Born and raised on the glittering shores of our beloved city, Bronte Langbroek’s journey has come full circle as she now co-hosts the lively 90.9 Sea FM breakfast show, Bronte & Lakey for Breakfast. With her infectious energy and unwavering passion for her hometown, Bronte spills the beans on her love affair with the Gold Coast, her career highlights, and what makes mornings with Bronte & Lakey an absolute blast.

How long have you been a Gold Coast local?
I am a born and bred Gold Coaster – this is my hometown. I was born at the former Allamanda Hospital in Southport and spent the first 18 years of my life here, going to primary school at St Vincent’s in Clear Island Waters and high school at Somerset College in Mudgeeraba. I returned after university in 2017 and now again to be part of the 90.9 Sea FM breakfast show, Bronte & Lakey for Breakfast!

What do you love the most about the Gold Coast?
I love the familiarity of the coast, while also enjoying the fantastic progress it has made to make it an entertainment and holiday destination. There are the establishments I know and love that my family has visited for years, but also so many new and exciting businesses opening each week to experience and enjoy.

Tell us a little bit about yourself.
Surprisingly, I am naturally quite introverted and a homebody, saving a lot of my energy and outgoingness for work. I try to stay up to date with the latest news, celebrity stories and TikTok trends (which I tell myself is for work). I enjoy walking, working out and reformer pilates, plus I’ve taken up running for the first time this year and i’m loving it. I’m extremely competitive and driven, which bleeds between both my professional and personal life… I’m terrible to play a board game with!

What’s your proudest career moment?
Definitely taking the post of 90.9 Sea FM’s Breakfast radio show. This is the biggest full circle moment of my life; being the radio station I grew up listening to, worked for previously and always dreamed of being part of. It is a huge honour that I take very seriously and one that has left me filled with endless gratitude that I have been trusted to help wake up the people of my hometown which I love so much.

What’s the best thing about working on the radio?
The comradery! I love sharing stories about my life and then having people relate to it. It’s such a personal media; we are 100% authentically ourselves, which at times can be intimidating when you’re sharing personal thoughts, feelings and experiences. But when we give people the platform to relate to their own stories and they DO, there is no better feeling.

What can listeners expect from Bronte & Lakey for Breakfast?
From the moment we found out we were teamed up for 2024, Lakey and I agreed that we wanted to lead each show with the F word… FUN, and we have stuck to that. Whether it’s making fun of each other, having fun at the expense of ourselves, or bringing a fun story, trend or game to the show, we want people to start their day smiling. With so many other platforms filled with negativity and bad news, we want our show to be an escape for listeners – laugh with us or at us, as long as you’re having fun that’s all that matters.

What are your Gold Coast favourites?
Favourite café: Two Birds One Stone café at Q Super Centre, Mermaid Waters
Favourite restaurant: Georges at Sorrento
Favourite bar: Edgewater at Isle of Capri
Favourite beach: Kingscliff

How do you choose to spend your days off?
Before I met my partner Dylan, the energizer bunny, my days off were much lazier. I’ve had to convince him to embrace ‘no alarm days’ on weekends so I can catch up on sleep after five days of 4am starts! So, I start by enjoying a sleep in followed by either a workout or a leisurely walk. Breakfast is my favourite meal to enjoy out so we often café crawl and drink copious amounts of coffee. I love online shopping and watching trashy reality television while vegging out at home. Then a perfect Saturday night would include early drinks and dinner with friends or maybe going to watch some live sport but still be home by 10pm because of my weak body clock!

If you see us LOLLing in our cars on the way to work in the morning, we’re undoubtedly listening to Ali Plath on Triple M. As a Gold Coast breakfast radio announcer alongside Spida and Flan, Ali brings heart, humour and genuine connection to the airwaves. The team recently won BEST ON AIR TEAM (PROVINCIAL) at the ACRAs, a testament to their chemistry and Ali’s passion for live radio. For Ali, the thrill of unpredictable, live moments keeps her hooked, along with the joy of connecting with listeners and sharing real, heartfelt stories.

Ali’s journey is rich and varied—from a tomboyish Mormon upbringing to a 30-year touch-footy legacy with the Tigers. We sat down with Ali to chat about her love for early mornings and the Gold Coast community.

How long have you been a Gold Coast local?
I have lived here full time on the coast for three years now, but have a lonnng association with the Gold Coast, particularly with sport. I started playing touch footy at Owen Park in Southport over 30 years ago for the mighty Tigers Touch club and have many wonderful memories and friendships from those years. My son moved to the GC and we’ve all now seen the (sun)light!

What do you love the most about the Gold Coast?
I feel more at peace and settled than I have in years. My four kids (31, 30, 18, 17) all live here, my friends old school and new, my JOB, HOTA markets with the fam on a Sunday, being spoilt for entertainment, AMAZING restaurants & cafes, the beach/mountains/lemon butter cake from Tarte…..how long can this answer be?! The GC has a super strong sense of community which, in my opinion, many who don’t live here are unaware of. People wrongly presume the Gold Coast is all tourism and ever transient, but I’ve learned and love that the history is rich and the sense of genuine community is very strong.

Tell us a little bit about yourself.
I grew up with three brothers who kept me….well, on the run and constantly looking over my shoulder for something or someone to come flying at me! I was a bit of a tomboy, which is no doubt why Mum put me into ballet, tap and jazz for 8 years. Sport then took over and there was no turning back. Touch footy was my passion for the next 30+ years (Ali represented Australia for many years). I also grew up a strict Mormon until I got kicked out at the age of 19 which people usually find quite amusing.

What does a typical working day look like for you in breakfast radio?
Alarm at 3.30am, I get up, look in the mirror and think, “do better”. Most of the time I’ve been on this show, I’ve had to be in at work by 4.30am, however, I begged for an extra 15 mins grace so as I’m not late EVERY day. Mics are on from 5-9 and I love every second of it. After the show we’ll do some planning for the next day and then mostly wander around the office preventing other colleagues from doing their work. Oh, and at least once a day I still catch myself looking at Spida and thinking, “he is sooo tall!”

What’s the best thing about working on the radio?
The thrill of live radio is hard to explain, and I will never grow tired of it. Every moment can go in a direction you weren’t expecting, it gets the heart pumping. I absolutely LOVE connecting with our listeners and sharing in their funny stories, heartfelt moments and being that listening ear that we all need from time to time. I spend more time with my cohosts and producer often than my own family and fortunately I love and value them all so much. We make each other cry with laughter, sometimes cry with emotion, annoy each other no question…. we are family.

What’s your proudest career moment?
I honestly believe it’s when I was given my first brekkie radio job at MMM Hobart. It took a lot of time, dedication, sacrifice and to be honest, a lot of pants crapping moments to get to finally landing that role. I had a lot of fear, trepidation and a healthy dose of imposter syndrome while I was learning the ropes at various commercial radio stations, but I had belief in myself and encouragement from others that kept me going. It was a real moment of absolute joy and relief to get that job after working towards it for years.

What are your Gold Coast favourites?
Cafe: Le Café Gourmand, Madison’s, Greendays
Bar: Brooklyn Wine & Tapas, Miss Moneypenny’s for a bottomless brunch
Restaurant: Too hard! Mozza Mozza, Anekawa, Eddy & Wolff, The Glenelg Public House and Sandy’s Bar & Grill at Pac Pines do an amazing Barramundi dish!
Beach: Oooh, another tough one as so many to choose from! Back in the day, Greenmount for holidays, but more recently I’ve spent the most beach time at Talle Creek with my eldest daughter Jess and the grandbabies.

How do you choose to spend your weekends?
Racing around like a blue arsed fly! These last three years on the show have been some of the busiest in my entire life. I’m hoping my friend’s will forgive me for being the worst ever at keeping in touch and catching up. I’m sure it will get easier when the last of my kids gets their license! (tell me it gets easier. Please.)

She is a force to be reckoned with and she is the female voice behind Gold Coast’s number one radio Breakfast Show on 1029 Hot Tomato. Add to that, she is the newly appointed ‘Tanya’ in the upcoming Gold Coast production of MAMMA MIA! The Musical (produced by GC Local Matt Ward). Emily Jade O’Keeffe is a woman of many talents, so it was only fitting that we interviewed the Gold Coast sweetheart ahead of her taking to The Star Gold Coast’s stage from Saturday 19th June this year. We chat about her career, her loves of the Gold Coast and what it will be like preparing for her new role!

How long have you been a Gold Coast local?
I’ve lived here on and off for 18 years now, the last stint has been for the last 9 years.

Tell us a bit about your career to date.
I’ve been working in the media for the last 25 years. I started in Tasmania in radio and moved all around the country for work; from Tassie to Townsville and everywhere in between. My highlights have been launching 1029 Hot Tomato and having a number one Breakfast Show – Galey, Emily Jade and Christo – here for 7 years now. I also launched Nova in Brisbane and was No 1 for 4 years there. Earlier on, I was working on Mornings with Kerri-Anne and with Channel 9 for 5 years. I also wrote during that time for the Courier Mail for a number of years both in print and being one of their first bloggers (when blogging became a big thing) as ‘Emily Everywhere’ which became their most-read blog.

What career achievement are you most proud of?
I don’t have one I’m most proud of, I’ve been happy with every stage and what they all led to each time. My career has kept me busy and happy and fulfilled at every step. I feel really blessed to have been able to evolve and change and grab each opportunity as it came.

Growing up you performed in a variety of musicals and have been described as a self-confessed ‘drama nerd’, what initially drew you to the stage?
Both my grandfathers were performers. My grandad on my mum’s side was very musical and in bands and my grandad on my dad’s side was an amateur actor. That trickled down to both my Dad and Mum. I watched Dad act in local theatre and Mum play piano daily, so I was always around music and drama and I guess it was both nature and nurture in my family. I then continued the tradition but monetised it in the end by making it my full-time career.

What are you looking forward to most about your upcoming role as ‘Tanya’ in the Gold Coast production of MAMMA MIA! The Musical?
It’s come at a time where I needed some healing and fun after a marriage breakdown and as I get used to a new normal and new family dynamic, I really was searching for some light at the end of the tunnel. This gives me a chance to laugh and have fun with new amazing people and do what I love best, which is perform and make people smile.

What is your all-time favourite ABBA song and why?
That’s like asking who is your favourite child – I can’t answer that one. I love them all! ABBA Gold was the first CD I ever got. I got it for Christmas and if CDs could wear out, that one nearly did.

How much preparation goes into playing your part as ‘Tanya’?
I think Tanya is a lot like me, so some parts will come naturally, she’s cheeky, fun but loving and a fierce friend and that’s me. I just need to nail the dance moves and singing, rehearsals start soon so I’ll let you know.

What are your Gold Coast favourites…
Café: Double Barrel Benowa
Coffee spot: Randy Warhol Southport
Restaurant: Kiyomi at The Star
Bar or pub for a drink: Nineteen at The Star

How do you choose to spend your weekends?
I just love keeping it low key with lots of family time with the kids, parents and friends of my kids which involve good cheese and wine in friends backyards or my backyard while the kids play in the pool or run around having adventures, while we chill and chat.

Mamma Mia! The Musical opens on Saturday 19th June 2021 at The Star Gold Coast, grab your tickets here.