Breaking into radio, Karen style

Karen Wight is part of the breakfast duo ‘Steve and Karen’ on one of the most listened to radio stations in the North East ‘Galaxy FM’. And it was her work at Utopia that gave her the radio bug.

Karen’s interest in the media world began back in 1995, when she started her degree studying Media and Communications. Like all media degrees at the University they involve aspects ranging from TV to film, journalism to public relations, but the part of the degree that interested Karen most was radio.

“I was supposed to be a station producer on Utopia FM,” says Karen, thinking back to her days as part of the Sunderland University radio team, “but on one shift no newsreaders turned up so it was left to me. I was terrified. My voice was shaking.”

And it was from there that Karen started to work on local stations as part of her work experience. “A journalist at local station Sun FM heard me and offered me some work experience,” she continued.

We were talking about beer trophies (things you have stolen from a pub) and one listener had stolen a fully decorated Christmas tree! It’s such a pleasure to talk to the listeners; you couldn’t really call it work.

Once she finished her degree Karen moved to Leeds for a few years and returned to her native North East in 2000 where she started work for Galaxy FM. Karen started as a newsreader, but she didn’t stay in that role for long.

“It soon became obvious that Steve needed someone to keep him in check in the mornings,” Karen explains, “and that someone was me. We’ve been doing the Breakfast Show together since 2001.”

The show has become a major success for Karen and is the big break in her radio career. This year the show has celebrated its seven-year anniversary.

Being a radio presenter has its good and bad sides. Being part of the breakfast show team means that late nights out on the town are a rare occasion as Karen has to be at work at 4am every morning to start at six. But Karen has had good experiences along the way.

“My job has taken me to some amazing places,” she says, “such as inter-railing around Europe. Attending the New York awards in the big apple was amazing and also presenting the show live from Arizona, where we were giving listeners a chance to win holidays. It was the month after September 11th so America really wanted to give tourism a boost.”

Karen also gets to meet a lot of famous faces along the way, from interviews for her show to schmoosing with celebrities at awards ceremonies. And its not just local celebrities she has met. Although Newcastle legend Sir Bobby Robson is her favourite, she’s also met Destiny’s Child.

Karen has her favorites for many different reasons as she explains: “Jake from the Scissor Sisters was totally wild and stripped down to his underpants in the studio, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost made me cry with laughter and Destiny’s child were very showbiz and glamorous.”

But it’s not all about the celebrities and the lifestyle the job brings, Karen is unlike most people in the North East and is lucky enough to be in a job she loves where she gets to present to the people of the North East where she grew up and wouldn’t change for the world.

The callers are a great feature of the show as presenters are always unaware of what they are going to say. “Speaking to the listeners is one of the best parts. People have brilliant stories and can be really funny.

“One story that sticks in my mind was when we were talking about beer trophies (things you have stolen from a pub) and one listener had stolen a fully decorated Christmas tree! It’s such a pleasure to talk to the listeners; you couldn’t really call it work. It’s by far the best job I’ve had. Bar work, waitressing and a trainee insurance broker. That was the dullest by far, it was soul destroying. One of my better jobs was working at the Sea Life Centre in Tynemouth as a children’s entertainer, apart from having to dress up as Sammy the Seal.”

Karen hopes she would still be at Galaxy presenting the breakfast show with Steve as it has become such a well know and well listened too show around the North East. She said: “I absolutely love it and Steve and I have become the heritage breakfast show in the North East.”