I Would Love To Be A Radio Host. I Have Tried And Tried And No Luck . Any Advice!
Question: JeepDiva gives a good answer.
I have to ask just what it is you've tried and tried and tried?
Most of us who made it on the air at an actual commercial radio station were drawn to it from the time we were little kids. We'd play with pretend microphones and "talk up" records, do play-by-play or read news stories for practice. Below is a short essay I've written on the subject and used here before (fair warning to those who've seen it before):
How to get into the biz (from a US perspective).
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
Other sites:
http://www.radioandrecords.com/rrwebsite...
www.rbr.com
a guy named duh
Answers: JeepDiva gives a good answer.
I have to ask just what it is you've tried and tried and tried?
Most of us who made it on the air at an actual commercial radio station were drawn to it from the time we were little kids. We'd play with pretend microphones and "talk up" records, do play-by-play or read news stories for practice. Below is a short essay I've written on the subject and used here before (fair warning to those who've seen it before):
How to get into the biz (from a US perspective).
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
Other sites:
http://www.radioandrecords.com/rrwebsite...
www.rbr.com
a guy named duh
Due to things like corporate consolidation, cutbacks, layoffs, and satellite programming to stations nationwide, getting a first break is more difficult than ever. However, there are good alternatives.
Depending where you are in the country, check area colleges, and see if they have a campus station that actually lets students have at it on the air. Many, if not most college radio outlets now have professional staff working at them, but there are still places that give students their first air experience. Example:
In San Diego, students cannot work the stations located at San Diego State or City College, but they can work at nearby Grossmont College and at Mira Costa College in Oceanside. In the case of Mira Costa, the school actually owns an old AM station with a weak signal, and it's entirely student-run.
Many schools, while they don't have actual broadcast outlets, do have Internet webcasts. Perhaps that's where the future of radio (Outside of satellite radio) lies. I know of several colleges in Southern California that do this and are mostly student-run.
Finally, there is the Internet itself. Start your own webcast. Prices vary depending how much broadband you lease, but my friendly advice is to go with an outfit like Live365, which will do all the worrying about technical stuff for you, and you can pay as little as roughly $20 a month, without having to buy expensive radio equipment.
Hope I didn't run on too long, and that it helps. Good Luck. When you get something going, I hope to be able to hear it.
Get your foot in the door at a radio station. If you're willing to work nights or weekends running a board, you'll gain some radio experience. Look at a small town radio station first--not the big markets. Are you in college? Try being an intern at a radio station.
don't worrry man........................................
every dog has a day
just try...go on