Good Stations for Apprenticeships?

[JLA11]

Hey Everyone,

I am currently living in Rhode Island where I just finished my freshman year at Rhode Island College in Providence, RI. My family and I will be moving to CA within the month and I was wondering if anyone was familar with the stations arond the area and if anyone knew which stations provide a good number of apprenticeships. Anyways, any information would be greatly appreciated! Take care ya'll and have a good one!


- Jordan

http://www.myspace.com/jlolareau

 

[leonardo10]

Are you seeking an "on-air" job or behind the scenes? If you are moving to CA and are seeking an on-air type of position, I suggest you start in smaller outlying areas of CA. Like Barstow type cities or probably smaller. I believe you will gain most of your exerience at that level. You may not get a shot if you start out interning in the big market like LA although there have been a few "miracle" stories where someone comes in as an intern, gets a weekend overnight slot, then makes it big but those are far and few between. And since you are still in college and if you want to stay local, you should get a gig with one of the many college radio stations. That experience will be very helpful as well towards your goal. I have not heard of any "apprenticeships" for radio unless you ment internships. In LA that could mean anything from making calls to listeners for music surveys to helping promotions with events or even helping a jock during their show. What part of CA are you moving to? I think a key for you is to get your foot in the door and you just have to work it. Let them know you are there. Get to know the P.D. or station manager. But as far as gaining experience for on-air work, do the college thing or go to a small station. And beyond that, can anyone out there suggest a broadcasting school for him or do those not really work?

 

[JLA11]

Thank you very much for your suggestions. I'll definately take them into consideration. My ultimate goal is to wind up on air. I was looking into The Academy of Radio Broadcasting and this program called the "National Broadcasters Training Network" which provides apprenticeships. I think I'd rather have an apprenticeship other than an internship becuause I have nother touched a piece of radio equipment and it would be good to learn that first. I'm moving to the Agoura Hills area, so its pretty close to LA and other big or small radio markets depending on what I want to do and where I can attempt to break in.

Anyways, thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to provide me with your suggestions.

- Jordan

 

[Big E]

Stay the hell away from (ARB)Academy of Radio Broadcasting!!! If you want, give me the 4 Grand and I'll teach you more in two weeks than they can...I'm speaking from experience. They also told me that I would have to go outside of LA to get started in radio. I'll tell you the fastest way to get your foot inside a station. Go to a junior college and take some courses that require you to get an internship specifically for radio. If your coming to LA, I suggest LA Valley Community College, they have classes for those interested in radio. Most stations in LA will not give you an internship unless you are in school and getting credit for it. ARB is accredited, but is not recognized as a real school in the eyes of a radio station. When I was there and tried getting an internship, i was turned down way too many times to count. I finally went to a JC and signed up for one class, and that got me into a station. You'll basically be a gopher, but you'll get to see how radio works. If your lucky, they'll move you around different departments, and not just on the street team. Hope this info helps.

 

[zumahans]

The for-profit radio colleges are uniformly the same.

Go to a public - emphasis on public - college with an FCC-licensed radio station that allows students on the air.

Most colleges in LA that have radio stations do not let students near the equipment. Cal State Long Beach, Santa Monica College, Pasadena City College and Cal State Northridge all have radio stations that are aimed at the public at large. Students are not allowed anywhere near the signal (with the exception of CSU Northridge, where the excellent journalism department sends out students with mics.).

Two schools that I can think of have old fashioned student radio stations, where kids get to play: UC Santa Barbara and Loyola Marymount. But neither school has a "radio" major, both are very expensive and KCSB and KXLU are more clubs than broadcast training grounds.

Broadcast majors at USC are not allowed anywhere near KUSC.

KCLU in Thousand Oaks has interns, Cal Lutheran University.

You want to intern in broadcasting? First off, an internship has to be for real college credit - and that does not include private vocational schools under most circumstances. Federal labor laws are very strict, big broadcast companies do not risk the danger of fines and hassles. Interns must be getting real college credit from bona fide educational institutions to comply with federal wage and hour laws, and the minimum wage law.

On the other hand, almost every cluster of corporate radio hires college kids for promotions. Lots of ads in craigslist .

Beware of the private schools. Be very careful.

