A-list Confidential: Bronte Langbroek to star on breakfast radio in Brisbane
Bronte Langbroek, niece of radio star Kate Langbroek and daughter of politician John-Paul, is the latest star of Nova 106.9’s top-rating breakfast show, subbing in for Susie O’Neill.
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After paving her own way in the radio industry for the past eight years, Bronte Langbroek is getting her first taste of the breakfast radio microphone.
The 28-year-old niece of radio star Kate Langbroek, and daughter of politician John-Paul Langbroek, will fill in for Susie O’Neill on Nova 106.9’s top-rating Ash, Kip, Luttsy & Susie while the swimming champion is in Tokyo for the Olympic Games.
David Lutteral is also in Tokyo as host and stadium announcer for several sports, and will phone into the Nova studio from the Olympic base.
“For them to say they trust me enough to keep Suse’s seat warm, I was just so grateful and completely shocked and so happy,” Langbroek said, adding she had sent the news to Kate via a text message.
“She was so proud. I think ‘bloody excited’ were her words.
“It’s the number one breakfast show and that comes with a lot of pressure and she said ‘you miss the shots you don’t take’. She’s so supportive of me and she’s always just believed I could do it. She’s going to be listening, which is stressful, but I’m sure I’ll get some notes.”
Langbroek was nine when she first visited her aunt in the Nova studio in Melbourne, when she was on air with Dave Hughes, and she said it was immediately clear to her politician father that she was “more of a Kate than a JP”.
“I think he knew I was too cheeky for politics,” she said.
“He just saw so much similarity between Kate and I and he and mum always say there are so many things I do completely unaware that Kate did 20 years ago so I think he always knew there was something in media for me.”
“I just remember walking in (to the studio) and just feeling this energy of live radio, it was something that I remembered then for the next 10 years.”
While studying at the University of Queensland, Langbroek nabbed her first internship at Nova in Brisbane at 19 after asking Kate if she knew anyone at Nova Brisbane.
“I just got her on a lucky day where she was having lunch with the nova Brisbane general manager in Sydney and she got his email,” she said.
“A couple of weeks later I was doing an internship. I remember feeling the exact same energy walking into that building.”
Bronte ended up working in various departments at Nova for four years before working for ARN in Melbourne, SCA on the Gold Coast and regionally in Wagga Wagga before returning to the Nova Brisbane studio.
“I admire Kate so much … but I kind of knew I wanted to learn different departments in radio and use eventually those skills hopefully as an announcer, but I never got into radio thinking it’s announcing or nothing,” she said.
“I did sales and reception and street team and promotions – it was kind of an eight year lead up to being on air.
“I feel comfortable in myself now and the knowledge I have and the respect I have for the other departments. I just wanted to be sure of myself and who I want to be on air.”
Langbroek will be on air from tomorrow.
SURVIVING ON SET
Jonathan LaPaglia wants Survivor fans to know he’s not sitting in a villa drinking cocktails.
The actor has just finished hosting his sixth season of the reality series, which moved to Cloncurry in Outback Queensland this year from its usual home in Fiji or Samoa.
He said he was often having to correct viewers who assumed hosting the show meant relaxing in an exotic location.
“For sure people think it’s cocktail hour,” LaPaglia told Confidential.
“I don’t think people realise what actually goes into making a production like this. There’s 300 people in the crew who put this thing together. There’s 20 cameras rolling at any given time, there’s a lot involved.
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“In a way it’s a compliment that people don’t realise that, if we are making it look that easy.”
LaPaglia lived in a rented house in Cloncurry for more than two months while they filmed the new season, Brains V Brawn from April to June.
He commentates the challenges live during filming as well as leading the questioning at tribal council himself, meaning he immerses himself in the gameplay.
After the last All Stars season in 2019 LaPaglia said he was glad to remove the celebrity element from the game and return to ordinary Aussie contestants.
“I’ve enjoyed the celebrity aspect of it but on some level I’m kind of a purest so I like the fact they are everyday people, I like to see what this game brings out of those people,” he said.
