Hannah's Time at Country 104

Article written by Hannah Wurz.

For the past five months, every Friday I come to work at West Central Online.

Career Work Exploration 30 is a class that you can take in high school to explore possible career interests and learn new skills. The only requirement for the course is that you must complete 80 hours in the workplace that you choose. I decided to come to West Central Online and Country 104 because I am passionate about music and I love talking with and communicating with people.

Broadcasting and journalism were never careers that I have considered in the past. Writing has always been a hobby of mine but until working at West Central Online, it never seemed like a possibility for me. My coworkers and the entire west-central community have been so kind and supportive during my time here.

Usually my day starts with planning out the morning show with Nick. The radio aspect of the job was very scary at first. I started off by recording weather to get used to the equipment and being in the studio. Once I got more comfortable with that, I started to join Nick every Friday morning from 9:30 to noon. My first few breaks weren't the best, but once I learned that it is all about having fun and being yourself I got better at it.

After finishing the morning show, I interview somebody or write an article or a blog post for West Central Online. For my first interview, I wanted to talk with somebody that I already knew to ease into it. One of my best friends brothers, Jacob Ambros, had recently started playing for the Hilltops. We discussed how playing with the Kerrobert Rebels prepared him for the CJFL.

The next articles that I wrote were events that were happening in Luseland and you can find links to those down below.

One of my favorite articles that I wrote was Luseland’s Own Adrian Halter Wins Film Award. Adrian Halter used to live in Luseland and I know his parents so the article felt very personal to me. He won the Best of Saskatchewan award at the Yorkton Film Festival. After the interview, Adrian and I talked about how broadcasting and filmmaking are similar careers. He encouraged me to keep pursuing this career if I had an interest in it. My most recent story is Rosetown Community Rallying To Help Family Dealing With Rare Condition. Interviewing Michelle about Scarlett was a very heartwarming moment. Watching the community come together to support an amazing cause was a touching experience.

I also had the chance to write up a couple weather reports where I interviewed meteorologist Terri Lang. Although it wasn't the most exciting part of the job, it gave me insight as to what a career in journalism is like.

Overall, I have loved working here at West Central Online and Country 104. The experience and connections that I have made are very meaningful to me. After all 80 hours, I know that this job would be for me.