2011: High-flying grad

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Tags: journalism and communication, summer-2011

Sarah Greenhalgh, Bachelor of Journalism

Earlier this year when most of Brisbane was either tucked up in bed or just starting their day, Sarah Greenhalgh was flying high above the city to keep commuters informed on the best routes to work.

Ms Greenhalgh spent four months working as the traffic reporter for Channel 9’s Today Show, and has recently secured a job at WIN TV Mackay and Whitsundays.

Her 4am wake-up call as a traffic reporter was tough at times, but Ms Greenhalgh said it was all worth it once she was cruising the skies above Brisbane.

“It was an incredible way to start the day,” she said.

“But it was a job that had its highs and lows. In my first two weeks I had to report on a fatal accident and it was difficult to keep the emotion out of my voice.

“Then there were times when I reported on incidents that were quite funny, like when there was a cow strolling down the East-West Arterial Road the night of the Katy Perry concert – we thought she might have been a big fan who had got a little lost.”

Ms Greenhalgh started work at The Australian Traffic Network at the start of the year while completing the final semester of her degree. In addition to reporting for the Today Show and 97.3FM each morning, she was also the traffic reporter for Nova, 4KQ and Hot 91 on the Sunshine Coast in the afternoons.

The busiest times for a traffic reporter are peak morning and peak afternoon, which meant she drove from her Paddington home to the aerodrome at Redcliffe twice a day.

Never picturing that she would be reporting on traffic from a helicopter, Ms Greenhalgh said not knowing the difference between the Ipswich Motorway and the Pacific Motorway soon changed.

“I have learnt in this industry that you need to take any job that becomes available and just run with it,” she said.

“In journalism, and the media industry as a whole, contacts are crucial. It’s not so much what you know, but certainly a case of who you know.”

Ms Greenhalgh said she had developed a particular interest in television reporting.

“It wasn’t until 2010 that I decided I wanted to do something in television, and when the chance arose to do a 10-day internship with Channel Nine at the Ekka, I jumped at the opportunity and applied,” she said.

By Kathy Grube

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