM talkback. Any opportunity to get closer to radio – I was there. Whether it was an OB for Wendy & Moony on 2DayFM, or being part of a 2UE focus group with Stuart Bocking… I was there. And I just had to get closer.

You worked alongside icons like John Laws, Jonesy & Amanda, and Richard Mercer — what did you learn from each of them?

Simple. I remember when I was doing work experience at Mix106.5 with Nic McClure, she told me how every talent is different. They like things done in a different way.

Jonesy & Amanda… what can I say. I MC’d on-stage with them at their Million Dollar Breakfast, and while on the ARN street team, I was lucky enough to be their driver – taking Jonesy & Amanda to one of their famous Backyard Jams one Sunday. They are just as genuine & funny (if not more funny) off-air, as they are on-air. That taught me how important it is to “just be yourself” both on & off air.

Richard Mercer – well, wow. The Love God. I was his ‘fill-in producer’ – and much of the prep & planning was done without him present. He would simply come in & deliver his pure magic. So the pressure was on to be across everything, before it goes live. A real shame that the show is still not on any metro station these days. Talk about a point of difference!

And… the King. The late John Laws. He reminded me time & time again that he wrote the book of talkback radio. I worked with him in his later years at 2SM after listening to him for decades… and just like any successful broadcaster, he is the same true gentleman off-air as he is on-air. He taught me to “tell it like it is”, and if you don’t know the answer… don’t make it up. That was an absolute career highlight to be in “The Fortress” with Lawsie, putting callers to air & timing out… and watching the King do his magic.

By 30, you’d already won four ACRAs, what do those awards mean to you personally?

Well…. They’re great door-stoppers. No, seriously…. The unfortunate thing is not many know what an ACRA is. I’d always have to say, “It’s like the Logies of radio”. But for me, it was a lot more personal – especially when I won 3 of the 4 in one night.

It was literally 4 or so years earlier that ARN made me redundant & escorted out (their first of many redundancies) to cater for K&J’s incoming. I had dedicated 4 hard years to ARN – having even laid the carpet down where my Network Promotions desk sat on. Would you believe, I even knew where the Master Key was for their North Ryde studios.

So every time I’d walk up to collect another ACRA that evening, I’d give a cheeky point to Ciaran & the ARN tables…. I couldn’t help myself. It was later that evening, I even got approached by a ‘high-up’ at the Network who said to me, “Gees, it looks like we got rid of the wrong person.” So that brought some nice closure to that chapter of my career.

As anyone who has been recognised with an award in any industry – not just radio – the feeling is phenomenal. To know you are an industry leader, is truly an honour you do not take lightly.

How important is authenticity in today’s radio landscape?

Authenticity is & always has been absolutely vital. Radio is intimate. Even in a group environment, you truly are broadcasting to the individual.

Mind you, you don’t have to just be authentic when announcing. Your product too, needs to be authentic. Stand for something. Don’t try to be “the station for all listeners”. Don’t mislead on what you are delivering. From announcing, to programming, to promotions… each of these aspects needs to be authentically delivered.

And you know what – authenticity & transparency with the audience, always wins. It’s what took us to number one in Dubbo. Juelz Jarry, one half of my breakfast duo – she is the queen of authenticity. She was always her real self on-air – and the listeners felt they were true friend.

What are some of the biggest mistakes you see new announcers make?

Well… apart from not authentically always being themselves on-air… I wouldn’t say it’s the announcers making the mistake. It’s their lack of leadership & mentorship making the mistake. Every announcer needs someone they can genuinely reach out to for thorough feedback & guidance. Never be a new announcer – whether it be radio or podcast – going it alone. You always need a mentor there who has done it before, to show you the proven techniques to refine your skillset.

You’ve seen radio evolve massively — what’s changed the most since you started?

Apart from networking & rebranding – the one thing that has changed the most is what I call, “the optimisation” of radio. Networks won’t rest until they can literally programme an entire nationwide network from one announcer, with one computer in one major metro market.

As Robin Bailey referred to it … “culling season” happens each year. Roles are continuously being deleted & amalgamated.

The only way to survive the “culling”, is to absolutely ensure you are multi-skilled. Learn how to do edit videos… learn how to be king of socials… learn how to manage the station’s digital presence.

How do you think Artificial Intelligence affects radio and audio today?

Well… 10 years ago we were asking the same question, but about Podcasting.

Radio is bullet-proof when it comes to most new technologies – and like with many industries being impacted by AI, radio too, will evolve and further integrate AI into its systems, rather than compete with it.

I can see AI delivering up-to-the-minute news & traffic reports – it’s already doing the weather in many markets, and it’ll most definitely continue to take jobs off the announcer & other radio departments. But you will still need human involvement to oversee ANY AI replacement – we saw numerous AI mistakes made in 2025. I mean, did you hear CADA when they had their AI announcer on-air? I don’t think anyone was air-checking that audio before it’d go live.

And yes, like with all new technologies, it does mean that AI will replace some roles – as we’ve already seen – and into the future. But I don’t see AI completely destroying the radio industry anytime too soon. So it’s still not too late to have a go behind the mic.

In an age of podcasts, social media, and Al, how does radio stay relevant?

Look, AI is evolving at an extremely rapid pace. So it’s unclear to see how long it’ll take for it to really make a move on the radio industry. Ultimately, the impact of AI in the radio industry lies with the major networks and the bottom line. So long as networks can make a profit, then announcers can keep their jobs. And that was seen when I was in Dubbo. 10 years ago, we had 12 staff on-site at the one station. Today, there’s probably less 5 in the building.

As for podcasts & social media, let’s face it – which young announcer in this country doesn’t know how to upload a podcast, or shoot & edit a reel for social media? In this age, the term “radio announcer” means so much more than just turning on a mic. Announcers & stations need a multi-layered approach to broadcasting. Or else they will be gobbled up, with listeners choosing other platforms outside of radio for consumption. It’s a battle of the mediums… Always has been. You can no longer do a shift simply back-announcing music. It has to be so much more.

What advice would you give to a student who wants to break into radio?

Easy. Cut your teeth in community radio before jumping into the major commercial networks. I started at Eastside Radio in 2009 – and then went on to volunteer at almost every Sydney community radio station. I did everything, from admin, paperwork, reception, etc. before being allowed behind the mic – when I then covered every shift on-air – exposing me to the different listening patterns at different times of the day. It made me value the importance you have, and the privilege you’re given, to broadcast to an audience.

What’s the most memorable moment you’ve ever had live on air?

It was on hit93.5 Dubbo (now Triple M). I was Content Director, filling-in for the brekkie show one morning. And a salesperson at the station had told me a car had just crashed into the Service NSW building.

It was 8:45am, so I quickly voice-tracked a few breaks, got in the car & headed down to the scene. No producer. No news journo on-site. Just me. I took a photo from the scene, found out some info from the locals, published it onto our socials & was back at the station to break the story – still beating the competition at getting it to air first. Talk about having a multi-skill-set. And yes, this was a CHR ‘more music breakfast shift’.

But it goes to show – if you’ve got the skills, and you’ve got the hunger, there is absolutely nothing holding you back from being a market leader.

What skills matter most now, on-air, digital, or personal branding?

You would’ve seen from my online presence – personal branding is massive these days. I wish it was as relevant 10 years ago, as it is today. I would strongly recommend that every radio announcer in this country ensures they have a solid personal brand, with a professional digital presence. Remember, radio is no longer just audio. Your P1’s now have way more opportunities to get closer to their favourite announcers. And everyone needs to leverage off this.

How did your early community radio work shape the broadcaster you became?

Starting in community radio taught me that nothing is too beneath you. If there is a job to be done at a radio station (or any business for that matter), just get in and do it. If it’s an OB, or on-site activation – and you are “the talent”… don’t simply rock-up and expect everything to be handed to you. Because when things go wrong, it is your upbringing and skills from early years which will determine how you respond.

For me, having the off-air experience prior to shifting to on-air, allowed me to truly understand (and value) all aspects of a radio station – and this came in handy when I finally became Content Director – I knew what was involved in all departments.

