Josh Nelson’s new radio chapter: “Never, ever stop trying”

Josh Nelson is experiencing a tsunami of different emotions right now, caught up in a frenzy of packing, saying goodbyes and preparing to drive eight hours from Adelaide to a place he’s never been before, to start a new life chapter.

Josh has just scored his first job in radio, as the Morning/Day Announcer and Creative Writer at Edge FM 102.5 and 2QN in Deniliquin.

And to say he is thrilled would be an understatement.

Josh tells Radio Today “I’m so excited, I can’t contain myself.”

“I’ve got so many feelings flowing through me, it’s crazy. I’m going to live by myself for the first time, in a place I’ve never been to in a completely different part of the country.”

“However, I’m going to be doing something I love, and that’s why all the sacrifices I’m going to make are well worth it.”

Josh says radio has been his lifelong passion.

“I still remember as a very young kid going up to Amanda Blair from FIVEaa at the Royal Adelaide Show, and having a quick chat on the radio with her.”

“Since then, I’ve been hooked. Every opportunity I’ve got, I’ve been up and at it. I’m fairly certain I’ve still got the football she signed for me that day with FIVEaa logos on it kicking around somewhere, I’d presume the writing and screen-printed logos have since faded away with time, but the crazy dream that little 8 year old me had, never did.”

Josh was determined to land a radio gig.

“I did have a few years where I threw myself into music production and let radio sit on the back burner, however after a while I realised I am hopeless at playing an instrument and reading music, and while I could help mates out who actually had talent, I didn’t really see it being viable as a marketable skill.”

“I still had that dream, as I absolutely LOVED working in the studio, working on other people’s music and helping them create their little masterpieces, and I wanted to do that for myself. I felt so at home in a production studio, with all this sweet audio gear around me and being a part of making some really awesome music.”

Josh discovered a teacher at his school was a founding member of Adelaide’s Fresh 92.7 back in the 90s. A passionate conversation ensued.

“We were able to talk for HOURS about old school music – 80’s, 90’s and early 2000s were our bread and butter.”

“Eventually, we were able to start up a little radio studio at school and with the help of other people who had similar interests, we called it 444FM.”

“It really cemented for me that this was something I wanted to do.”

“I started working at a large telco (10 points for anyone who guesses what it is) around November 2021. While it was a great place working with some wonderful people, it wasn’t for me, and I felt like doing something different.”

Josh applied to join the Australian Radio School. Just a few hours later, his phone rang.

“I answer it, and on the other end is Adelaide’s very own Sean Craig Murphy (pictured with Josh). I was pretty gobsmacked, but we went through it all together and I realised that this could lead to something amazing.”

Josh went through the intro class and loved it, getting more studio time – at SAFM no less – and learning from a variety of different people doing different things in the broadcasting realm.

Upon graduation in November, he was 100% certain radio was the career for him.

“I started applying for jobs like a mad bugger. I heard nothing, which not really knowing a whole lot about the industry, made me pretty disheartened. I knew that it wasn’t a guarantee, and I knew that I wouldn’t just walk out of radio school with a job, but it was the lack of contact that really bothered me.”

“I felt pretty dejected, but I didn’t stop, even at my lowest moments I was still applying for jobs left right and centre, even if it was just so I could annoy someone into talking to me.”

“One day at the end of last year, I said ‘stuff this,’ and made a phone call to Sean. He advised me of a job going in Deniliquin, New South Wales for Edge FM and 2QN as a Creative Writer and Announcer.”

“I’d only ever heard of Deniliquin because of the Deni Ute Muster, but I told him to pass my details on to management.”

Suffice to say, Josh got the gig.

Josh – who starts his new job on the 23rd of this month – is a big believer in persistence. His advice to others who dream of working in radio is to never stop trying. Ever.

“Even if you’re drained, you’re done and you’re sick of being knocked back, keep applying and keep showing your willingness to do it. Join a community radio station and put in a few shifts, then you’ve got yourself some air checks that you can send out.”

And having been helped and supported along the journey by Sean, Josh is a big advocate of going to radio school.

“If you show your passion and drive for broadcasting and radio, you’re 50% of the way there.”