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I want to work in Radio.

C

Countrymusiclover90

Hello, I want to ask a very serious question. How do I get started on the air at a radio station?
I have worked for a few years as a board opp at a local radio station, but I am ready to move on to an on-air spot. Several people (including radio professionals) have told me I sound great. I have applied at almost all of my local stations and no one is hiring, or I haven't heard back from them. I do not have a degree in broadcasting, but I was told that was not neccessary just as long as I have the talent. At the station that I board opp for, their is no opening at the moment for on air. So, any tips would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
 
A mentor of mine who used to be in Birmingham and is now one of the higher-ups in a major radio corporation once told me that the best way to jump-start my career was to volunteer to cover shifts that nobody else wants to do. Think Christmas Day, New Year's Day, weekend overnights -- Labor Day is coming up -- and you could sell this idea to local stations as an opportunity for you to gain some experience during a time when nobody else wants to be on the air. Granted, a lot of stations will be voicetracked on those days and you might have to track as well, but I still think you may find some execs who are receptive to your offer. If you get the opportunity, make sure you record it!

As a full-time college admissions counselor, let me encourage you to look at getting some education in the field anyway. It's true that many stations prefer talent over education, but you'll find a little more diversity with regard to job opportunities, and many degree programs in broadcasting require internships at media outlets that could be your gateway into a nice job with room for advancement.

Best of luck to you!
 
Offer to do anything they made need done around the station, up to and including taking out the trash. Don't waste your time going to broadcasting school or majoring in broadcasting at a college. Doing so is just what I said: A waste of time. Get a degree in something like marketing or something like that. The chances of you actually being able to make a long term career out of being a jock are extremely slim. Bottom line: Get in there, have fun but be prepared for a lot of disappointment.

I've been there and done that; I'm just being honest... And I'm still paying the consequences of the choices I made.

Jonathan
 
Countrymusiclover90 said:
Hello, I want to ask a very serious question. How do I get started on the air at a radio station?
I have worked for a few years as a board opp at a local radio station, but I am ready to move on to an on-air spot. Several people (including radio professionals) have told me I sound great.
Click to expand...

There are just bunches and bunches of us who hang out in these forums who "have been there, done that." Listen to what we say... not just to you, but in other topics. Unless you are one of those people "who just suck the oxygen right out of the room when you walk in the door...." There is probably NO FUTURE in being "on the air". Except for the super stars (you know, suck the oxygen out of the room folks) it has become a world of automation and recorded content.

If they are being truthful with you when they tell you that "you sound great"... and you have been board-opping for several years... why have none of these people set you up with someone for an interview, with someone who has an opening.

What do you want to be doing ten years from now? Will you have a family? Own your own house? Make enough money to get your retirement fund started and still have money to buy clothes and food?

Do you have a "non radio job" that is currently paying your bills? Are you making progress in that other job?

I'm curios to know what kind of station in this day and age has "board opps".
 
Good advice all the way around.

Being just 'on air' puts you in a place akin to a carnival worker: low pay, lots of moving around, being unappreciated and yet having a blast doing what you're doing. We have all paid the price. Most of us, like myself, found somebody who pulled us into another realm of radio and held our hand until we could stand on our own.

Know as much as you can about automation, work on your writing skills, try to learn sales. The key is if you can fill a number of chairs at a station, you rise up above most at the station. I can sell, manage, program and jock. I can write good copy and sometimes when the moon is blue, I can write some great creative and produce it. The key is making all of this as much fun as you can by moving at a pace comfortable for you.

Am I an always in demand guy? No, I'm pretty average, but my love of radio and the knowledge I've gained because of it has finally been recognized by an owner where I'm pretty much guaranteed a job as long as I want...it's a great place to be and I went through lots of stations before finding the right match for me. Then again I can run a station single handed and produce a profit and the worst my owner has to do is write out check for the bills and a couple of checks a month to me. I make sure they don't have to worry about their station. It took lots of years to get here and lots of being fearless while shaking in my boots but if you think of how you can succeed and not how you can fail, you too could be in my shoes. The person that can handle about any job at a station can always have a job in radio no matter what radio becomes in the future.

If you're wondering what drove me to this, it is simple: it all began in first grade announcing records to a pencil. That 'playing' continued to consume me until I had a part 15 station in 6th grade and revelation that if I worked in anything but radio I'd never be really happy. That pencil announcing started about 50 years ago and I'm still smiling after 35 years of earning a paycheck in this business and I've never been out of work for except for a few days once in 1987.
 
jo-nathan said:
Don't waste your time going to broadcasting school or majoring in broadcasting at a college. Doing so is just what I said: A waste of time.
Click to expand...

