Budding broadcasters get chance to showcase talent on air

BUDDING broadcasters will air their talents on a new radio station which will he heard in Inverness from next week.

During September, Monster FM will broadcast a series of live shows by volunteers, including school pupils, who have been trained in broadcasting skills.

The Radioskills courses are run by the Moray Firth Media Trust, a charity based at Moray Firth Radio (MFR) in Inverness, which gives hands-on training.

Radioskills manager Liz McIntyre said: "The station output will be the culmination of months of training and hard work by nearly 30 volunteers.

"They will present a range of live shows putting theory into practice and hopefully achieving their ultimate aim - to get the Certificate in Radio Broadcasting and a job in radio.

"Running Monster FM is a fantastic opportunity for them. Whilst it's an ambitious project, we feel that it shows our confidence in the quality of our training and the people we train."

Danny Gallagher, managing director of MFR, added: "We've seen first hand what the training course can do for budding broadcasters.

"I've felt for some time that the quality of the trainees we produce warrants an opportunity like this and I'm delighted that we have managed to pull it together."

Monster FM will be broadcasting on 87.7 FM from 1-28 September. The shows will cover a wide range of subjects, from comedy to books and even Gaelic hip-hop.

Martin Bannon, a current trainee, said: "We've had to put in a lot of extra hours for planning at the station and getting ready to go live in September.

"At the moment we are about 90 per cent excited and 10 per cent nerves. A lot of us hadn't realised how much work goes on behind the scenes at a radio station!"

Since 1999 the Moray Firth Media Trust has trained over 400 people in the skills of radio broadcasting, invaluable skills for those keen to make a career in the industry.