Female radio icons share the secrets to success on the airwaves
Sydney radio royalty Amanda Keller, Kate Ritchie, Erin Molan and Deb Knight open up on their lives behind the microphone and the friendships they have developed off air.
Sydney Weekend
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They’re radio icons – women at the top of their game, dominating the airwaves despite a traditionally male-dominated industry nipping at their heels on the way up. And as we approach International Women’s Day next Friday, Amanda Keller, Deb Knight, Kate Ritchie and Erin Molan – off-air friends as well as on-air rivals – say that while an annual recognition of the female plight should be marked and celebrated, it’s also an example of the very gender divide it’s trying to stop.
“If it was up to women, we wouldn’t need a day like this because we’d be well represented across all sectors,” WSFM’s Amanda Keller says.
“Having said that, on a day like this it’s worth looking at our sisters across the world who are still struggling for basic education, healthcare, and human rights. It’s nice to be reminded that there is still so much work to do.”
She says when she, Knight, Ritchie and Molan see each other “it’s very hard to shut them up” – and for good reason.
“We all share stories of coping in an industry that for so long was male-dominated and surviving having young children in the midst of it,” explains 61-year-old Keller, the breakfast radio host who controversially doesn’t drink coffee, even after waking to a 4am alarm.
“We share so much lived experience. And I’ll never forget the kindness of Wendy Harmer when I first started on breakfast radio. Even though we were in competing shifts, she went out of her way to welcome me to the club.”
Nine’s Deb Knight – who stepped down from 2GB host of Afternoons in November to host Money News across the Nine Network – agrees female camaraderie is alive and well despite decades of rumours suggesting otherwise. The 51-year-old mother of three admits she used to be a bit dismissive of IWD and its associated events on March 8 every year.
“They were often attended only by women and it felt a bit tokenistic,” she says.
“I always found it ironic that a Sydney radio station in the past gave the male announcers the day off and had all women behind the mic on IWD, which proved the point that there’s no reason women shouldn’t be there, but it also made the ladies work that much harder while the men put their feet up.
“I like that more men are (now) embracing IWD day events.
“It needs to be less of an us versus them approach and more of the reality that it’s
going to take work from all of us to bring about true equality.
“There is the cliche that women can be their own worst enemies and drag each other
down rather than build each other up but I’ve never experienced that with the bulk of women I’ve worked with … and particularly these fabulous ladies.
“I’ve always looked up to Amanda, she is such a trailblazer in TV and radio – and she has a fabulous haircut,” she jokes.
“Erin I call a true friend – she’s open and honest and so good at everything she does.
“Kate has been incredible at switching from acting to radio and I think the challenge she had of pulling that off so successfully has been underrated. I think the bulk of women look out for each other and help each other out across the board, and in the media, too.”
2Day FM Sydney’s Erin Molan may split her time between radio as one third of Hughesy, Ed & Erin, print as a columnist for this paper, and TV with her show on Sky News – and agrees that IWD gets less necessary from an equality perspective each year – but remains a day worthy of its place on the calendar.
“I don’t want to live in a world where women aren’t celebrated for just being so bloody amazing,” she says. “There are challenges unique to our gender that we overcome daily so that’s worth celebrating.
“It’s also a great chance to celebrate men who celebrate women.
“Tokenistic gestures annoy me. Genuine ones inspire me.”
Molan, who is, incidentally, fluent in Bahasa Indonesian, describes Keller, Ritchie and Knight – and who could forget KIIS FM’s Jackie “O” Henderson, the highest paid woman on Aussie airwaves – as “superb”.
“I have had personal experiences with all of them that have meant a lot,” she says.
“Deb Knight is one of my closest friends and has supported me through so much.
“Amanda Keller shed tears over my treatment in the early Footy Show days. She was an incredible defender of mine.
“I reached out to Kate a couple of years ago when she was going through a tough time. I’d been through something similar – and we really connected over that.
“I had lunch with Jackie O last week and she’s absolutely divine. It’s actually sickening how much love I have for the women I’m meant to compete with every day.”
When Ritchie left the world of scripted drama as Sally on Home & Away to first join breakfast radio with Nova’s Merrick & Rosso, she credits that transition as the start of a “really big life change”, the mother of one told audio event HEARD, recently held at Hemmes establishment The Ivy in Sydney’s CBD.
“I think maybe the difficult part about it was more on like a personal level, because not only did I go from working in television into radio, but I left this cocoon that had nurtured me for 20 years,” she says.
“So it was less about the fact that I was doing a new job, and it was just that it was more about the fact that everything, all the safety in my world felt as though it had been taken away.
“I’m not saying that’s a bad thing ‘cause that’s why I left the safe shores of Home & Away after 20 years – that was the whole purpose, was to try and work out what else I could do and learn new skills.
“The challenge for me was that you have to be yourself on radio – and I had spent 20 years from the age of eight, I was handed not only a schedule on a Friday afternoon where I had to be the next week, but I was handed a script of where or what to say and kind of what to think and what to feel and what to do, and all of those things.
