OK, I've read about 3 pages and some of the REAAAAALLLY LOOONNNGG threads I just skimmed through briefly, but here's my take on the whole thing.
First, practice. If you have never DJ'ed before, buy yourself a Radio Shack mixer, a microphone, and a couple of CD players (if they still exist, lol). Startup cost for low-end stuff about $400, or if you have a computer, find some software fairly cheap that will accomplish the same thing and download music if you like.
Start accumulating as much music as possible to put together what you would like to hear. Then, add music that you think others would like to hear that you might not be so fond of yourself. Apply the art of music flow by listening to your tracks and how they sound next to other tracks without mixing them. Then work on your timing of keeping on cue and fading songs so they sound smooth.
Record yourself. Start by talking about things that interest you. Research things that you think would interest the audience you want to listen to you. Listen to how you sound. Analyze how your voice sounds. Are you relatively smooth rather than disjointed and hard to listen to? Work on pronunciations of words, particularly those you are not familiar with. Ultimately, do you believe you can get information across and be understood?
Then, after you are comfortable with how your show sounds, try to do a show that doesn't appeal to you but would appeal to others. If you can't get past this hurdle, then working at a commercial radio station will always be disappointing.
After all that, work on timing. (Comedic timing and literal.) A radio person is generally despised if he/she cannot time an ad that can fit into a satellite window. Try writing simple ads (or transcribe one that airs a lot on a station you listen to). Try reading that ad within the same timeframe that the original is (either 30 or 60 seconds most of the time).
Most of all, smile when you talk. On the air and off. Being perpetually pleasant will be what opens your first doors. That and a lack of B.O.!
Finally, produce a demo tape. Write a resume. Include a professional passion for radio in your Goals section, and be sincere about it. Then walk into (if security allows) every radio station you can and ask if you can talk with the program director or if you can schedule an appointment with him/her. Never ask if they are hiring at the front desk, because they will take a generic application and you will never hear from them again if you have no experience. Persistence is key. And talent is second.
And if you're worried about not getting enough hours, simply fine-tune your efforts to radio clusters that have a lot of behind-the-scenes work, and while you may not be on the air for that long (and perhaps even voice-tracking a show for even less!) there will be plenty of other things for you to do.
I sidelined as a janitor for the station I started with.
Good luck, and Godspeed.
P.S.: If you want radio bad enough, you won't be concerned with the money they're paying you. You will only be concerned with putting out the best damn product you can! ;D
First, practice. If you have never DJ'ed before, buy yourself a Radio Shack mixer, a microphone, and a couple of CD players (if they still exist, lol). Startup cost for low-end stuff about $400, or if you have a computer, find some software fairly cheap that will accomplish the same thing and download music if you like.
Start accumulating as much music as possible to put together what you would like to hear. Then, add music that you think others would like to hear that you might not be so fond of yourself. Apply the art of music flow by listening to your tracks and how they sound next to other tracks without mixing them. Then work on your timing of keeping on cue and fading songs so they sound smooth.
Record yourself. Start by talking about things that interest you. Research things that you think would interest the audience you want to listen to you. Listen to how you sound. Analyze how your voice sounds. Are you relatively smooth rather than disjointed and hard to listen to? Work on pronunciations of words, particularly those you are not familiar with. Ultimately, do you believe you can get information across and be understood?
Then, after you are comfortable with how your show sounds, try to do a show that doesn't appeal to you but would appeal to others. If you can't get past this hurdle, then working at a commercial radio station will always be disappointing.
After all that, work on timing. (Comedic timing and literal.) A radio person is generally despised if he/she cannot time an ad that can fit into a satellite window. Try writing simple ads (or transcribe one that airs a lot on a station you listen to). Try reading that ad within the same timeframe that the original is (either 30 or 60 seconds most of the time).
Most of all, smile when you talk. On the air and off. Being perpetually pleasant will be what opens your first doors. That and a lack of B.O.!
Finally, produce a demo tape. Write a resume. Include a professional passion for radio in your Goals section, and be sincere about it. Then walk into (if security allows) every radio station you can and ask if you can talk with the program director or if you can schedule an appointment with him/her. Never ask if they are hiring at the front desk, because they will take a generic application and you will never hear from them again if you have no experience. Persistence is key. And talent is second.
And if you're worried about not getting enough hours, simply fine-tune your efforts to radio clusters that have a lot of behind-the-scenes work, and while you may not be on the air for that long (and perhaps even voice-tracking a show for even less!) there will be plenty of other things for you to do.
I sidelined as a janitor for the station I started with.
Good luck, and Godspeed.
P.S.: If you want radio bad enough, you won't be concerned with the money they're paying you. You will only be concerned with putting out the best damn product you can! ;D