The main reason for the use of freelance and casual staff is cost. You hire in extra staff when you re busy and you don t have to pay them when you re not. This works very well from an accountant s point of view but less so in practice. Freelance staff can t afford to sit at home and wait for the phone to ring. They work for many different companies so are not always going to be available when needed.
Radio stations are nearly always on the lookout for new freelance staff.
BBC local radio stations have their own newsrooms as do some local commercial stations. Local radio newsrooms run on a wing and a prayer at the best of times and they nearly all use a pool of freelance journalists to supplement their small permanent staff. There are two ways to make an approach. Journalists based in the newsroom usually work eight hour shifts and quite often a freelance is needed to cover holidays or sickness. So, firstly you can ask if they have any freelance shifts available.