New novel by access radio alum is a riotous love letter to community broadcasting

High Impact Insensitivity, the debut novel by former Free FM Programme Director Jonathan McQuillan, is an unfiltered, fast-paced satire that dives headfirst into the chaotic, colourful world of community access media. Think Irvine Welsh meets Radio New Zealand, with a twist of Waiheke weirdness.

Set in a fictional Community Access Media station on the brink, the book follows disgraced sports host Mark Goodenough, who’s just committed the biggest on-air blunder in New Zealand broadcasting history. Jobless, heartbroken, and stuck couch-surfing with a body-shaming tech nerd, he’s forced to take a last-ditch gig at Waiheke Island Radio, a station teetering between brilliance and collapse.

What follows is a wildly unpredictable ride involving sabotage, hacking, a rogue Christmas parade, and a conspiracy that goes all the way to the Beehive. It’s a madcap, heartfelt tribute to the outsiders, misfits, and rule-breakers that keep Community Access Media alive.

“It was almost entirely based on my time at Free FM,” says McQuillan. “Some of the stories are embellished, but the spirit is real.”

While the book’s cast of larger-than-life characters might feel familiar to anyone who’s worked in the sector, McQuillan insists no one character is based on a single person, except, maybe, Ken Oath and his dog Sheba. “The rest,” he says, “are people-mashups.”

One of his favourite passages? A scene involving a hilariously disastrous audit visit from NZ On Air reps Nazreen Rahman and Lambartus Butler:

“In the five-minute drive up the hill… they’ve already heard sixteen examples of extreme language, one threat of violence, one instance of animal abuse, and someone has just made ableist comments against a blind Scottish pensioner. Now, they’re at the station, which stinks of sh*&, while a stack of racist leaflets is clearly visible on Larry Minto’s desk. Nazreen is ropeable as f*&k. She wants answers.”

It’s outrageous, honest, and deeply relatable for anyone who’s ever hit “on air” without quite knowing what’ll come next.

Grab your copy via highimpactinsensitivity.com

Follow the wild ride: