Being one of the ABC TOP5 2024 was one of the best experiences of my early career research journey. But it was also deeply challenging.
ABC TOP5 is the most prestigious media training programme for early career researchers in Australia. Five selected candidates get to spend two weeks at the ABC studios “to see how the sausage is made” – as our smashing trainer Lindy Burns would say. I shared the ABC Top 5 Humanities 2024 residency in Sydney with the wonderful Farjana Mahbuba, Marnie Cruickshank, Hugh Gundlach and Meg Foster.
This is some of what we got up to:
We had numerous training sessions on making radio, using our voice, ABC editorial policies, and online findability for researchers.
We worked with teams and producers across radio, social media, TV, news, podcasting, and digital, to learn about pitching for each of these formats.
We were given building passes that allowed us to roam around freely and feel at home in the Sydney studios. There might have been some messing about.
And we spent a lot of time behind the mic in radio studios, sat in on live radio and television, and met some of the most iconic voices and content producers in Australian media.
There were also challenges. As someone who has spent their whole working life in academia, being thrown into the pace of broadcasting made me feel slow and overly cautious. I questioned my communication skills and my tolerance to fast paced, collective work. I struggled to keep up with the tempo and sometimes secretly wished to be back at my desk in silence.
So I learned to practice and fail and then get better at something I knew nothing about. In broadcast media, if the thing happens now and your expertise is needed, you won’t have months of refining and peer review to get your message out there. You have a shot, you run with it, and then you let go. Then you do it again and it becomes a bit easier each time.
The value of the programme is huge for both sides. ABC’s responsibility as Australia’s public broadcaster means they always need new ‘talent’ and stories to put on air. Radio is constantly starving for high quality content. Every producer and presenter we met was incredibly excited to talk to us, supportive, and devoted to the sense of purpose of the ABC (which came across as a great employer with many people working there for 15, 20, 30+ years).
For us, the residency demystified an entire world of processes and operations. It equipped us to take our research passions in front of any audience we want to address, and to do it with confidence, eloquence, and clarity.
We even made a fun video about it — check it out below:
I could not recommend it strongly enough for any Early Career Researcher based in Australia to apply for the ABC Top 5. The UK has a similar scheme called New Generation Thinkers, sponsored by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and the BBC.
It will change your life.
SABINA ANDRON 