Jessica Rouse, nominated for an ACRA Best Newcomer On Air

When you are in your first year of commercial radio, working in a country or provincial radio station, and you get nominated for the ACRA for Best Newcomer On Air, it can be a pretty big deal.
 
Jessica Rouse is nominated for this years ACRA’s for her work at 2NM Muswellbrook.

Radioinfo asked Jessica about the her experience of the past year.

How excited where you about the nomination?

Being nominated is pretty exciting. I’m very proud to have been nominated after only working in the industry for a couple of years! As cliché as it sounds, it’s a privilege to be nominated alongside some of the biggest names in the radio industry. 
I’m also glad the hard work of listening to myself back for what felt like hundreds of hours paid off in the application process
!

What was your background before getting into commercial radio?
 
While I was doing my Bachelor of Communication at the University of Newcastle I walked into the community radio station 2NURFM one day and started volunteering in the newsroom. I volunteered for a few months before the station employed me full time as a second journalist while I finished my Bachelor of Communication.
 
How important was your time in community radio?
 
I don’t think there’s any better way to get the kind of radio experience I did than to get out there and start at a community radio station. 2NURFM is fantastic and I think that’s because of the people who work there. Ian Crouch the news director has been working in the industry for years at a number of radio stations right across the Hunter Valley. The knowledge and the experience he passes on to the students is invaluable. I know he certainly taught me an incredible amount.
I probably wouldn’t be where I am without his guidance! 
There are so many opportunities to learn all aspects of the business as well including production and radio announcing, editing, etc. 

 What or who were your biggest influences?
 
Everyone from the voice of 9News, Peter Overton to my parents who have put up with me doing work experience here, there and everywhere to break into the industry. Now there are so many people I look up to and follow including Glenn Daniel at smoothFM and a lot of Hunter Valley based radio newsreaders and announcers. Also the investigative journalists we have in Australia on 60 Minutes and across the ABC.

 What have been your biggest challenges since joining the station?
 
Getting away from work on time and not staying back working!
  
What’s next for you
 
Right now I’m very happy in the Upper Hunter working with the Radio Hunter Valley team. There are so many things I want to try and do, maybe radio news at a metropolitan station and hopefully something in television news or investigative journalism down the track.
 
For now I am loving the stories and the people in the Upper Hunter; the drought is a big focus at the moment so being able to help farmers to at least be a listening ear and get them some answers is a great part of the job in what are devastating circumstances for them. I really enjoy sharing their stories and being able to give them a voice.
The Upper Hunter is an amazing place, as are the people in it.