CityU students act as guest hosts on radio show

Twelve students from City University of Hong Kong (CityU) have been selected as DJ interns at Metro Radio this semester. They are to be guest hosts on the Metro Showbiz channel’s Staircase to Success starting from 14 November. During the programme they will be talking about their dreams and interviewing well-known guests.

The theme of the programme is “the pursuit of Utopia”. The students will be talking about their diverse campus lives and their wishes for society. They will invite well-known guests to share their own experiences in making their dreams come true.

“The University would like to provide an opportunity for the students to explore their interests, character and capabilities,” said Professor Lilian Vrijmoed Kwan Lee-ping, Dean of Student Learning. “Internships at the radio station allow students to learn about the professional media industry’s standards and encourage students to strive for high standards themselves.”

“We hope the students will be able to improve their communication skills, learn how to take criticism and work under pressure after the internship, while establishing a goal to work hard towards,” Professor Vrijmoed added.

Students have demonstrated outstanding analytical thinking and communications skills in written and oral tests before being selected to join the programme. They received training with Metro Radio in September. During the training session, they were introduced to the daily operation of a radio station and the guidelines for serving as a programme host and working in the studio. Several veteran hosts at Metro Radio have shared with the students their own experiences on hosting programmes.

The students selected come from different faculties but share the same interest in broadcast media. They are divided into four groups. Each group has to devise the focus of their programme, target guests to be invited and prepare interview questions etc. The students have not only learnt a lot about broadcast media, but also teamwork.

Chan Hiu-fung, Year Three student from the Department of Biology and Chemistry, Fung Cheung-sing, Year Three student from the Department of Asian and International Studies, and Rita Lai Sin-ting, Year Three student from the Department of English and Communication, have invited Mrs Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, Secretary for Development, to be the guest of their programmes.

The three students are thankful for the opportunity offered and have learnt much more than they had expected. Chan Hiu-fung said even though she was very busy with her studies being a Year Three student, she treasured this opportunity to work together with the other two as a team. They combined their strengths and finished the programme planning and recording in less than two months. This experience reinforced their conviction of the importance of teamwork.

Rita has been planning for a career in the media industry. It has been a great opportunity for her to acquire skills as a programme host and take another step towards realising her dream.

“Talking as a programme host is different from talking to a normal person in front of you,” she said. “We can only make use of our voices to convey all the messages and our feelings because the audience cannot see our faces and gestures”

After the recording, Fung Cheung-sing understood that preparation was the key to success. A programme host must be well-prepared in order to deliver the right material or information during the programme.

“Although we are interns at the studio, everyone at Metro Radio has high expectations of us. Because they believe we could deliver, I think. Many of our skills are enhanced after the internship programme,” he said.

“This programme will act as a platform for the youngsters to express their own opinions, dreams and wishes,” said Ms Bianca Ma, Managing Director of Metro Broadcast Corporation Limited. “The programme supports one of Metro Radio’s missions to promote education.”

Veteran host Ms Perrie Lai Hoi-shan of Metro Radio was impressed with the students’ performances. “Students not only talk about their dreams in the programme, the passion they have demonstrated makes me believe they have the ability to make their dreams come true,” she said.

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For media enquiries, please contact Ms Zoey Tsang (phone: 2788 9411 / 9550 1503) of the Communications Office of the City University of Hong Kong.