Ever since anyone can remember, young Radio talent has gotten their start at a regional station. Mostly they come from a capital city market having completed one of the major broadcasting courses that only a million+ metropolis could offer. With boundless ambition, most see their time in the bush as an apprenticeship with the aim of using stations in increasingly bigger markets as mere stepping stones on a career path leading to a gig in a metro, or at least a major provincial station. Yet, despite this established Darwinian ritual that resembles salmon instinctively returning to spawning grounds, Super Network owner, Bill Caralis, is not happy. Having lost five rookie journalists to cap city news rooms over the past three months, is he not entitled to be somewhat miffed, if not downright grumpy?

“What is wrong with these big so called wealthy networks, can’t they get off their backside and train some people or do they expect me to look after the development of Australian talent on my own?”, Mr Caralis told radioinfo last week.

Has he got a point? Is there a way to counter the gravitational pull of more fame and more money in the bright lights of the big city?

What were your first three stations and where did you end up and why?