On air: new radio station is dedicated to local sport

Mike Shean is a local sport fan who also loves radio.

After year of dabbling in both, he has combined them to create Macarthur Sports Radio (MSR) online.

Last year he started live broadcasts of Group Six rugby league matches.

This summer he’s turned to catering to cricket fans by broadcasting matches featuring the local club, Camden Campbelltown Ghosts.

And now he’s expanding even further with plans for live coverage of local AFL club, the Campbelltown Blues, this coming winter.

“As for what I love more, it’s a bit like choosing a favourite child,’’ says Shean.

“I have loved sport and been involved in sport for as long as I can remember, and have loved radio and broadcasting for almost as long.

“Combining the two in Macarthur Sports Radio just means I get paid for covering the sports I would otherwise want to go and watch,’’ he says.

Shean grew up in Campbelltown and went to Kentlyn Public School before attending St Gregorys College.

“I guess my love of radio started somewhere during my schooling years, and by Year 10 I had decided to make a career of radio broadcasting,’’ Shean says.

“I spent my Year 10 work experience at 2GB and 2KY, and this really opened my eyes to the profession, and what was required.’’

Shean’s radio career started on local community radio, 2MCR in January 1993.

By 1999 he was calling local sports such as rugby as well as basketball – West Sydney Razorbacks NBL matches.

“We also called the 1999 Group 6 Rugby League Grand Final,’’ Shean recalls.

In 2002 Shean left the region to study at Charles Sturt University, Bathurst where he continued broadcasting through Radio 2MCE Bathurst, a community station based on campus.

He returned home in 2004 after graduating and went back to radio station 2GB to complete an internship.

“This was an eye-opening experience in more ways than one,’’ Shean says now.

[social_quote duplicate=”no” align=”default”]“I realised how hard and brutal commercial radio was, especially working in the newsroom.’’[/social_quote]

His first commercial job came in November 2004 when Shean was hired as nights announcer at Radio 2DU Dubbo.

Unfortunately this gig only lasted six months and one week before he was made redundant due to networking decisions from the Sydney office.

Shean moved to Armidale, where he spent 18 months at Radio 2AD in what was a productive move in more ways than one.

“My life changed in many ways, as I arrived as a single man, and left with a partner and nine month old baby girl,’’ he says.

Next stop on Shean’s radio career was Bega on the south coast of NSW and four years of working on 2EC.

“I was news editor, sports editor, announcer and many other roles, which often needed to be filled in a small country station,’’ Shean says.

“I also became a father for the second time, when my second daughter arrived during that period.’’

The one thing that never arrived for Mike Shean was the big radio break.

Maybe it was just bad luck that he was never in the right place at the right time, but it certainly wasn’t through lack of trying to get into big time radio broadcasting.

“The chance to call sport commercially never arrived and this is something I’m disappointed about, although I understand the reasons why it didn’t happen,’’ he says now.

“I’d achieved most of my goals in broadcasting, and thoroughly enjoyed working in those country towns,’’ Shean says.

“I have fond memories of all places, and am still friends with people from all three today.’’

He moved away from the microphone for a while and worked with a media company in Sydney until March 2013, when his department was made redundant.

But around that time he had started getting back into community radio with 2MCR and also Radio 2GLF at Liverpool.

Shean called some NSW Cup matches and also spent the 2014/15 A-League season calling the Western Sydney Wanderers matches.

He also began working with Group 6 Rugby League as their media officer in the 2013 season, a role he still holds.

Doing live broadcasts of the Group 6 footy gave Shean the motivation to go a step further by covering the cricket this summer.

The father of two, whose wife is expecting their third child in April, so enjoyed calling the cricket he made a decision to up the ante.

You could say he seized the day and the result is a brand new local radio station, dedicated to sport.

“I’m loving the ability to call cricket, and feel like it’s been a great move,’’ Shean says.

“The Campbelltown Blues are coming on board for 2017, along with the Group 6 season, which will mean sport covered on Saturdays and Sundays throughout winter in Macarthur.

[social_quote duplicate=”no” align=”default”] “Macarthur Sports Radio has already been a hit with locals so now we’re looking for sponsors to support us,’’ he says.[/social_quote]

“Local business people who would like to air their message on radio through local sport can reach me through the website or my Facebook page.

“There are a number of packages available, and we already have interest from several sponsors who were involved in Group 6 in 2016.’’

♦ Listening to Macarthur Sports Radio is easy: just visit the website here and click on the Commentary button on the menu bar.