Eastside Radio’s annual TEaCHing Presenter Conference 2025 was an incredible day of learning and community spirit. From thought-provoking talks to hands-on studio sessions, presenters, producers and volunteers came together to grow, share, and celebrate all things radio!
The day began with an inspiring keynote from Andrea Ho, AFTRS Discipline Lead for Radio and Podcasting, who set the tone for the day by exploring the exciting future of radio and podcasting. With audio use growing rapidly, Andrea reminded us that audiences are engaging with sound more than ever before. On-demand listening is now the norm, and while content competition has never been greater, opportunities to connect through storytelling and creativity have never been brighter.
As Andrea said, “Our industry is in revolution!”
Next up, Hugh Phillips delivered an engaging and entertaining session on AI in radio production, sharing how he uses it as a “very smart personal assistant” to help create Breaking Waves. His down-to-earth, practical approach (and trademark good humour) made the world of AI feel much less intimidating and a lot more exciting.
Derryn Webster then took us on a deep dive into Who Is Listening to Eastside Radio? – offering fascinating insights into our audience that will help us make even better, more connected radio for our community.
Over a delicious lunch, a lively round of Eastside Radio Bingo got everyone mingling, laughing, and competing for prizes – with plenty of joyful “Bingo!” shouts heard across the room.
The afternoon focused on practical studio skills, with sessions covering our LRM playout system, sound levels, on-demand tools, and pre-recording techniques. Huge thanks to brilliant trainers Paul Harvey, Josh Duffy, Molly Brookman, and Managing Director Tony Smythe for leading such informative, well-prepared, and hands-on workshops.
To end the conference, it was a tremendous pleasure to announce the Ruth Hessey 2025 Award for Innovation and Excellence in High Quality Programming as The Sydneyist by Elizabeth Farrelly and Sophie White. The perfect celebratory conclusion!
A big thank you also goes to AFTRS for hosting us in their incredible facilities – what a fantastic environment to learn and collaborate in!
We left feeling inspired, connected, and proud to be part of this creative community. Bring on the next one!