“And even when I would meet people in the street, they would always come up to me and talk to me as Sally or the little girl that they watched on their television, and they knew a character – they didn’t know me.”
Ritchie, who left the hit Seven show “a whole lifetime ago” in 2007, says her time since has been a huge learning curve, but one she wouldn’t change for the world.
“In those first few years I went to radio, the fact that someone would come up to me and say, ‘Oh, I never watched Home & Away but I really love you on the radio’ – that was one of the greatest things anyone could have ever said to me because that was that was what I was trying to achieve,” she told HEARD.
“When I first left Home & Away, I thought I was going to have a really long holiday, and then I was offered breakfast radio with Nova’s Merrick & Rosso.
“And not only did I have to share my life, which I wasn’t very good at, I was a really big fan of Merrick & Rosso, so, I would sometimes find myself just sitting in the studio listening to how funny they were.
“I had to learn to find my find my voice and that has grown so, so much over the years.
“It’s certainly grown for me, I would say, over the past couple of years.
“There’s been a lot going on for me over the past couple of years.
“Not only have things changed for me professionally but personally and because I feel so centred and secure and safe, I’m just so much better at sharing.
“It’s so much easier to be vulnerable when we feel like we’re being held in a safe space.
“I’m working with Fitzy and Wippa in breakfast now and I’ve just kind of come leaps and bounds in that.
“I’m continuing to learn and I think that learning to share and learning to have confidence in what I have to say and what I have to offer has just been such a great leap for me.
“I had connection when I worked on a television show when I played that character, and I get it because I was in loungerooms all over the country for so many years – but the connection that I have felt from doing drive radio and now breakfast radio … I don’t think you can rival that.”
Keller says that while many people predicted the demise of radio for years, the medium is more valuable than ever.
“It’s the content between the songs that is everything,” she says.
“With breakfast radio you wake up with your city.
“You’re familiar and a friend of your audience, they want to know what your take is today on the stuff that’s affecting them.
“You know, if your city’s on fire. If something hilarious happened. If Barnaby Joyce has fallen off whatever … an audience wants to know what my favourite radio people think of this.
“So it is that absolute immediacy.
“The number of emails we get from people who say ‘your worst day and your best day is shared with us’ – and sometimes people are having their worst day.
“I’m always conscious of that and they hear our voices and people think, OK I’m going to be all right.
“I don’t think you can get that friendship connection in any other medium. I really don’t.
“We bring our authentic selves and I think that has to be the way.
“You can hear radio-by-numbers a mile away.”
IN THEIR OWN WORDS …
AMANDA KELLER
JONESY & AMANDA, WSFM 101.7
“I share my life every day but there are bits you haven’t heard. My husband (Harley Oliver) has Parkinson’s disease and he was diagnosed about seven or eight years ago and I never really spoke about it. Well, I didn’t because it wasn’t just my story to tell.
“And Harley, I didn’t realise the reason he was so private about it was he wanted to wait for his mother to pass away, as he didn’t want her to know. And so, he doesn’t care that I talk about it now, but I care cause I’m the one people will come up to about it. I was conscious that people would see him in public and look at me and look at him and think: ‘What’s wrong with him or something weird’s going on there.’
“So that’s the reason I chose to speak about it. And I didn’t choose on my own. I spoke to our sons about it, I spoke to Harley about it, but I felt I’d wanted to talk about it earlier. Not because it’s a juicy story by any means. It’s a terrible story. But I trust our audience to share their lives with us.
“And we do share our lives. And I thought, OK, it’s time that I tell this story … and now it’s just part of conversation.
“I’ve always known the distinction between my work and my home. I take my professionalism seriously and it’s important to me that I enjoy my job, but I know that my real life is when I get home and I close the door.
“My biggest learnings have been you have to eek out time for yourself.
“No one is going to tell you when you’re close to breaking point or tell you to work less. Your health, both physical and mental, is key.
“I’m still learning this lesson.
“From the minute you enter the media landscape, make sure you are true to
yourself and authentic – are you listening, MAFS people?
“It’s very hard to reclaim your identity once you let it run away from you.”
DEB KNIGHT
NINE
“I definitely have a love-hate relationship with social media. It’s fantastic that your voice and message can be shared directly, and delivers a great deal of power to bring about meaningful change on all sorts of issues, but it can be such a cesspit of nastiness and hate. I’ve become very adept at blocking and reporting when people launch personal attacks.
“As for ‘me time’, ironically I do get caught in the social media scrolling! I have also recently started swimming laps at the local pool which I’ve never thought I would enjoy but is a really great way of switching off. It’s very silent going up and down watching the black line in the water.
“I’ve always been very driven and ambitious and have often put work first, which has led to some great opportunities, but I do wish I had put life and family first a little more often. I also know now that road bumps along the way can feel devastating and like you’ve hit a dead end, but challenges do create other opportunities. So I think what feels like a failure can often turn into a triumph.
