Journalist Deborah Clay on the importance of female empowerment

As national news director of one of the top radio brands in Australia, journalist Deborah Clay feels a responsibility to continue the conversation around female empowerment.

Jump in the car, turn the radio dial in either direction and the announcer’s voice you hear is likely to be a man’s. Because the world of radio itself is a lot like its listeners: fond of something familiar.

So for decades, not much changed on air. But the medium is evolving quickly, with more female radio hosts and announcers establishing a firm presence on air. And that goes for behind-the-scenes, too.

Just ask Australian Radio Network (ARN) national news director Deborah Clay, who considers lifting up other women in the industry to be a key part of her job.

“Over the years, my voice in my life has become louder.” (Picture: Tim Ashton)

“Despite working in a male-dominated environment, my experience of rising up through the ranks and being a female leader has only been a positive one,” Clay tells Stellar.

“But I do feel a sense of responsibility to harness the power I have to try to do some good in the community, as well as continuing the conversation around female empowerment. My management style is distinctly female. Over the years, my voice in my life has become louder.”

Come next week, Clay will have held her position for a decade, making her one of the most powerful women on the national media landscape. “As journalists, sometimes we see our role as a reactive one to news events. But I think it’s the way we choose our words, the way we convey a scene – there’s real power in shaping the conversation,” she says.

“I’m still exhilarated by being in the moment at work and not knowing where the day is going to take me. So as long as I’m engaged in that – news – it’s what I love.”

“I do feel a sense of responsibility to continue the conversation around female empowerment.” (Picture: Tim Ashton)

And that love began early. Raised in Sydney’s north-west, Clay was both a voracious reader and radio listener from a young age. Both pursuits sparked a natural curiosity about the world, so it is fitting that her first job out of school was at the local newspaper. It wasn’t long before she turned her hand – and voice – to radio.

“I showed up at the radio station, made friends with someone in the lobby, went up in the lifts and hand delivered my résumé and demo to veteran journalist Peter Shanahan,” Clay recalls, outlining how she ended up reading the weekend news. “Peter gave me a go. And that’s something that I’ll always be incredibly grateful for.”

From there, Clay worked as a journalist at radio stations DMG and 2SM, before pivoting into television as a presenter at Sky News. In a rare move, she then went back to radio at Southern Cross Austereo before taking up the role of news director of ARN, which hosts an array of top-performing shows like Kyle & Jackie O, Jonesy & Amanda, and The Christian O’Connell Breakfast Show.

She has formed good relationships with the announcers, with Jackie O telling Stellar, “Deb is a breath of fresh air – she doesn’t just light up every room she walks into, she also knows news and is always a bank of knowledge not only in the newsroom but in life, too.”

Clay hasn’t left TV behind completely, though, and regularly appears as a commentator on a panel hosted by David Koch on breakfast TV show Sunrise.

“Apart from being an absolute media pro with terrific insights and analysis of news issues, Deb also has a wonderful sense of community. It’s that strong sense of responsibility to the community which makes Deb special,” Koch says.

“I’m still exhilarated by being in the moment at work and not knowing where the day is going to take me.” (Picture: Supplied)

“People sometimes look at my trajectory and see that I moved into TV, then went back into radio and they often question me about that,” Clay says.

“But I just love news, and I think that radio is a medium like no other, because you can transport the person to the scene and make them feel as if they are there.”

She credits her current manager, ARN chief content officer Duncan Campbell, with teaching her the importance of being meticulous and building solid relationships with the people around her. In turn, Campbell says he has a huge amount of respect for Clay.

“She is protective of news and her team but understands the needs of the broader business. We also understand each other, which means meetings flow seamlessly and we have a laugh,” Campbell tells Stellar.

“Her energy level seems permanently set to high. She juggles her work commitments and family life effortlessly – but I don’t know how she does it.”

Balancing work and family (Clay has two sons, Leo and Oliver) is a lesson she learnt at a young age from her father.

Deborah Clay with Duncan Campbell in August 2020. (Picture: Supplied)

“One of the things that impressed me about my dad is that no matter how bad his day was or what was going on at work, when he walked through the door at the end of the day, he was truly present and he was truly there for us as a dad,” the journalist says.

“And my mum was always extremely uplifting and supportive of us girls – I have three sisters. My parents taught me a lot.”

And she also aims to share her life lessons. “Over the past year, I’ve been part of the Women in Media mentoring program, and that has been an absolute highlight. What I really enjoy in my career is uplifting people,” she says.

One of her mentees, senior producer at Sky News Brittany Hughes, is grateful for Clay’s guidance. “Deb is a great listener and I really value her enthusiasm for the industry. She has been influential in my career progression and someone I can always rely on for a chat.”

Deborah Clay features in this Sunday’s Stellar.

Just like the rest of the world, Clay spent much of last year on introspection – and cooking. She developed a particular passion for comfort food, much to the delight of her family, and also created an ocean-swimming group with friends.

“Mindfulness and purpose – that’s something that came into the forefront in 2020 because I’ve been covering the one story for over 12 months now,” she explains.

“When it comes to my inner life, I have spent a lot of time working on myself. I’ve learnt authentic resilience. I have more energy now than what I did 10 years ago when I started this job! I’m feeling really optimistic at the moment.”

Originally published as Journalist Deborah Clay on the importance of female empowerment