“I always wonder about the celebrity aspect because I feel like on some level they have a reputation to protect, so I’m wondering if that gets in the way of their gameplay whereas the average person doesn’t have a public persona to protect so they can really commit to the game and I think we’ve seen that this year.
“We have some pretty interesting characters and some pretty bold game play, so it’s fun.
Queensland contenders in the series include Gold Coast MMA fighter Chelsea Hackett, 2020 Queensland Australian of the Year Rachel Downie, champion woodchopper Gerald, carpenter and ex-bodybuilder Simon, forensic psychologist Georgia, and Brisbane doctor Mitch, who has an IQ in the top one per cent of the world.
Australian Survivor: Brain V Brawn premieres tonight on Channel 10.
STRANDED SOUTH
The Covid outbreak in Sydney has caused a last-minute reshuffle for the Brisbane Comedy Festival with a handful of comedians stuck in lockdown.
While the majority of the festival’s line-up will continue as planned, organisers of the Brisbane Powerhouse event are busy rescheduling up to six shows.
Nat’s What I Reckon, who was due to perform today, will move to August 9 and 10.
Effie will have to shift her gig to February 5 while Paul McDermott has also heavily postponed his set until February.
Luke Heggie, due to take the stage next week, is still trying to confirm new dates after being caught in NSW.
The Brisbane Comedy Festival will run until August 8, restrictions permitting.
10 QUESTIONS WITH JOHANNA GRIGGS
1. Who was your teen idol/ crush? French Tennis player Yannick Noah. I thought he was the epitome of cool. I remember seeing him on a flight once and snuck into Business Class to get his autograph. It made my day.
2. Who are your three ideal dinner guests? Sir Alex Ferguson (for my husband), my husband Todd Huggins and Michelle Obama.
3. What’s your worst date experience? The many dinner parties I threw just so I could see my now husband in the hope he would ask me out. He did in the end, but boy, it took a loooong time.
4. What’s the movie that made you cry? I cry at the drop of a hat in movies and TV shows. If the actor is crying I’m in tears with them so the list would be endless.
5. Which song do you sing in the car? The ABC News jingle every single time the news comes on – although I whistle it. I whistle most songs because I can’t sing to save myself.
6. What’s your favourite movie or TV series you never admit to loving? Cobra Kai – it’s so bad it’s hilarious, but I love all the flashbacks to the Karate Kid movies.
7. What’s the most sentimental thing you own? My bangle with the names of Todd, and my sons Jesse and Joe. I still have the matching pendant but the chain broke and I’m sentimental about things like that happening so keep it in my bedside table now instead of wearing it.
8. What’s your most embarrassing moment? I have way too many to pick one. I’m so uncoordinated that it’s a rare and miraculous day in my books if I haven’t walked into something or someone, tripped over or worn whatever it is that I’m eating or drinking. I swear I wasn’t born with any spatial awareness at all!
9. What’s the significance of these Tokyo Olympics for you?
Tokyo 2020 will be the seventh Games I’ve covered for Seven of which I’m incredibly proud. I love Japan – it was one of thefirst countries I ever travelled to representing Australian Swimming as a 15 year old at the Pan Pacific Games, and between that trip and every other time I’ve visited … I have loved the country, the people, the culture and the food. I just want these games to be a success for Japan and the world. We all need something positive to focus on.
10. Which event are you most looking forward to?
All of it. It’s been such a long road to these Games for the athletes, and I know how much they can’t wait for it to begin, that I think we’ll all be taking a huge sigh of relief once it finally gets underway. I think Sport Climbing will be a hit. It is so fast, so fun … and anyone who’s ever tried to lift their body weight will be blown away by the strength, speed and skill involved in the sport.
Johanna Griggs will anchor Seven’s Tokyo Olympics coverage across Seven and 7plus from July 23 to August 8.
EVENT OF THE WEEK
Brisbane’s A-list, from musicians to radio and TV stars and Brisbane’s Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner, stepped out to celebrateand support Queensland fashion label White Label Noba on Wednesday night. Designer Tracey Watkins hosted the event to unveilher new season collection, A Beautiful Life, at the brand’s Hawthorne store.
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