With all due respect, this advice, and any opinions like it, are flat-out wrong. Majoring in communication at an accredited institution is still a fine path to take, if you're truly passionate about the field. The reason is because accredited communication programs today are, as Wayne Gretzky once put it, "skating to where the puck is going to be." Even in the last five years I've seen most communication programs move entirely away from classes on "how to be a radio jock" and more into digital production, Web and interactive media development, and copywriting for digital media. Those are highly transferable skills that most companies desire right now because -- guess what -- most companies have some kind of Web or digital media presence. My degree has allowed me to be on the radio for the pure enjoyment of it, while the other skills I learned in communication pay the bills.

Don't take my word for it, though; look at the numbers. The unemployment rate for people who have a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution is consistently half of what the unemployment rate is for people who have less than a bachelor's.
 
Learn all aspects of radio. Most important sales marketing, & engineering.
 
A College Degree is great no matter what it is in, however it is sure not essential for 'on air' work or a career in radio. I'm not saying to blow off a degree by any means but don't think you have to have a degree to have an on air board shift and to work your way up in radio. In Public Radio a degree carries much more weight and many of these stations seek a degreed applicant.

With a degree or not, chances are in commercial radio you'll have pretty much the same entry level position the person without a degree will get. Radio is much more about streaming, internet presence, knowing various software and programs than ever before. Hands on experience says a lot. A degree gets you that.

If I sought the college route, my hindsight would have had me taking some courses that helped me understand my listener better and how to sell. A bit more about business would help too. Radio people tend to be so enamored by radio they don't think about the bottom line and the limitations that can bring to the table.

Another key is trying to befriend somebody who has been in the business. Radio is still very much a business where you learn from those at the top. Somebody will see themselves in you and take you under their wing. That always helps.

I had a friend in small market radio move off to a major market. He thought his radio career was over since he sure wasn't major market quality but I suggested he find the little insignificant stations and try for any position at one of those stations because it would put him in a position to be connected to the radio grapevine and he would hear about openings at stations. While there's equal employment opportunity and such, most jobs go to those who learn of the position and get the job because they know someone. Literally every job I've had was through being there at the right time and knowing somebody.

Plainly put, there are not many positions in radio these days compared to a few decades ago, so it is harder to find that radio job. Even so, lots of stations are looking for good people and the mindset is if they love radio chances are they'll be trustworthy and take their job seriously. So, if you're like a kid in a candy store when you visit a radio station, you're ahead of the pack.

One other thing: I hire not so much by experience but attitude. If you really wanted the job I knew you'd be a fast learner and do what was expected. I recall hiring a girl that was terrible but had the perfect attitude. In a year she went from almost too bad for overnights in a small market (many times I'd listen and cringe) to midday in a rated market at one of the top 5 stations. I'm proud of her and happy I saw her passion and opened the door to her. She was a hard worker and a true team player because of her love for radio.
 
For our Original Poster.... and for any other youthful folks following this thread.

Separate your dreams of a broadcasting career from your overall goals for a minute. In the world as we know it up to now, and anything we see coming down the pike for now, if radio... working at a station... is your dream... a college degree in broadcasting does not seem to be a big issue.

HOWEVER!!!!! As some of us can share with you, there could come a time in life when for various reasons working at a radio station will not be a part of your primary concerns. And as my oldest adult daughter jammed down my throat not too long ago, if perchance, you end up looking to other industries, other lines of work, other callings, the lack of a college degree today and going forward... is a killer!!!!

In her exact words: Dad, in your day someone could hire in on the production floor of a factory and could actually end up 30 or 40 years later as the C.E.O.... flying around in the corporate airplane making big deals. Those days are now over.

You need a degree from a college as your safety net for the years ahead. One of my other children got a degree including broadcasting. Never worked a day in the industry. 20 years later to become employable, there was a trip back to campus and a degree that opened the doors in the world of medical care.

For a few people, VERY FEW people, there is a brass ring out there to grab as you ride the merry-go-round. But just in case you can't quite reach out and grab the brass ring..... prepare yourself for the alternative.

By the way, I take the medicine I prescribe. Got my college degree at age 52. I put off the medicine way too long. ;D
 
So glad I didn't take most of your (posters) advice when I worked in radio in Alabama. Want to succeed in radio? Out work, out hustle, network, practice. There are still good companies looking for good people, paying good money.

