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New from KC

P

popXrocks

Hi! I'm Roxy. I'm 18 years old from the KCMO area. I'm in my last semester of high school, and I'm planning on attending community college after a gap year. I know next to nothing about radios besides how they work, and I don't know anyone in real life who knows anything about them, so I'm looking for a community to help me learn and make friends. Thank you for having me! :D
 
Welcome. This discussion forum is mostly the broadcasting and engineering side where the "magic" happens so you can hear your tunes over the radio.
 
Welcome Roxy! I once lived in Independence and Sugar Creek. I always loved radio, ran a little station in the garage that got out a couple of blocks. I got my first job as a DJ after getting my license (back then you took a test at the Federal Building and had to pass to get a license but not now). Since then I did a bit of programming, then was put into sales. I got to be the General Manager of a Houston AM daytime only station for many years before coming back to small town radio where I sell advertising. And I'm still loving it.

If you have any questions, please ask. Many of us learned by asking questions and simply bugging people. Most of us love to 'pay it forward'. A few seem to dislike radio and are quite negative. They likely have been done wrong more than once a stations in the past. So take those with a grain of salt.

It's my opinion that radio is about to evolve again. I have no clue how. Those in the business tend to be to close to radio to not just think outside the box but to throw the box in the dumpster. I say this to indicate radio's evolution will likely be nothing like what we in radio think might happen. It will likely come from a non-radio person.

What I can tell you is radio goes where the people go and caters certain groups of people (25 to 34 year old females for example) creating formats that are all inclusive for that age group. Since most stations are commercial, they are businesses and target programming to be of interest to advertisers.
 
Hello, Roxy, and welcome! It’s great that someone your age is interested in radio! You will learn much here. I once taught radio broadcasting to middle and high school students, so I am doubly excited that you are here. Please share your insights often!
 
Hey Roxy., b-turner said things right, persistence pays. radiofan2023 said, you can help others by giving your perspective. Radio professionals love to hear from people in your age range to keep things fresh. Greg Goodfellow also said it right, that we are happy to learn from your insights!

I will say for my part, just because you don't know anyone on the radio, things can change. Many radio stations welcome people on a tour. Please call up your stations in your area by their business number and tell them your interest and that you would love to see the station. If they say no don;t be deturbed, persistence pays in our business. Find out what college courses that interest you, journalism, language, communications? The big plan is for you to enjoy the experience, to bring you lots of joy.
 
popXrocks said:
Hi! I'm Roxy. I'm 18 years old from the KCMO area. I'm in my last semester of high school, and I'm planning on attending community college after a gap year. I know next to nothing about radios besides how they work, and I don't know anyone in real life who knows anything about them, so I'm looking for a community to help me learn and make friends. Thank you for having me! :D
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Welcome, Roxy! Not sure which side of the state line you're on, but, if you're on the Kansas side, Johnson County Community College is an excellent two year college. I took a few evening and weekend courses there during my time in KC and was always impressed. The administration is a tad lacking, and you'll have to figure out your path yourself, but that's pretty typical for a community college. They keep costs down by having a lean administration. If you're on the Missouri side, you don't have as good of options as the local level unless you want to study dental hygiene, in which case Penn Valley is excellent. If you're in Missouri, I would recommend Linn Tech, though it's a couple hours away and would probably require you to move. It's one of the two best two year colleges in the nation, and all of your courses will transfer to Mizzou and, I believe, S&T in Rolla should you want to have a bridge to a four year education.

When it comes to radio, you still have plenty of stations that have live airshifts in the KC area. I don't know how many live events they still do, but, if you find any of them having a remote broadcast, stop by and visit. Most jocks love to talk, and, if you ask them the right questions, they'll talk your ears off. You said you know how radios work. If you already know or have interest in learning how they work on the inside, you might have a good future as an engineer. Granted, engineering in radio is often done by contract these days, and you'll either need to work for several companies or have a main gig on the side, but you can bill expensive hours when you're needed. It would likely still be more lucrative than jocking. I would, however, recommend learning a broad section of the engineering profession if you try to go that route. I got shafted for an engineering job by a company where I was already working. If they'll do that to one of their best upcoming talents, they'll do it to anybody.
 
Kent said:
When it comes to radio, you still have plenty of stations that have live airshifts in the KC area. I don't know how many live events they still do, but, if you find any of them having a remote broadcast, stop by and visit. Most jocks love to talk, and, if you ask them the right questions, they'll talk your ears off. You said you know how radios work. If you already know or have interest in learning how they work on the inside, you might have a good future as an engineer. Granted, engineering in radio is often done by contract these days, and you'll either need to work for several companies or have a main gig on the side, but you can bill expensive hours when you're needed. It would likely still be more lucrative than jocking.
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Engineering is a great option @Kent , back in the ages before your birth (Roxy), the market that I was in had quite a few engineers that were also deejays. Back then there was a saying that you work for peanuts as a deejay and for me that was true, minimum wage and only DJ hours. When I was doing my engineering work it was triple the salary. It would be more for both now. I had my Restricted Telephone license and had to go to the Federal building to get my General Telephone Licence, now neither licence exists anymore.

Either or both are fun jobs, I got most of my engineering information for being a ham radio operator, which is fun (for some) to learn too. You could learn something also fun like RDS programming. Any job in radio is fun and leads to building character, the more the merrier. Best wishes, RG71
 
Welcome, Roxy - you can pick up a lot by just reading here. But if you're interested in an engineering track, definitely get to know engineers. They're also a great source of information and even gossip.

I also want to highlight one other response:
b-turner said:
It's my opinion that radio is about to evolve again. I have no clue how. Those in the business tend to be to close to radio to not just think outside the box but to throw the box in the dumpster. I say this to indicate radio's evolution will likely be nothing like what we in radio think might happen. It will likely come from a non-radio person.
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I think this is absolutely true. The future of radio is in the hands of those who don't have preconceived notions about it. The answers won't come from anyone over 30 or 40, I believe. Sometimes the sky is darkest before the dawn. OK, enough clichés from me.
 
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