AdNews brings the stories of those working from home (WFH) in the advertising and media industry during the coronavirus crisis.
Lauren Saylor is a producer at smoothfm 91.5’s More Music Breakfast Show with Mike Perso & Jennifer Hansen.
How are you dealing with the silence?
I am lucky that half of my day is still spent in the smoothfm studios, broadcasting the More Music Breakfast Show weekdays with Mike Perso and Jennifer Hansen… so, half of my day is filled with the excitement of live radio!
It’s a challenge to be a producer from home, as some technology that is essential to my role is challenging to access remotely, and the urgency of breaking content is harder to convey on video versus real life. After the More Music Breakfast Show finishes each day, I’m back home to WFH. So, while that’s quite solus, home is always filled with music by streaming the radio via my Amazon Echo Plus, listening to vinyl, podcasts or streaming.
What’s the upside?
I’m loving the adoption of technology! At smoothfm and Nova, we use Microsoft Teams for internal meetings and video. I was within the initial testing team three years ago, looking at its uses and potential for our offices, and then helped roll this out within smoothfm’s programming department. I’m so happy that a piece of tech like this is being utilised, and making ‘the new normal’ easier to navigate. Not only can we connect with colleagues interstate, but also down the road – because everyone is WFH!
The downside?
Having direct fridge access for 12 hours of the day (joking, but serious) - one day the #CoronaCalories are going to catch up with me.
How are you using the commuting time saved?
My home to the smoothfm studios in Richmond usually takes 15 minutes at 4:30am, and now, with less users on the road it’s only 10 minutes! Same for the way home. With those 15 minutes, I’ve started diving deeper into my vinyl collection, and redesigning my ‘record room’ at home.
I am looking forward to being back in the office because …
…HUMANS! Within radio and the media industry in general, we thrive off human interaction and relationships. I really do miss the random fun that you’d accidentally have throughout the day with people IRL. I am lucky to be working with the smaller smoothfm on-air team (within the studios) daily, so I do get some past normality and routine within my day. I know that for most, this isn’t the case, which is why it’s a pleasure to help make amazing radio that’s going to bring that past normality, familiarity and consistency into our listeners day too.
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