Excellent humans: Ty Frost on the tight-knit group that makes Smooth so special

Ty Frost. Image: NOVA Entertainment

Ty Frost always assumed a career in radio would mean a life on the move.

That’s likely because he spent the first eight years of his life celebrating his birthday in a different town.

As the Smooth FM Mornings host tells Radio Today “My father was also a radio announcer, with a remarkable knack for either getting fired or abruptly quitting to chase the next gig.”

“So, the fact that I’ve now spent 29 and a half years – and counting – with the same network proves I well and truly broke that habit.”

For those playing at home, that’s six years in Albury, 20 in Melbourne, and now three-and-a-half in Sydney.

A good chunk of Ty’s early tenure with NOVA Entertainment was spent working in technical development and online operations, including a stint as the network’s Digital Technical and Production Director.

Then he returned to announcing – the job of his childhood dreams.

“It’s sad that Dad passed away before he got to see me return to the airwaves with Smooth FM,” says Ty. “He would’ve thought I was mad for leaving a stable online tech career to go back on air. “

But Ty believes his dad would have been quietly chuffed with how well Smooth has done.

“He always said radio talked too much, so he would’ve liked what we created.”

GfK Survey 4 saw Ty continue his reign as Sydney’s #1 FM Mornings show with a 13.7% share, setting new 10+ records in his shift.

For him, it still feels like a ‘pinch me’ moment.

“It’s a rare and genuinely sweet thing to be part of something that clearly resonates with people,” Ty says. “And to have a job where survey days mean celebrating with a small, brilliant team who helped make it happen? That never gets old.”

Most of Ty’s teenage years were spent at Hamilton in Victoria’s south-west, where he was a regular fixture at local radio station 3HA, carting How Green Was My Cactus and dreaming of a future in the business.

Community radio was where it all took shape.

“That is, if you don’t count broadcasting to an audience of one – my mum – from my bedroom, with a speaker cable running to the lounge room,” he laughs.

Ty did stints at 3SER in Fountain Gate Shopping Centre, including a breakfast shift with his now Smooth FM colleague Simon Diaz, and later at Melbourne’s legendary youth station Hitz FM.

Ty’s first commercial radio gig was in Swan Hill at 3SH.

And proving just what a small world the radio industry can be, when Ty moved to his next radio job at Wangaratta’s 3NE, it was Simon who replaced him.

Ty says he could genuinely gush all day about his Smooth colleagues.

“Not only are they all excellent at what they do, they’re also just really decent humans.”

“I could name every single person because we’re such a small team. And that’s part of what makes Smooth special: a tight-knit group creating something that reaches so many.”

On a personal level, Ty says he loves that his job enables him to be intentionally positive for four hours a day.

“We work hard to create an environment our listeners can escape into, and the truth is, it does the same for me. There’s something strangely powerful about talking through a smile.”

“We usually smile because we feel good, but I’ve found the reverse can be true too … smile first, and sometimes the feeling catches up.”

“It’s a simple thing, but it adds up. Especially in the kind of world we’re broadcasting into.”

Smooth, at its core, is about the music.

“We’re not a personality-driven product, yet everyone on air is genuinely personable,” says Ty. “There’s a difference.”

“I think the audience appreciates the stability and reliability of what they get when they ask their smart speaker to ‘Play Smooth FM.’”

“Whether it’s the Feel Good Workday with Simon Diaz, Byron Webb or myself, our More Music Breakfast shows around the country, or weekends with David Campbell, Melissa Doyle and Richard Wilkins, the listener gets the same vibe, the same product.”

“They know what to expect from us, and we deliver it. Every time.”

Ty says there’s also an abundance of care when it comes to the little things.

“The segues between songs, the flow, the feel. Making sure every break, in every shift, is on song (mind the pun).”

Ty says the collective influence of colleagues, programmers and different managers over the years has played a big part in shaping who he is in radio.

“You learn from everyone: the good, the difficult, and the unforgettable.”

“Peter Clay slipped me a fifty to give him a mention, so here we are,” Ty jokes. “But in all seriousness, he’s a genuinely entertaining presence in the office and keeps it a fun place to work. We do regular airchecks, but it never feels like a boss ticking boxes, it’s more two people who love radio, throwing around ideas to get a better product on air.”

Clay tells Radio Today “Ty is a perfectionist and loves using the technology in our studios to air localised breaks in every market.”

“His attention to detail is the reason his shift is always at the top of the radio ratings.”

Ty’s passion for music extends well beyond the radio studio. Singing and performing on stage is one of his great loves.

“Right now, I’m deep in the swamp, rehearsing as one of the fairytale creatures in Inner West Theatre Company’s production of Shrek The Musical.”

For Ty, performing live scratches another creative itch.

“It’s a different kind of stage, but the same love for entertaining people.”

*Images: NOVA Entertainment