Meet new HIT FM hosts Beth and Nik ......................................
Nik and Beth are radio announcers that are thrilled to call Toowoomba their home and are ready to share their lives, struggles and stories with Toowoomba’s locals through the radio.
You have probably heard their voices, but you might not know their faces; the team that hit the airwaves at 6.00am each and every weekday on 100.7FM. Yes, we are talking about Nikolas (Nik) Stuart and Bethany (Beth) Larson, the duo that took over Toowoomba’s breakfast radio on Hit South Queensland after Toowoomba’s legendary Hamish Carter’s incredible 20-year stint at the station.
Nik and Beth have worked incredibly hard to make it to where they are today and couldn’t be more excited that their dream careers are taking shape in our Toowoomba.
They are Queenslanders at heart, but their industry has moved them around the country as the voice of many locations.
Originally from
Brisbane, Nik started out producing shows for Triple M and B105, before wanting to talk more on the radio. He then moved to
Townsville to host a rugby league show.
“I was able to do a breakfast show for Bundaberg from Townsville while they were building the studios, and then eventually moved down to live in Bundaberg for Triple M Breakfast,” he says.
It was during this time Nik got the call about a vacancy in Toowoomba for breakfast presenter on HIT FM South Queensland.
“Coming from a smaller town like Bundaberg, it has been weird for me to move to a city where people are so engaged in radio,” Nik says.
“People do genuinely care about it and that’s a responsibility we are ready to take on.”
Beth has had her fair share of travels too but now she is exactly where she wants to be.
Beth started out in community radio on the Gold Coast, her hometown, before snagging her first full time job doing breakfast radio at 19 in South Australia.
After two years she moved on to Townsville to do a weekday music show before heading back south to Canberra where she transitioned herself back to breakfast radio on weekdays and weekends.
“They told me there was an opportunity here in Toowoomba,
“They are a perfect fit for Breakfast radio in Toowoomba, I listen every morning on my way to work and love the vibe of the show.” HAMISH CARTER
and I chased it down, and I chased it down hard,” Beth says.
Now 26-year-old, Beth was excited to return to
Toowoomba, with a plethora of fond memories of the town.
“As a little girl growing up in south-east Queensland, some of my favourite memories are from holidays in Toowoomba.
“There’s a spiritual connection for me,” Beth says, knowing it would feel right as soon as she arrived in
Toowoomba.
Beth snagged herself the dream job late last year, and it didn’t take long before they partnered her up with Nik.
“I demoed with a few people, and with Nik it was the most natural; it felt like we’ve known each other forever,” Beth says about first working with Nik.
It might sound glamorous to be a radio host going live to air each morning, but the job takes a lot of dedication and some serious time management skills.
Beth normally wakes up at 3:25, while Nik sneaks in a few extra minutes and stirs at 3:30, ready to be in the office for a 4am start.
“Some days I’m really excited to be on air, and I’ll be waiting and thinking ‘is it time to get up yet?’” Beth says.
“But other days it can be really hard, and you have to be able to hide it.”
“If you are tired all the time, you can get emotional and feel like you’re going to cry over the smallest thing,” she says.
In an industry where you need to be the vibrant sound that sings through the radio waking up the 4350 and surrounds it can be tough when emotional burden piles on.
“You do have to mentally prepare yourself,” Nik says as he told Style Magazine about a rough week the pair had after interviewing subject matter that covered suicide and depression.
“You’re constantly all over the place, but that’s something we want our show to be – it’s a show that can tackle big issues, and also have a laugh.
“We don’t want to shy away from anything,” he says.
Nik and Beth went to air for the first time in Toowoomba in late March,
“It feels like a city, but it’s got more of an authentic country feel compared to somewhere like the Gold Coast and Brisbane,” Beth says.
“It’s got more heart,” Nik continues.
“Coming from Bundy, my fiance Jazz and I are honestly really stoked to come here and have a huge range of cafes to be able to go to.
“It’s this big melting pot of country and city, and it’s a really great mix of both,” he says.
With 20 years combined industry experience, Nik and Beth understand audiences want to hear a familiar voice every day and they both agree it is an honour to follow in the footsteps of the much-loved Hamish Carter.
“I think Nik and Beth probably had the hardest start to a new radio job ever with the COVID restrictions not giving them a chance to get out and see all the wonderful places that they broadcast to,” Hamish Carter tells Style Magazine.
“Now that things are starting to ease it’s only a matter of time before you’ll run into them at Grand Central, the PCYC markets or maybe even Fitzy’s.
“I think they are a perfect fit for Breakfast radio in Toowoomba, I listen every morning on my way to work and love the vibe of the show, I can’t count how many times I’ve been listening and said to myself ‘I wish I had thought of that’,” he said, confirming that they have his blessing.