A former New England FM100.3 and 2AD breakfast announcer has released her debut novel, drawing on 15 years in Australian commercial radio that began with a two-week ultimatum to move to Armidale.
Stephanie MacFie’s first commercial radio job was with New England’s FM100.3 and 2AD in 2012. Her novel, Once Upon a Breakfast Show, published by Text Publishing, hits shelves on Tuesday, 4 August. It follows a Melbourne breakfast radio star who turns her messy love life into radio gold, only for a string of failed dates to send her looking for a mystery man from 13 years earlier.
Ms MacFie said the job that brought her to Armidale came out of nowhere.
“I will never forget receiving that phone call from Steve McMillan back in 2012. I had finished radio school about a year earlier and had nearly given up on the dream of working in radio,” Ms MacFie said.
“He called and said something along the lines of, ‘Are you still looking to work in radio?’ When I enthusiastically replied, all he said was, ‘Do you think you could be here in two weeks?’
“I packed up my car with all my worldly possessions, popped my little Vespa on a truck, and turned up in the town two weeks later, terrified I had dreamt the whole thing.”
Ms MacFie said the town left a lasting impression.
“Armidale is such a beautiful town. I love how it values art, sport, education, creatives, and a wonderful sense of community,” Ms MacFie said.
“Armidale is where I fell in love with radio, and cemented my belief in the importance of local radio. Radio connects with its listeners like no other medium.”
Ms MacFie has since worked across the country with some of Australia’s biggest radio shows before moving into podcasting, and now lives on the NSW Central Coast. She plans to visit Armidale on her book tour later this year.
Once Upon a Breakfast Show is available from bookstores and online from Tuesday, 4 August
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