One way to conquer fear is to face it head on and that is precisely what Owen Bithery is doing.
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The year 11 Gloucester High School (GHS) student is a bit shy and feels more comfortable in small groups, mainly his mates. But this brave teen has faced his fear and taken on his own radio show.
With a little incentive from fellow radio presenter, Lorna Tomkinson, Owen has his own spot for an hour on Bucketts Radio.
“I’m still a bit nervous,” he said. “But not as nervous as in the beginning.”
Owen starting learning the ins and outs of the radio game a little over a month ago, by sitting in with Lorna and her show’s counterpart, Hildegard Griffin on Friday afternoons.
“It gives a sense of belonging and confidence,” Lorna said about the benefits of being on the radio.
Owen now runs his own spot, directly after Lorna and Hildegard, at 2pm, which works well, as he has Friday afternoons off school.
Part of the deal of having his own show is to either cover the weekly rental or get a sponsor, so he asked GHS careers adviser, Michael De Angelis.
"When Owen asked me if the school would sponsor his show, I thought this would be a great way to help not only promote one of our students but also to promote all the great things happening at the school,” Mr De Angelis.
"I'm proud of Owen for going outside of his comfort zone and taking on this challenge."
I'm proud of Owen for going outside of his comfort zone and taking on this challenge.
- Michael De Angelis
So, Owen heads into the radio station before his show and organised his playlist. He chooses from the music collection and puts together a digital list with a run time of around 50 to 55 minutes, a part of the job he quite enjoys.
“You can express yourself through the music you choose,” he said.
He said there’s four minutes of news at the top of the hour, along with a few 30 second advertisement spots that, coupled with his own chat time, leaves him with more than enough to cover the hour.
He talks about things that have been happening at the school and future events, which help fill up his talk time, along with interesting facts about the songs he play.
His music list consists of a eclectic range of modern and classic music. Check out Owen’s show or any of the other volunteers on the local airwaves at 104.1fm.