How did your mindset change as you moved from volunteer roles into national programs?

To be honest, my mindset has never changed. Whether you’re hosting the Nightshift 12-2am on Sunday mornings at a community station, or putting to air one of the most listened to programs in radio history, you always need to be switched on 100%. You never know who is listening. And I can tell you now – I had calls from Station Board Members at midnight, complimenting me on my programme. So just like radio… you should never switch off.

What do you think separates award-winning radio from just “good” radio?

Firstly, don’t let your ego get too in the way once you do become award-winning, or Number One. I think for me, coming from Sydney and going to a regional centre, I was fortunate to bring with me a lot of “metro skills” with me to SCA Dubbo. This was beneficial for the listeners who go a polished sounding station, hundreds of kilometre’s from Sydney.

Even though our market was rarely surveyed, I treated that station like we were always in survey. With continuous station & breakfast tactics – across all platforms. Rarely did we ever “just let the station be”.

Is there one piece of content you’ve created/produced that you’re most proud of?

It’s not really “a piece of content”, but for me, it would have to be StarFM’s “Bring the Logies to Dubbo” campaign. This thing went absolutely gangbusters. It was at the time when the Logies were leaving Melbourne, I think – and unsure where they were going to go. From memory, I think it was Entertainment Reporter Peter Ford who first posted a tweet, or made a comment suggesting Dubbo. And I remember my workday announcer Joel Scalzi finding that & mentioning it to me… and the rest was history. We scaled the hell out of that campaign. It truly owned Dubbo. I even heard the opposition brekkie show at ZooFM make mention of it (obviously not referring to StarFM).

But what I was most proud of – apart from the national TV & media, and international coverage that it got – was when the Network CD’s even congratulated us on the movement. I mean, it was most definitely not just me. The entire Content team were on-board. We had that one goal in mind – to make this thing huge. It really united our team closer than ever & built us a great “out-to-win” culture as a result. Definitely a team effort with that Logies campaign.

And the winning formula was simple…. Australian’s love getting behind an underdog story. It goes to show – that even if you feel that your station needs to ‘fit a mould’ of a network model, there is always an opportunity to dominate your market at a local level.

During your time in radio, you’ve taken StarFM/hit93.5 Dubbo to Number One, which was a first in its history. Tell us a bit more behind that, and how you accomplished that?

Well, if I can be honest – the first survey we had when I was CD at SCA Dubbo wasn’t as good. 2DU beat us. But that gave us more hunger to defeat them in the next survey. And we did.

I really have to thank my GM Darren Inglis for his amazing leadership style during my time in Dubbo. It was as if he threw the keys to the station to me, when he said, “Here you go. Make us money. Don’t get us in trouble, and make us Number One”. From that point, he never ever micro-managed me. He truly allowed me to have creative freedom of the station.

The strategy was simple. I’ve got a background in Marketing & Advertising. And having worked closely with Agency & Direct Sales at ARN, I understood the concept of what elements we could amplify & make new opportunities for listeners in Dubbo. What I mean, is my strategy was to fill every possible spot there was to fill at the station.

We ran on-air network tactics; on-air local tactics; breakfast tactics; increased the value of prizing for regular breakfast benchmarks; ran mornings & afternoons specific tactics…. Anything to drive TSL and “make noise” in the market – we were the most local commercial station in town, and we used this to our advantage.

As for programming, we knew when survey was coming up – so I had the brekkie team hold off certain story arcs or content – and we placed it strategically in the lead-up to survey period. We went through everything, with a fine-tooth comb.

Then, there was the online & on-ground elements. The station was running at 5,000% capacity. And what was best, is the GM loved it because everything was sponsored & clients were immensely involved.

When we found out we hit Number One, it was like Sydney winning the rights to the 2000 Olympic Games. The GM Darren and I jumped for joy and hugged it out. A true accomplishment – because hit93.5/StarFM was always seen as “the new kid on the block”, and we had finally made our mark…… and don’t worry, imaging changed immediately to mention we were Number One right across the station.

Apply for mentorship with Radio Mastery by Peter Samios at www.radiomastery.com.au.