This has been a fun week to dip my toes into the world of radio.

I came to Bolt FM from the Saskatoon StarPhoenix, where I was a reporter for four years. I worked at a lively community paper in Montague, Prince Edward Island for three years before that.

On my first day at the Bolt the power went out when a power pole in the back alley collapsed. Still, I got a chance to learn from Kevin Kalthoff about how curling ice is made.

I visited St. Mary's Villa on Thursday and learned about a lovely quilt residents and staff made, then scooted to Bruno for the naming of the town's new playground. I also had my thumbnail painted red as a reminder against distracted driving.

Today Sarah Miller gave me a crash course in shepherding upcoming ads so they play on air when they're supposed to. It's one example of how my job here is a bit different than what I'm used to. A whiteboard in Sarah's office has a list of daily tasks - have shows been voice tracked? have ads been checked? have you done show prep for tomorrow? I now know what these words mean, mostly.

Speaking of which, this afternoon I need to start planning my first show, slated for next Wednesday evening. Sarah handed me a sheet mapping out four to five breaks each hour of around 30 seconds each where I'll have to talk about ... something.

It's intimidating, but Sarah says not to think of it as 24 discrete items - I can find a few different ways to make small talk about the same thing, such as contests we're running. I wonder if she'll let me spend the whole time just talking about the new season of Riverdale. (Never, ever change, Cheryl Blossom.)

In the meantime, feel free to send your story tips my way, at jcharlton@goldenwestradio.com.