I started my work experience with Phoenix back in February and I am sad to say my time here is quickly ending. Firstly, before coming to Phoenix I did not have any big expectations because the world of broadcasting was very foreign to me. So, I was coming into this new experience excited and willing to learn, because everyone has thought about what it is like to be heard on the radio. Looking back on the first meeting we had as a group I was extremely nervous but when we first met Shannon, the training and outreach manager, she made us feel welcome from the beginning. From my time at Phoenix, I have learned that is normal here because it is a community radio station, and the key to a successful community radio is being open and welcoming to others.
The first few weeks I spent at Phoenix were online, this was due to the high COVID-19 numbers so, we got the work done from home. A few weeks into our work experience we got to head into the station for the first time. I was both nervous and excited because I had never been to a radio station before let alone an actual studio where they record shows. Things like this always seem so far away and untouchable so when I first got there I was in shock. A real radio station, and I am here. That is a memory that will stick with me for years. We were introduced to Shannon for the first time even though we had seen each other through laptop screens. It was like meeting a famous person, you see them on the internet or the T.V and you meet them in person, it’s weird. That day was the first-time meeting Brian, the station’s broadcast and technical producer who would be someone we would spend a lot of time with over the coming week working on our projects and learning how live shows work.
I do not want this to be too long because I could go into so much detail about everything, we got to do from learning about show audits, creating content for the station socials to making a newsletter for the station’s volunteers. During my time at Phoenix, I learned a lot more about the industry than I thought I would. My time there definitely made me reconsider my career aspirations going forward. I really enjoyed my time spent at the station.
By Aaron Goodman.