“To young women I would say be true to yourself. Be authentic and genuine and open to ideas. Work hard – but not to the detriment of your personal life. And make your own opportunities – with podcasting and social media there are so many ways to turn individual ideas into reality, rather than relying on traditional media paths. Forge away.”
KATE RITCHIE
FITZY & WIPPA, NOVA 96.9
“If I got bogged down in working out what I was going to do every day or every week, about how I was going to tailor myself to who was listening, I would lose what I would hope is appealing about me or about being about the show.
“You know the beauty of working in such a great team, and with Fitzy & Wippa, is that we all have very similar values but we’re very different as well. And so, I think that I don’t have to do anything specific to tailor myself to anyone in particular.
“The most important thing that I need to do is just to be me and that’s the best thing. And if I do that, and if Wippa does that and if Fitzy does that, we’ve kind of got everyone covered. I can only be me. But I’m also going to share stories from different elements of my life and one element is me being a mother to a nine-year-old child. I’m going to have things that I share about being a mother or doing school pick-up or collecting tea towels.”
ERIN MOLAN
HUGHESY, ED & ERIN, 104.1 2DAYFM
“I completely overhauled my life last year. I saw a psychologist and healed. It’s never something I ever thought I’d say but now that I’ve done it. I can’t stop telling people about it because everyone should do it!
“I also drink a lot more water, which helps, but the key for me has been building the confidence to say ‘no’. I wasn’t capable of it just a few years ago but now I know that my health and ability to give my child what she deserves surpasses everything else.
“I don’t read comments on articles or social media. I guess in some way the brutality of social media early in my career built a strength and resilience in me that serves me really well these days. I’d be hard pressed to find something external that hurts me.
“I wish, wish, wish that I’d known (on my journey) that failure is a non-negotiable. I used to think it was failure … before it really happened to me on a decent scale … now I realise it’s all part of the journey for all of us. It’s a stepping stone, not a fatal blow.
“To you women trying to break in to the modern media landscape, I would say work hard – expect less. I worked so hard for so little for so long. A lot of people want immediate success and get annoyed when they don’t achieve it. As I tell my five-year-old daughter: her Oreos will taste better if she’s had to wait longer for them – like after dinner! Anything is doable if you are willing to work hard and back yourself.”
IT SHOOK ME TO MY CORE AND MADE ME REASSESS
Fiona Ellis-Jones, head of news at ARN, leads a team of more than 60 journalists across the network and says while IWD is a great reminder of the achievements of women worldwide, it also highlights the work that still needs to be done to address gender disparities in various spheres of life, including the media.
“I was lucky enough to learn from some formidable female journalists, who really paved the way for my generation, so I always try to lead by example,” the mother of four says.
“I leave loudly so I can make school pick-up. I have hard lines in the sand when it comes to prioritising my family.
“And I try really hard to make our workplace flexible for our working mums (and dads).”
For Ellis-Jones, her biggest challenge came two years ago when her daughter Elizabeth was stillborn. Her twin brother survived and is now a thriving two year old.
“Going through that experience really shook me to my core and made me reassess every aspect of my life, including my career,” she explains.
“I left a stable job at the ABC, where I had worked for 15 years.
“I stepped back from the microphone and took a management job with ARN, Australia’s leading broadcast and on-demand audio company, and the operator of more than 58 radio stations.
“I try to use Elizabeth’s legacy as a driver for good – I’m an ambassador for Red Nose and often speak to newly bereaved parents. The one question I always get is how long it takes to heal, and I remember asking so many people that at the time.
“I became obsessed with being ‘normal’ again. Returning to work, contributing to society, and functioning as a half decent mum and wife again.
“I now know the answer is never – but it does get easier.”
She says talking about Elizabeth helps. Educating pregnant women about the risks and prevention of stillbirth helps.
Pushing for all workplaces to recognise maternity leave for employees who experience stillbirth helps.
“All this makes it easier to reconcile what happened and know Elizabeth didn’t live and die in vain,” she says. “One of the most significant learnings over my career is the importance of maintaining a healthy work-life balance.
“In the earlier stages of my career, I often prioritised work over personal wellbeing.
“It’s only now – 20 years in – that I've really understood the importance of nurturing oneself.
“I also wish I had understood earlier the power of networking and having a strong support system of mentors. Not only to help open doors to opportunities but also to provide support and guidance during challenging times.
“To young women trying to get into media, I would say never say no to an opportunity. Start regional – you don’t want to cut your teeth in front of an audience of millions. And never lose sight of what drove you to pursue a career in journalism.
“This industry has a habit of creating stars and spitting them out just as quickly. Be nice to people on your way up, as you might need them on your way down. Also – ensure you’re adaptable and flexible in your approach to content creation.
“The media industry is constantly evolving, and being able to pivot and innovate is essential … and finally, don’t be afraid to negotiate for what you deserve – everyone else does.”
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