SCA appoints Brian White Scholarship winner Zac De Silva to Albury newsroom

Last year’s winner of the Brian White Scholarship, Zac de Silva, has landed a full-time news gig with Southern Cross Austereo (SCA) in its Albury newsroom.

The recent Macquarie University graduate won the scholarship last year, and recently undertook two-week paid internships across NOVA Entertainment, Nine Radio, ARN and SCA as part of the program.

The rotation finished in June, and he has now been picked up full-time by SCA.

SCA said the hire, along with five other fresh local news talent appointments, demonstrated its investment in local journalism. It also pointed to its hyper-local news push via its news podcast offering on its platform LiSTNR as further evidence of its local dedication.

Via initiatives such as this, SCA said it was determined to give regional journalists the same opportunities as their metro counterparts.

Head of news operations at SCA, Natasha Jobson, said she was impressed with de Silva’s passion for news gathering and desire to work in the media industry.

“Zac became such a valuable member during his Sydney newsroom internship, and we are thrilled to welcome him to his first news gig in our Albury newsroom,” she said.

“We are dedicated to delivering the best local news nationwide, as the demand for hyper-local news continues to grow. We’re responding to that demand by investing in our regional markets and bringing fresh faces to our newsrooms. Many of our new recruits are transitioning from the shrinking print industry, bringing with them a wealth of local knowledge and contacts.

“We know our local markets are important and we are committed to ensuring there is always space for high-quality, local news, created by our journalists who are digital audio savvy, and passionate about their local markets.”

CRA chief executive officer, Joan Warner, congratulated de Silva on his new role with SCA.

“The Brian White scholarship is about the radio industry investing time in supporting the development of Australian journalism. We’re delighted Zac has been offered the opportunity to start his career with SCA at a time when regional newsrooms are more important than ever.”

While at university, de Silva worked at 2SER as a reporter and newsreader, and then acting news director.