By Sheryl Lal
While I was in my final weeks of the semester in 2021, I received an email from NextGenRadio in partnership with University of the South Pacific and Radio Pasifika regarding their new development project for USP Journalism students. They had laid out a positive impression and I was not hesitant to express my interest. Glad to say I have not been disappointed at all after working with them.
My journey with NextGen has been very informative, developmental and motivating. We began with the topic of climate change and went with the instructions.
My mentor and everyone at NextGenRadio had helped me along with my news story in terms of interview questions, photos, videos, audio, web stories and even provided an audio recorder to conduct my interview.
A day later after the interview, I fell ill and with all the changing weather patterns, a cyclone and a pandemic on hand — I was bound to. However, my mentor and everyone at NextGenRadio was patient to carry me along after I recovered. My work had slowed down a bit and continued until the second week but with the guidance of everyone, I managed to tick all the boxes.
What I loved about NextGenRadio is, the equality and fairness we were all treated with and the understanding that we are still students. I already have experience in radio journalism and a fair amount of knowledge in using equipment, devices and softwares. But we were still provided with training and lessons before we got to interview. I mostly learned how to use an audio recorder, the tips and tricks to get a clear recording and room tone. With NextGenRadio, I got familiar with the Audition software and how to write a web story.
My time with NextGenRadio was all about bringing back the confidence I lost in journalism and I was able to show my potential and skills to everyone. I am absolutely proud and found this project a pleasure and everyone at NextGenRadio as an understanding, patient and motivating group of professionals.