Fact, not opinion.
 
Another key is trying to befriend somebody who has been in the business. Radio is still very much a business where you learn from those at the top. Somebody will see themselves in you and take you under their wing.
Click to expand...

I was, and am fortunate to know many that have helped me along the way. From the first record I cued, to station ownership, I have been blessed to have some great mentors.

I still learn from many fine folks every week.

I skipped the college degree too.
 
The whole debate on college degrees is a very valid debate. I missed out on a chance to move from evenings to afternoons because I was in school. That's just one example of school getting in the way of work but shortly after graduation our morning host left and I got the gig. It all worked out.

The honest truth of my college education is that they were teaching outdated technology and the real world experience I was getting while in school was far ahead of the college program. I hope Whit is right that colleges are now looking ahead instead of teaching things the way they were "back in the day."

Since graduating I have had exactly zero potential employers really care about my schooling. One asked what I majored in and I think they were happy that my answer was not communication. I took all the communication classes that I felt I could benefit from but got a degree in a different field that I felt would set me apart from other radio job applicants.

My point is... a college degree is valuable and there are very valuable classes in the communication department but a communication degree is no more likely to get you a job in radio than a degree in another field. Experience and passion are what employers want and classes that will help you round out your skill set are better than classes that somebody else decided belonged with a communication degree. If you have ANY inclination toward the sales side then I highly recommend some marketing classes. I know of several people that have solid jobs on the air because they also sell ads and bring in more than enough money to pay for themselves.

If you do go for a degree - make your internship count. Shoot big and start working on getting a good internship ahead of time because this is your best chance to make relationships with people who can and will help you. Do whatever it takes to place yourself in the company of the most talented people you can think of.
 
I definitely agree with Jo-Nathan! You have got to really enjoy it and stick with it for it to work. I worked for minimum wage for my first 3 years of my 17 year career. In fact the first year, I was only a volunteer at a non-comm station! Vacuuming the rack room (oh yeah back when we had carts stored on the wall, HA! :) ) and filing away music libraries was all I did for the first 4 months. The General Manager realized after a while that this was what I really wanted to do and (God Bless him) spent many hours explaining a lot to me. Now I own my own station and LMA another
 
I have never had the lack of a college degree hinder me in my radio career. With that said, my career spans 35 years. Times change. In addition, I never sought positions in public radio where a degree carries much more weight.

I was playing vinyl, slinging carts, backtiming to network news, and splicing tape when I started. Every station had a 3rd class with broadcast endorsement on the clock every hour they were on the air and usually a resident first class licensed engineer on staff or one a phone call away. In small towns where a drive to a major city was a day-long adventure, if you had a 3rd class and wanted to work at their station you were pretty much hired on the spot (at minimum wage more than likely but you could live on minimum wage then).

I am fortunate to be beyond the point of a degree determining my qualifications but there were points in my career when if I had wanted to take the Public Radio route I might have had the lack of a degree hurt me.

Being in the Houston area, I will say schools like Alvin Community College pump out students that know what they are doing in logistics and seem to have a grasp of what radio is while realizing they are 'new' in their cycle of learning just what day-to-day life is like inside the radio station. I think they even allow one to take classes on specific subjects. And, I might add they have a great station I wish had full market coverage. The folks coming out of the school don't just have book knowledge.

A big complaint from some degreed and broadcast student graduates is an attitude that the station's way of doing things needs to be changed to what their instructors taught them, but I never found that attitude from Alvin Community College graduates. It's natural for them to think they learned the best ways in school because so many instructors are radio professionals with great track records but they don't realize ownership dictates so much. It's as I would imagine acting. You might think the storyline might need some tweaks but you were hired to play a part, not rewrite the script, so you play your part to the best of your ability, period. With that said, I think a good radio person is always thinking how to make every segment of the station operation better...it's how you learn and grow, but you keep those opinions to yourself.

You do not need a degree to get into radio and make it but a degree can help depending on what you choose to do in the business. I'd say on a scale of 1 to 10, a degree is a 2 or 3 on the scale in regard to working radio as a career. It is true your passion, ability and attitude are much more important. If you are serious about your job, exhibit an ability to handle the position, are always honing your skills and learning as well as playing well with others, you'll get the nod in almost every case. If you're applying at an University owned NPR, that degree comes in pretty handy.
 
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