 

[leonardo10]

Those are great points! I went to Long Beach State and the closest I got to being on air was to edit and cart AP sound bytes for the news department and during pledge drives they put us on for like 5 seconds but that was as close as you got to being on air. Another suggested college is Fullerton College's KBPK-FM in the OC. They are a true hands on teaching program and they will provide you with the skills you need to land an "entry level job" in radio. This is a station where you will be on air live. So even after training, keep in mind you may still have to get a first job way outside the LA market in a very small town with super low pay. But if you stay with it, it may pay off in the end and you can make big money too. But most of us are in radio for the love of radio and not for the $$$ right?

 

[davideduardo]

Hey Everyone,

I am currently living in Rhode Island where I just finished my freshman year at Rhode Island College in Providence, RI. My family and I will be moving to CA within the month and I was wondering if anyone was familar with the stations arond the area and if anyone knew which stations provide a good number of apprenticeships. Anyways, any information would be greatly appreciated! Take care ya'll and have a good one!

Very few commercial stations can offer apprenticship programs in CA. CA labor law requires total payment for time worked, so an apprentice is just an employee. In additon, an apprenticeship program must be part of a formal educational program and apply for credit (such as at a college) towards a degree.


I do not know of any apprenticeship programs myself, but there may be some larger clusters that do something in conjunction with a local university. You woul have to contact them one by one. And be in a university and receive credit, to comply with CA law.

The advice gien by Zumahans is very accurate, and he has identified your best choices and options. I might add that working in promotions is often the back door to the staiton, too. Recently, a promotion supervisor who had started as a prom tech, was promoted to Assistant PD of the recuerdo network, out 13-station LA origination for the southwest. So there is a real opportunity to learn, work with the PDs, talent, sales and management in promotions. It is also tough work, with odd hours.

 

[zumahans]

Those are great points! I went to Long Beach State and the closest I got to being on air was to edit and cart AP sound bytes for the news department and during pledge drives they put us on for like 5 seconds but that was as close as you got to being on air. Another suggested college is Fullerton College's KBPK-FM in the OC. They are a true hands on teaching program and they will provide you with the skills you need to land an "entry level job" in radio. This is a station where you will be on air live. So even after training, keep in mind you may still have to get a first job way outside the LA market in a very small town with super low pay. But if you stay with it, it may pay off in the end and you can make big money too. But most of us are in radio for the love of radio and not for the $$$ right?

hadn't thought about KBPK. I hear students a lot on KSBR, the Rancho Santriago college station, which has the worst non-Jesus freak public radio format I have ever, ever heard.

 

[SuperRadioFan]

Hans - KSBR is 88.5 FM Saddleback College in Mission Viejo. Smooth-type jazz most of the time, though they of course vary at nights and weekends. Not as lame as 94.7 KTWV and Lil' Don Burns

 

[davideduardo]

Hey Everyone,

I am currently living in Rhode Island where I just finished my freshman year at Rhode Island College in Providence, RI. My family and I will be moving to CA within the month and I was wondering if anyone was familar with the stations arond the area and if anyone knew which stations provide a good number of apprenticeships. Anyways, any information would be greatly appreciated! Take care ya'll and have a good one!

Very few commercial stations can offer apprenticship programs in CA. CA labor law requires total payment for time worked, so an apprentice is just an employee. In additon, an apprenticeship program must be part of a formal educational program and apply for credit (such as at a college) towards a degree.


I do not know of any apprenticeship programs myself, but there may be some larger clusters that do something in conjunction with a local university. You woul have to contact them one by one. And be in a university and receive credit, to comply with CA law.

The advice gien by Zumahans is very accurate, and he has identified your best choices and options. I might add that working in promotions is often the back door to the staiton, too. Recently, a promotion supervisor who had started as a promo tech, was promoted to Assistant PD of the Recuerdo network, our 13-station LA origination for the southwest. So there is a real opportunity to learn, work with the PDs, talent, sales and management in promotions. It is also tough work, with odd hours.

 

[zumahans]

Hans - KSBR is 88.5 FM Saddleback College in Mission Viejo. Smooth-type jazz most of the time, though they of course vary at nights and weekends. Not as lame as 94.7 KTWV and Lil' Don Burns

Right, them, I can't stomach their msuic long enough to hear who runs that abortion. What a waste of the publicly-licesned airwaves - they ought to give OC kids an hour each to play with.

I disagree about it being less bland than the Wave.

I find KSBR to be the worst public interest radio I have ever heard. South OC gets terrible NPR coverage from the Mt Wilson, Hollywood Hills and San Diego sticks, and KSBR is a waste,