Yumi Stynes easily boasts one of the most recognisable faces (and voices) in the Australian media landscape. From her early days as a VJ for Channel V to her feminist podcast Ladies, We Need To Talk – there isn’t much Stynes hasn’t given a red hot go.
Ahead of her return to the airwaves for Double J, Stynes sat down with Mediaweek for some quick-fire questions about the past, the present and why she agreed to give up her weekend mornings.
You’re heading back to the live airwaves. Tell us, is it true what they say, is it just like riding a bike?
Yes! I like to say that my job is easy, but not everyone can do it.
You’ve been in this industry for a long time now. How different is the media landscape – particularly for things like radio and podcasting – from when you started?
When Ladies, We Need to Talk first started, there weren’t many podcasts! Now it feels like there are more podcasts than grains of sand!
Meanwhile, Double J feels more like a place where you can find your people and find music that actually matches your vibe. It’s no longer sucking down three Maroon 5 songs in the hope that some anonymous programming bro might play that one song you actually like … like what used to be part of in my previous roles.
The other thing that has really changed recently is that so much audio is filmed now. It used to be that you could do your whole shift in gym sweats or covered in baby vomit and now there’s a certain audience-facing polish that a lot of podcasters bring to their work. (Just being in the Double J building means I have to wear shoes – ha ha ha – but so far we’re not filming.)
Double J announcer Yumi Stynes.
Let’s talk about Ladies, We Need To Talk. What is something you’ve learned about audiences and what they want since starting that?
That shame is one of the biggest controllers of women. And once we stop feeling shame about the little and big things – around our bodies and emotions and relationships, we become harder to control and braver and freer.
Back to Double J – giving up your mornings on weekends is a big deal! What can listeners expect to hear?
Listeners can expect to hear great music! A mixture of old and new and quite a few of my picks – which will be at times shameless!
You can hear Yumi on Double J from 8am on Saturday and Sunday.
Pictured: Yumi Stynes