Originally published as Tom takes to the airwaves Cleggett, Micheal. The Blue Mountains Gazette. 2/11/11.
Tom takes to the airwaves
Eleven-year-old Tom Masters is rarely short of a word.
The Katoomba boy presents his own weekly two-hour radio show — Silver Circuit Board — on community station Blu FM 89.1, covering all sorts of topics from science and maths to history, with plenty of tunes thrown in for good measure.
While most of us would quiver at the thought of being behind a microphone for so long, Tom said it’s all about being prepared. Incredibly, with 18 months’ experience under his belt at Blu FM, the time allocation now barely seems enough.
“I got used to it and it seems like a very short time now,” said Tom.
On the rare occasion the Wentworth Falls Public School student runs out of things to say, he has learned to lean on every radio presenter’s favourite crutch.
“I do sometimes [run out of things to say] but the thing is I never run out of music,” said Tom, who also packs a joke book to get out of a jam.
Plenty of on-air time is spent reading interesting articles he has found on his favourite topics science and maths and Tom loves to explore the world of inventions.
Having begun his radio career at eight years old, it’s unsurprising Tom already has a few ideas as to what profession he would like to pursue down the track. A job on the airwaves is a possibility but the youngster is wisely keeping his options open.
“I’m thinking about being a physicist or a mathematician or something like that,” said Tom.
Blu FM president Ken Quinnell said Tom had taken to radio like a true natural.
“He does really well and everyone who listens to him comments on it. Tom’s an unusually intelligent kid and very mature for his age,” he said. “Tom is amongst the youngest . . . we’ve had doing a program but he’s particularly good and he does a very entertaining program.”
Silver Circuit Board can be heard every Wednesday from 4-6pm on Blu FM 89.1.
