In PART 1 of this Xtra Source Xclusive interview, Mike Goldman of Big Brother fame discusses with Nathan Taylor the ups and downs of his new career as the breakfast host on new digital radio station Gorilla Radio.
Mike Goldman started his radio career at 16 as the office boy at Sydney radio station 2SM. Goldman would work for free both day and night and his day-to-day jobs weren't just filing away CD's.
"I had to work with a blind announcer who did the midnight to dawn shift," said Goldman. "I had to help him braille every CD in the music library and get him anything he wanted."
Even with his dad Grant Goldman being a big media personality, Goldman said it was still hard for him just like anyone else to get into the business.
"You have to increase your hit ratio,"said Goldman. "Do as many demos as you can and call as many people as you can and when starting out you’ve got to work for free and get better at it."
His dad who still hosts a morning breakfast show on 2SM really inspired Goldman to get into radio.
"I saw how much fun he was having and what a great fun job it was," said Goldman. "He bought me my first disco gear set-up and taught me how to DJ and I did mobile disco and then got into radio."
Now many years later Mike Goldman is proud to be the host of his own breakfast show on dance music digital radio station Gorilla Radio.
"I'm a pioneer, I'm the Captain Cook of digital radio," he said. "Because we are the only live digital breakfast show in Australia and we are exclusively digital."
Goldman said his show is rather unique compared to other breakfast shows competing with him. "What's different is I do whatever I want, it's my show," he said. "It's not like the Kyle & Jackie O Show, it's me with different guests everyday and we play top 40 dance hits.
"I'm aiming for a Chris Lilly style radio show rather than a TV show, with lots of characters who are actually yours truly."
With digital radio being only a few months old in Australia, Goldman admitted he probably doesn't have that many listeners.
"I must admit the first week I started was a little disheartening saying call up and I wouldn't get one call," said Goldman. "I'm writing all this comedy and doing all these skits and getting in these great guests from all over the world and I'm thinking 'Oh God is anyone listening?'."
Goldman however is confident that things are looking up in the digital radio world, with current sales figures of digital radios at over 50,000 units sold.
"I think in the next two-three years it's going to build," he said. "More people will be listening and I'd like to see it in the next three-five years on an even playing field with all the other stations."
Mike Goldman's breakfast radio show can be heard each weekday morning from 6-9am on digital radio station Gorilla Radio and can be listened to online at www.gorillasuperdigi.com.au or with your digital radio.
Please visit back this Thursday for Part 2 of the XSource Xclusive with Mike Goldman where he chats about his eight years on Big Brother and how his life changed after being on television.
