Three of our young (quiet) achievers are racking up their on-air experience despite their young age. Charles Wallen (Year 9), Ada Tracy (Year 8) and Nyssa Overall (Year 8) are entering their 5th, 4th and 3rd years respectively .
Charles started on air in the second half of 2019 aged 9 years old. His show is called Monthly Music and generally runs for 45-60 minutes, airing every 3 months live from our Beechworth studio, a frequency he has kept up for around 5 years now. He fondly recalled interviewing a fave band at the time Mighty Duke and the Lords at Beechworth Spring Music Festival in November 2019 when just 9 years old.
Ada and Nyssa each started off as Yackanadandah Primary School students, Ada in Year 5 and the following year Nyssa joined her. The girls enjoy sharing their love of reading and all things literature with their audience.
In 2022 they graduated from Primary School and headed to different Secondary Schools. Ada attends Marian College Myrtleford, whilst Nyssa is at Beechworth Secondary College. Despite attending different schools, these great friends collaborate on their radio program throughout the fortnight and present Ada and Nyssa’s Book Talk live from the Yackandandah studio every fortnight – a show they commenced in Term 2 2023. Their show is gathering some impressive momentum as they have explored themes such as fables, memoirs and the horror genre, to name just a few.
Indigo FM President Scott Landells caught up with Charles, Nyssa and Ada recently to get the lowdown on their radio experience.
Thinking back to when you each first started on your radio journey, can you recall what you expected from those early shows? How does it feel to have been hosting your own radio show for the past few years?
Charles: “I think my major motivation or inspiration was probably my Dad Doug, since he had a show and I often came to the station with him to see how everything was done, so I thought it would be a great idea for me to do one myself.”
Ada: “Honestly I was really nervous, cos I thought I would have nothing to talk about. I remember the first radio show and I was prepping and I thought ‘OK, I have all these things that I have to talk about’ so then it was just like an easy conversation with a friend.”
Nyssa: “I remember the first radio show that I did was with four of my friends and it was very chaotic and I can’t believe that I’ve been hosting it for two years.”
What aspects do you enjoy most about it?
Charles: “I enjoy being in the studio, letting people listen to what I’m listening to, sharing the music that I like, cos some of it’s unknown stuff that I hear about through particularly my Dad and there’s some more known stuff and I just like to spread around different genres.”
Ada: “I really like talking to other people (ie the invisible audience) and not knowing who they are.”
Nyssa: “Talking to Ada cos she’s my best friend.”
Do you have any tips for other young people out there when it comes to exploring their interest in music via radio / podcasting?
Charles: “Don’t wait and think about it, just go straight into it. You are guaranteed to enjoy it. Just do it however you want to and make it as good as you can to suit yourself. If you enjoy it, then keep doing it.”
Ada: “I think just follow what you love.”
Nyssa: “Just start it. Start it early and you can learn along the way.”
What music should we be checking out in 2024?
Charles: “Oooh this is a hard one. I reckon less known indie rock because it’s been getting a lot better from what I’ve heard, getting to a few gigs and stuff. I’ve been really enjoying what I’ve been listening to so I might play some more of it on Monthly Music cos I think everyone else will enjoy it as well.”
What books should we be checking out in 2024?
Ada: “I’m reading ‘June’ right now and I really recommend that and if you’re into Horror then I definitely recommend ‘It’ by Stephen King. That was a really good book.”
Nyssa: “‘Heartstopper’ that’s a really good book and Katrina Nannestad, the author, she does a lot of really good books.”
You can catch Ada & Nyssa’s Book Show every Friday from 4:30-5:30pm via our website audio player, where the show goes live each fortnight and is repeated on the alternate fortnight.
Recent podcasts are here:
You can catch Monthly Music with Charles on the first Sunday of each month from 11am-noon via our website audio player, where the show goes live approximately each quarter and is repeated on the alternate first Sunday of the month.
Recent podcasts are here: