How Do I get a job at an AM radio station.?!
Question: I am in High School, and I would like to work at a radio station, even for free as an intern, because of my love of music. How do I get to this point? Basicly, i could do anything from choosing music to filing records, but how do convince them I am mature enough and experienced to do so?
Answers: I am in High School, and I would like to work at a radio station, even for free as an intern, because of my love of music. How do I get to this point? Basicly, i could do anything from choosing music to filing records, but how do convince them I am mature enough and experienced to do so?
Pretty much forget radio stations that are in medium and large markets. as most of them are being cleared to the bone, even though they may hire you to do some late evening board work at minimum wage.
No one really "chooses" the music anymore as it's all done by computer and what to play is decided ahead of time by a music director or program director and the info on what to play is loaded to a computer.. the computer selects now..meaning no cds to file or choose or anything. Those days ended for the Djs in the 1980s and early 1990s and even pulling the cds have gone by 2000 or so
Pretty much it's limited to being a board operator. In other words the person who switches between program and commercials and adjusts mic levels and such if a computer isn't doing the adjusting already.
There are some stations still using cds, but they are very few and far between.. and to convince them to let you decide on what to play would have to be stations such as high school and college level radio stations only as commercial outfits, unless it's for the love of radio (and those are extremely rare) is usually closely fine tuned outfit.
apply at the radio station that you'd like to work in.
If you are an intern and free who would turn you down? Call your local radio station and start learning about radio. Good Luck
Well, if you are trying to get into the music part of it, i'd shoot for FM stations first.
Some ofthe major companies require you to know be in college going for a related degree and make you earn a credit for your internship, while others will sign you on as free labor in exchange cor CDs and tickets.
Landing an internship isnt the hard part, getting hired from there is. Basically once you get your foot in the door bust a55 and learn as much as you can about everything as quickly as you can. Then start at the bottom and work up.
On a side note, if your passion is music working in radio will piss you off daily as you dont pick what you play and most of it is crap and all about the commercials, not the songs.
See if there is a public radio station (NPR) in your area. They will usually take volunteers, then you usually have to stay around until they let you on-air.
I've run this answer before, but it could be time to run it again:
OK, here's my brief version on how to get in radio-in the US. Take it from one who started this way. If you want to try radio as a possible career choice, It's easy, really easier than most think. Go to all the local radio stations and tell them you're willing to do anything for little or no money (at first). Including interning (though those are usually for current college students in a broadcasting major). In a big city, that's going to be more difficult than a smaller town, but not impossible.
Maybe they need a Gofer, or a production or promotion assistant. In the old days you used to be able to 'hang out" at a station. That's still a possibility (usually at night) in a small town, but in a bigger city, it's hard because the stations are in office buildings. Anyway, so maybe you get a Gofer or promotion assistant job. Or maybe you're just the kid who hangs out and will go get burgers. Then as people leave for bigger better gigs, you move up. Radio's a very fluid business. People move a lot. Because the only way to really get promoted is to go to a bigger market.
Give it a try. You've got nothing to lose. Study all the stations where you live. Visit some of the websites I'll put below. Go around to all the stations (obviously start with the ones where you like the music - but don't leave out religious stations, foreign language stations etc. anything to get experience and something legit on your resume). Because you've studied the station and listened to their format, you'll impress them with your knowledge; go to the remote broadcasts and get to know the promotion people - the ones hanging banners, in the tent and handing out bumper stickers.
Sooner or later someone will leave and you can say, "Hey, I can do that, I want his job now that he's leaving." It's important you have a driver’s license & clean record, 'cause you'll be driving the station van. Go 4 it!
Also, many colleges and some high schools (especially magnet schools) have radio courses of study and there are private vocational schools like Columbia School of Broadcasting. Emerson College in Boston is the premiere Media College in the US.
If you are interested in a career in radio, check out this great scholarship program from the John Bayliss Broadcast Foundation. It could mean $5,000 towards your tuition!
www.baylissfoundation.org
Maybe you can turn another skill, with accounting, traffic, or engineering into an off-air career. Sales, though not as popular with young people, is a great way to get into radio even if you don't have a great voice. You'll also make more money and work steadier hours - but it's not as glamorous. Radio stations also need salespeople, acountants and business managers
Free Radio Newsletters:
www.AllAboutCountry.com
www.AllAccess.com
www.insideradio.com
www.radio-info.com
if your looking to just work at a station your best off just getting a job with either the promotions dept. as a streat teamer or get a job in sales those are usualy the two easyest jobs to get into that require little to no special skills or tallents. the other rout would be to go to a college with a communicaions program work at the local radio campus station get some experience and im sure the school would be able to help set you up with a internship