I'm trying to decide on a major, I want to get into RADIO..?!
Question: Advertising... that kind of thing..It's almost my dream to be a radio DJ... but... I wanna stay in the area (I live in Northeast PA) and I'm afraid to pick a major that is full of chance...I also want a stable job, I don't wanna make millions, but I'd like to be "secure"... Any advice?
How are jobs in radio?
Perks...right?
Chance?
Worth it?
Etc?
Help?
Answers: Advertising... that kind of thing..It's almost my dream to be a radio DJ... but... I wanna stay in the area (I live in Northeast PA) and I'm afraid to pick a major that is full of chance...I also want a stable job, I don't wanna make millions, but I'd like to be "secure"... Any advice?
How are jobs in radio?
Perks...right?
Chance?
Worth it?
Etc?
Help?
Security is about the farthest you're going to get in radio on-air unless you become some superstar shock jock. But it is indeed secure, and I know I love my job!
What you may want to do is start from behind the scenes and find out by observing what you'd really like to do. There are more aspects to radio that you may realize. We have DJ's of course, but we also have copy writers (which is a blast!), filers, program directors, program recorders, production (which is also very fun), voice talent, sales, traffic and billing, payroll, etc.
Sometimes you can get lucky and get on with a radio station that will have someone to train you as a DJ. More often, you'd be required to have some experience. Of course, this depends on the market.
I work for a radio station in a small town and we'll most often train our voice talent and DJ's. It is immensely helpful, however, if you listen to radio shows to get a feel for how the DJ's speak, their tone, their level of excitement, and their patter. You can listen to local shows and also radio shows online to get a feel for different talents.
Something I'd recommend doing is if you have a recording device, use it. Pretend you're in a studio with mics and soundboards around you and a song just got done playing. Announce it. Try working in a fact about either that song or artist that just played, or the one coming up. Keep practicing and listening to yourself, honestly critiquing yourself, and always trying to improve.
Another suggestion I'd offer is when you're behind the mic, be conversational. Not asking questions, of course, unless you have a call-in show, but like you're talking to your best friend, only slightly more over-the-top. It'll sound cheesy to you, but it transmits very well to the listening audience. Too monotoned and flat and you'll be tuned out, and taken off of the air in short order.
What a few of my employees have done is started by coming to the radio station and applying for any job they have, even if it's filing for a couple hours a week to begin, and make conversation to let the higher ups know that this is a field you're excited to be in, even if it's in a "back-of-the-house" context. They'll be alerted to this then and keep you in mind when an opening on air comes along. You may want to ask them after some time doing your job if they need any voice work done. This is your chance to shine and show them you should be more than a filer! It is this slow foot-in-the-door work that has gotten MANY DJ's where they are today.
Perks vary from station to station, but a lot of it includes helping choose the music that goes out over your station and during your shift. That's actually more rewarding than it may sound at first blush. At my station, we have perks like first grabs at prizes that come in from sponsors, which is awesome. We also get free entry into events as media participants. We get invited to functions because we're "known to the community". Our radio station does classified ads and splits the proceeds from classifieds among the full-timers each Christmas. Like I said, they vary, though.
Your chances depend on the market you're looking at. I work in a small market and while we don't have high turn over, not many people apply, so if you do apply, it's pretty much a matter of time before you're hired on for *something*.
Worth it? Heck yeah! Radio is an incredibly fun and exciting field to work in. Things are always changing and the sky's the limit to what you can learn and, if you so choose, where you can go from here!
Best of luck, and I hope you find yourself where you want to be!
Check out mass media courses at the college as anyone doing radio that went to college usually have some kind of communications or media degree