Newcastle University student, Rachel Storer is the winner of the inaugural Brian White Scholarship awarded by Commercial Radio Australia.
In her final year of study and part of the student news team at the university radio station, Rachel said: “I’m very excited to be the recipient of the Brian White Scholarship. I’m looking forward to making the most of this opportunity and gaining firsthand experience within the radio news industry.“
Storer, was one of eight student finalists who attended a news workshop at the Nova studios in Sydney last week. Commercial radio news directors; Deborah Clay (ARN), Michelle Stephenson (Nova), Erin Maher (MMR) and Natasha Jobson (SCA) spoke to the group and set several journalist tasks for judging.
Students were judged across a number of areas including a general knowledge questionnaire, recording a live cross to a breaking story, writing five radio news stories and outlining how they would ensure accuracy of information if they were covering a natural disaster.
The scholarship is named after radio broadcaster Brian White, commercial radio’s first cadet journalist, who went on to cover wars in Vietnam and the Middle East, authored a book on politics and the media, served as general manager of 3AW in Melbourne and chaired the Fitzroy Football Club.
Rachel will now commence an eight-week paid work attachment in Sydney, consisting of two weeks each at Macquarie Media, Southern Cross Austereo, Australian Radio Network and Nova Entertainment.
Congratulations Rachael.
Rachael is another member of the 2NURFM newsroom and a great example of why Community Radio is so important in the broadcasting landscape. Her experience at 2NUR was a vital part of gaining this prestigious scholarship and I have no doubt she will join the growing list of 2NUR alumni who have moved into full time employment in radio and television in recent years.