My messy first day on radio as a journalist intern.
If you have imagined that radio show begins with a well-prepared script and smooth voice, think again. Being in a radio can expose your skills, especially communication skill. My first corporate radio show as a student intern was bit of a disaster. It was unpolished and raw.
Walking into a studio
When I walk into the studio, I was nervous because I was still struggling to articulate myself. Wondering how I'm going to communicate. My stomach was in knots. This was the moment I have been dreaming of. The studio was kind of intimidating, the thought of being listened by real listers was overwhelming. We were given some training technically yes but as presenters we were not prepared. No rehearsal for the nerves that came with sitting in front of the microphone.
On-Air Chaos
The moment the intro jingle went off, and the mics were turned on, immediately my mind got raptured. The words on how I was going to introduced myself vanished. There was nothing professional about it. My voice was cracking, I was stuttering, and I was not articulate at all. Few
days before the show, I tried to find my radio voice through practicing. I did not have that so called “radio voice” I did not sound confident but rather I sounded nervous, not confident, rushed and lost. It was a one-hour show. In the bigging of the show, I could not wait for it end. Looking back, it was a chaotic show, we played some songs repeatedly, forgetting to turn off the mics when we play music and forget to be on air when we speak, it was a lot that was going on. But now I can laugh about it.
learnt Lesson
That messy first show taught me a lesson in a hard way. The lesson that I will forget not and carry in my journalism path. Someone once said that “a prepared show is a successful show". I learnt that preparation is the key. Radio is not something that you can just wing. I learnt that having a clear articulation and strong radio voice does not come naturally. To be skilled in radio you must be discipline in practicing and sharpening the skills. At Kisima Radio, we believe in striving for Excellence in everything we do, and that moment reminded me why preparation, consistency, and commitment to growth matter so much in broadcasting. Most significantly, my first chaotic show, I leant that mistakes do not make us failures, as they always say “learn from your mistakes’