Who Listens To The Radio? 

There was a time when the naysayers predicted the end of radio.Yet a quick poll of my friends reveals most people are tuning in. Many listen to their favourite stations on weekday mornings and afternoons, for local news, opinions, competitions and to hear the views of callers. 

The last time I visited a radio station was after winning a competition with radio station 4IP. My prize included a stack of records. One was a Deep Purple album and my Dad drove me into town from Redcliffe to pick them up. So it’s been a while! I’ve also spoken on air about Women’s Rugby after I wrote a piece for She Society, but that was recorded so I have never ventured into the inner sanctum before.

 As you can imagine, it was very exciting when She Society were invited to tour the studios of Hit 105 , who over 7 months ago relocated from their home at North Quay, to a brand new headquarters.Their new studios in The Barracks precinct, here in Brisbane, has proven to be a winning concept and yes, I was looking forward to a stickybeak and breakfast with the stars. 

The Visit 

We were greeted by the smell of coffee which was being served in the gorgeous kitchen area. I loved the bench top with elegant black and white granite with pops of bright green. After enjoying an excellent almond latte and greeting my fellow media, it was time for our tour.

Now I was expecting it to be buzzing with activity and noise but we were greeted into a super calm atmosphere. There were no wires running all over the place, no producers barking orders, just an orderly bank of desks where producers were ensuring everything ran smoothly as the on air talent did what they do best. Between breaks announcers chatted and gave us a wave from their booths, where the ‘On Air‘ sign was lit up. 

Today we were meeting Stav, Abby and Matt whose show – Hit 105 Breakfast , runs from six to nine on weekday mornings. The studios were neat and modern with amazing views back towards the city. The new studios named AUDIO HQ , are custom designed and this state – of – the – art studio is one of the best in Australia. It would be easy to go to work each day in such a beautiful environment. 

The office space is open plan and everyone had a Hit 105 jacket draped over the back of their chairs. Very cool! There are cosy nooks and fabulous meeting rooms that ensure there is a space to fit every type of interaction. I was pleased to see a few neighbours and friends from Brisbane who worked here and all were quick to praise the new digs. 

 

Breakfast 

Soon it was time for breakfast with an array of pastries, croissants, mini quiche, a gorgeous array of fruit and refreshing cold pressed juices in exotic flavours. The large room had a giant screen where we could watch the end of the taping , plus tables and covetable groovy lounges and chairs to spread ourselves out. Soft pink accented the Hit 105 colours of hot pink, aqua and black. A spacious deck, with a barbecue area, looked over Caxton Street and out to Suncorp Stadium and we could imagine that ‘knock off ‘ drinks on Friday would be fun up here. It would also make it easy to cover many of the events and concerts in the Stadium.

Meet and Greet 

Soon Stav, Abby and Matt arrived and were introduced by Jack Ball, Content Director, who gave us a rundown on what we could expect from the show in 2020. The ever popular RNB Fridays will be back with talent from around the world. There will be more ‘ Live Stress Free’ giveaways which will help everyday Australians with things like buying petrol, hiring a baby sitter, paying a credit card bill, childcare or paying for cleaners. Anything that makes life easier for listeners will be up for grabs. 

We laughed as members of the audience were called up to play ‘Alphabucks’  where you need to answer ten simple questions in 30 seconds. Hint: It’s way harder than it sounds when you’re playing along in the car! 

They also promised more dares, like that time when Stav jumped out of a plane whilst launching $5000 over the parklands. Some of that money has still not been found. 

After a meet and greet and snaps with the team we continued on with our day, whilst the breakfast crew headed back to tape podcasts and work on upcoming shows. As I strolled down Caxton Street to buy some wares from Pamela’s Pantry, I wondered how many people were tuning in, how many lives had been enhanced through competitions, how many people had been singing along in their cars or how many water cooler conversations had roots in the topic of the day? It seems radio is alive and well and looking at the beautiful HQ it seems to be thriving. 

 So tell us do you still listen to the radio? What are your favourite things to listen to? Have you ever entered the competitions or been on air? Who listens to the radio? That’s what I’d like to know. Just about everyone that I know!