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Is it possible to get a radio job here in metro Detroit?

H

Human Numan

Guest
Is it possible to get a radio job here in metro Detroit either on air or off air.

Is it possible to get a radio job in other smaller radio markets in or near Michigan like Ann Arbor, Flint or even Toledo, Ohio?

Well I previosly went to Specs Howard School and it didn't work out so I left Specs Howard School and enrolled in the Broadcast Arts program at Washtenaw Community College in Ann Arbor Township, Michigan.

I live in the city of Inkster, Michigan near the city of Dearborn Heights, Michigan near Michigan Avenue and Inkster road.

It's a 20 mile drive from my house in Inkster in Western Wayne County to Washtenaw Community College, and also a 45 minute drive.

I think that Washtenaw Community College has a good Broadcast Arts program. I have got to be a volunteer dj at Orchard Radio at Washtenaw Community College.

Is it possible to get a radio job here in metro Detroit even if it's an off air radio job like a board operator?
 
Difficult, but not altogether impossible. Most gigs I've managed to secure were through unsolicited tapes and/or resumes and follow-up calls to the PD the week after I sent it. Because you've never worked at a station, you better be prepared to start as a board-op. Even Specs Howard grads got their chops this way.
 
I'm curious why specs did not work out? (I graduated there in the early 70's) odds of getting a job at any station in detroit are nil unless you have at least 3 or 4 years experience on the air, even board op requires experience. try small market and see what you can do. I worked Detroit and other major market for over 20 years before I retired( and four years before that at small/medium markets), and I was the only one from my specs class that made it. detroit radio is extremely competetive, and you need to bust your hump at a small/medium market for a while until you sound good enough and "natural" enough to work in that ratings intensive enviroment.
 
ruger22com said:
detroit radio is extremely competetive, and you need to bust your hump at a small/medium market for a while until you sound good enough and "natural" enough to work in that ratings intensive enviroment.
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Right...it's not enough to land a gig...but you have to work hard at keeping it. That's the tough part. I got sick of it after several years and went back to a small market station that's within a major market. And that's fine with me.
 
My suggestion is to start small....I graduate from Secs Howard this year (this September to be exact) and I already got my plan worked out. If I want to become big time, I plan on starting small and working my way up to the top.

So my suggestion is to work on it...don't aim too high because the results might not be what you want it to be.
 
MattHollidaye OnAir said:
My suggestion is to start small....I graduate from Secs Howard this year (this September to be exact) and I already got my plan worked out. If I want to become big time, I plan on starting small and working my way up to the top.
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Very smart way to do it. Although, at this day and age it is always smart to a get a college degree. In this business, you are going to be out of the job at least once, and having a degree in business/management or communications always helps to get you back on your feet.
 
If it's not too late, I'd say to change your major, for lack of a better phrase. I was in radio for 24 years, starting at the lowly WCAR back in 1982 where my first radio paycheck was $12. Since then I've worked in smaller markets, programmed several stations and finally got the hint when the mighty pain in the ass Clear Channel thinned the herd, of which I was one. Radio is just not worth the effort anymore, IMO. It doesn't matter how good you are, the jobs are so few and far between anymore, it's just not worth it.

If you still want to be the radio biz, I'd offer a few suggestions:
  • don't pigeonhole yourself. If all you want to do is "be a DJ" or "work in the country format," change your major.
  • what does an MD do? a PD? an imaging guru? Can you build/maintain websites? Learn as many different rols as possible in order to ex[and your opportunities.
    • do an internship and show/prove your worth. You'd be surprised.
    • start small. My first gig was at a small, 500-watt, hay-burning AM station, but it was in a major market. I took anything I could get my hands on and moved up the ranks. Keep an eye on allaccess-dot-com.
    • don't sell your soul to the sales devil unless you plan on not returning. it's easier to get a sales gig once you've been on the radio side than use a sales gig to try and get on the air. It can happen but often does not.

    Finally, think about it over and over. I just don't see the jobs like the old days.
 
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