Radio student flies between Melbourne and Adelaide for 12 weeks to attend class

Was it hard to get out of bed for work this morning? 

Was traffic a nightmare? 

Can’t be bothered with that project?

Well, maybe you just don’t want it as much as 18-year-old Thomas Hughes, who flew from Melbourne to Adelaide every Tuesday for 12 weeks so he could complete the Australian Radio School’s Intro to Radio course. 

Thomas would grind out the two-hour drive from his hometown of Shepparton to Melbourne Airport, catch his flight, attend class, sleep, then fly back to Melbourne for the two-hour drive home.

He says his hand was forced due to the lack of opportunity to learn in Melbourne.

“I was interested in doing a proper course truly focused on radio. Unfortunately, there is no radio course in Melbourne nowadays so I decided to travel to Adelaide,” Thomas said.

The dedication earned Thomas a new gig with ACE Radio’s EDGE FM in Wangaratta.

Australian Radio School owner Sean Craig Murphy says the story “smashes two major myths” about radio.

“Radio IS as relevant as ever. (It’s part of the Golden Age of audio we’re going through atm),” he said.

“This generation IS as passionate about getting into the industry as any previous generation. There’re just so many more choices they have to execute their content these days.”

Thomas says there’s one thing radio experts don’t realise about younger demographics. 

“While programmers may think that no one around my age listens to radio anymore. They have to know that most of us teens/early twenties are driving around in cars that only have radio,” Thomas said.

“Not all of us can afford cars with bluetooth/streaming haha.”