Game Changers: 5 standout moments from our Rising Stars

The Craig Bruce-hosted Rising Stars series featured some of the most exciting on-air talent, as voted for by Game Changers: Radio listeners and readers of Radio Today.

Here is a selection of handpicked gems from each episode of this year’s Rising Stars season:

Ash London

“If I don’t have something to say that’s going to inform, educate or help my audience become more passionate or invested in a piece of music, then I’ll play a song instead of talking.”

London kicked off the Rising Stars series in typical Ash fashion, showcasing her unyielding passion for supporting local music talent. London still stands by a solemn vow she made for the Hit Network’s Ash London LIVE show at the very beginning.

Dave Matthews

 “I can create a capital city listenership from Noosa.”

Matthews was up next. A truly driven and steadfast individual, the Hot 91.1 host has big plans for radio on his beloved Sunny Coast. Bruce was mistaken in presuming the “sideways move” to regional radio was simply a way to generate a strong audience and eventually take that to a larger market.

Zoe Marshall

 “I dropped the bomb about this guy rubbing my boobies.”

One of the finest examples of a strong-willed woman on Australian radio, Marshall didn’t waste any time with Bruce, dropping bombs as she always does on air alongside NRL hubby Benji Marshall.

Ben & Liam

 “It would be a worrying thing if we just walked into this job and everybody immediately loved us. I like that we have to win people over and show them that we can do a good show.”

Ryan Jon

 “Ryan, this isn’t funny. “Trying to be funny is really hard – just be yourself. You’re an interesting guy so share those interesting thoughts with the audience and they’ll love you for it.”

Taking over triple j’s national breakfast show was never going to be a walk in the park for these two youngsters. The pair displayed maturity that far belied their years on Rising Stars, speaking of their responsibility to win over the audience they inherited from previous hosts Matt & Alex.

Ryan Jon

“I wanted to be a storyteller. The boss brought me in one day and said, ‘If you want to go tell stories, go get a radio job.’”

We went out with a bang on Friday with the multi-talented breakfast radio host Ryan Jon. The laughs were aplenty as Jon revealed a note Bruce sent to Jon during his early years in radio, failing to omit any of the harsh details.