Radio is the most engaging medium to work in as a journalist, but needs to keep adapting to innovations such as on-demand audio to reflect consumers’ listening habits, a panel of broadcasters has said.
Speaking at Central News‘ ‘Journos in the Pub’ event at the Abercrombie Hotel on Wednesday night Tina Quinn, a presenter for ABC and Channel Ten, and Daily Aus podcaster Harry Sekulich, added while podcasts had boomed as a new way to consume audio news traditional radio broadcast remained strong.
“I think traditional radio will remain… but we do need to become a lot more flexible in how we put out our content, because I think audio on demand is definitely the way of the future,” Quinn, the presenter of 2SER’s Fourth Estate podcast, said.
“It’s very clear when we look at listening habits and the way it’s all heading.
“[News organisations] are trying to become much more flexible with what’s happening — the whole change in the way that we are consuming content and consuming news.”
The talk with University of Technology Sydney journalism students provided a range of advice and covered numerous topics, from the growing importance of media literacy for young people to how to connect with interview talent.
As long as you’re showing your passion and interest and channeling that into something there’s no substitute for it.
Sekulich noted audience interaction remained key, with podcasting allowing audience inclusion, such as sending in voice notes, in a way that could not be replicated in text articles.
“Just being able to hear the quiver in someone’s voice… [it] is so hard to convey on the page,” he said.
“You’re also bringing real people along to tell the story… Taking the audience to a particular location is just so, so powerful.”
However, Quinn admitted recording for Fourth Estate created a different set of challenges to live radio.
“You can really overthink prerecording,” she said. “You want to nail it, and you think ‘Oh, I’ll just do another take, I’ll just do another take.”
The pair both cited the 2016 US presidential election as inspiration towards pursuing a career change to journalism.
Harry Sekulich and Tina Quinn talk to UTS students on Wednesday night. Photo: Central News.
“Out of my friends I was that person that was just sharing stuff constantly,” said Sekulich, who was studying law before switching to journalism, which he felt was his “natural path”.
“I used to see journalists on the TV and think it was the coolest job in the world.”
Around the same time, Quinn said she felt dissatisfied with media reporting of the election, while also realising her love for storytelling.
“I was getting very frustrated with a lot of the coverage I was seeing of it and the way things were being reported and I thought some of the reporting was very irresponsible,” she said.
Quinn and Seclukich both agreed passion, preparation, and being unafraid to experiment or of making mistakes were key to getting the most out of the industry.
“[In] live radio anything can and will go wrong,” Quinn said, recalling an incident of dead air on ABC radio. She advised students to “find beauty in those gaps, because sometimes they’re actually more interesting”.
Sekulich added that podcasting was more like “talking to a friend.”
“You can only really be yourself,” he added. “Go experiment if you’ve got a story in mind.
“As long as you’re showing your passion and interest and channeling that into something there’s no substitute for it.”
Main image by San Ha.
