Radio Jobs

[uofa_diva]

Hi Everyone! :-*

My name is Katie and I am THE most popular DJ at the University of Arizona on KAMP radio!

I will be graduating THIS May and wanted to know of a great radio station to showcase my talent.

Everyone says that I am the very best Disc Jockey they have ever heard and that my personality is even good enough to go to NYC! Wow! Can you believe it? I'm on my way. College educated and a highly talented broadcast personality with a full three years of intense radio industry knowledge.

However I want to stay here in Tucson to be close to my family and my most fabulous boyfriend who also is a big part of my Number 1 radio show on KAMP radio!

Thanks!

 

[oldiesfan6479]

The previous post is either a total put-on or else the poster is really naive.

Good thing it wasn't on the PHX board, you would have (figuratively) been
eaten alive. KT'R and Pat McBland would have had serious competition.

Of course if you get caught up in the Cheap Channels and others of corporate
radio, you may also get eaten alive, as is evidenced by how they chew up and
spit out talent to stay within their ever-shrinking budgets. Gotta have those
$$$$ in the treasury to pay the executive bonuses, with a bit left over for the
AMD and PMD talents and maybe middays. Everything else--voicetrack city.

Liner I'd like to hear on CC-owned KESZ Phoenix:
"Beth and Bill in the morning, and voicetracking all day!"

Try to break into the biz in someplace like West Outhouse, Montana, before
even thinking about a medium market.

Or, if you're a cute blonde, try TV news. Six months to a year in Yuma and
they'll be calling you back to Tucson. And if you're really lucky (remember it's
the cute blonde factor here) you may even jump right to The Place With More Fluff
in Phoenix, aka KTVK channel 3.

 

[uofa_diva]

I am neither naive nor was my previous post a put-on. I just so happen to have a 3.5GPA and near the top of my class with a strong Liberal Arts background.

Plus there is no way I would ever move to a place like Montana to start my radio broadcasting career. As I mentioned before, I have THE most popular show on KAMP radio with quite an extensive programming resume.

I've also heard that Clear Channel is one of the biggest and most powerful radio companies to join. Why do you call them "Cheap Channel"? Most of everyone I know and have sent my demo tape and resume to are employed by Clear Channel. If that many people work for them, they MUST be doing something right.

If someone has a serious response as to where I should apply around mid-May, please let me know.

Thanks!

Katie

 

[BobinPhoenix]

Don't be so quick to say "I'll never move to Montana" to get your start in radio. You may have to start at a small station in a small town somewhere to get your foot in the door in radio and get some experience on your resume. Three years on the air at your college station is great, but you may need experience in "real world" radio at a smaller station before you get considered by the big boys. (That's not to say you shouldn't send your material to the big stations now...this is a crazy business and you never know who might take a chance on you.)

Clear Channel earned the nickname "Cheap Channel" by being just that...cheap. Low wages in many cases. The amount of people that work at Clear Channel stations can be attributed to the company buying so many stations in years past. They have gone through a round of layoffs lately to trim that workforce.

By the way, KAMP used to be the call letters of a daytime only rock station in El Centro, California in the 1970's and 80's...maybe even into the 90's. How long has your station had those calls?

 

[Dick Rash]

Well well well isn't that special Katie...

Here are the reasons why you are naive, let me count the ways:
1) You have a 3.5GPA and you want to work in radio
2) Already with the ego, and you have "zero" commercial experience
3) Unaware of the business practices of a certain company "cheap channel" that you have sent demos to
4) Typical kid out of school, expecting a career to be handed to them
5) The fish tank at Wal-Mart has more people paying attention to it than KAMP radio
6) NYC...think so?...
7) A full "three" years experience? You need at least 5 years "commercial" experience to even be considered for most positions
8) Claiming to have intense radio industry knowledge without any real experience...have you ever interned at a "real" station?
9) Naive enough to claim to be the "Next Great Hope for radio" on a message board like this one...seriously have you ever read any postings on this site?

You just may have to get your start in a small market, maybe you can get your foot in the door in a larger market by doing some grunt work. Just out of school, be prepare to make between $17,000 - $20,000 at a first radio job in any market. Also, us radio people have fragile egos so we don't take kindly to people talking smack without having an idea of what they are talking about. When you get some real numbers behind your "show"...say what you will. Until then try and be modest...there is nothing worse than some snot nosed kid running around a radio station thinking they are the next Ryan Seacrest or Howard Stern.

Finally,

GOOD LUCK

 

[The-drunken-easterbunny]

wow. talk about jerks.

KAMP has come a long way if they have people getting those type of grades. When I was there, back in the day, we were drunk.

Okie, speaking as someone who had a popular show on KAMP and was able to make it into the corperate radio world, here's what to expect.

I worked for a full year as an intern for free. I did not get paid a cent. I did menial tasks and got my foot in the door.

I spend evne longer getting paid an hourly wage. I was the low man on the totem pole, but I worked every day and wokred my behind off.

Eventually I was made salary... moved up the ladder... and I'm now working in a top-30 market and can... at times... be heard around the world. Yes, I am amployed by clear channel... but for a while I worked for both lotus and cbs radio. They all pay poorly.

I now make a decent living doing radio, which is a bonus.

It is possible, to go from KAMP to big time radio. I did it. There are others who have done it too.

You can start in Tucson, jsut don't expect to be morning show talent making the big bucks. You can start in Tucson at the begining.

I doubt KAMP has changed since I was there. It's probably still a poor training ground.

Work from the bottom... work your way up... learn how to do everything at the radio station.... make your self important.

clear chnnel tucson is a good place with good people. If they'll let you start there, learn as much as you can.

Just be prepared to work your butt off and probably get anotherjob to pay the bills. I worked radio morning and best buy in the afternoons.

did it suck? yes. am I now a success radio person? yes. would I change how i did it? no.

when I graduated UA with a Bachelors, I sent out demo tapes all over the country. I was laffed at. That was a reality check that KAMP is a poor preparation for radio. I learned more interning for nothing at clear channel (it was then sfx broadcasting, then capstar, am/fm, chancellor, (i'm sure i'm missing a few names) and eventually clear hannel) than i did at kamp.

goodluck. keep working. keep reachign for the stars and you'll get there.

 

[The-drunken-easterbunny]

By the way, KAMP used to be the call letters of a daytime only rock station in El Centro, California in the 1970's and 80's...maybe even into the 90's. How long has your station had those calls?

kamp officiallty doesnt own the call letters KAMP. it's "kamp radio." it's a clever way we found to skirt around the law.

it's not k-a-m-p. it's "kamp radio."

 

[Kent]

Katie,

Here are a few pointers:

(1) Lose, or at least tone down, the ego a little bit. Having the most popular station on a low-power campus station means nothing to anyone, except maybe to yourself and your friends. It's okay to take some pride in your show and be enthusiastic about it, but it's not going to be a selling point to anyone at much of any commercial station.

(2) It's fine if you don't want to work in radio in Montana. I've been fortunate enough to have always worked within a half day's drive of where I grew up, and I think that's a good thing. Just remember, if there's an opening in Montana, South Dakota, or whereever, it's still a job, and, if you don't want it, it's one job you're just not going to get.

(3) While you still have a few months left in school, get a job with ANY commercial radio station doing ANYTHING! If KNST needs someone to stay up all night on the weekends and babysit Coast to Coast, you want that job. If KRQQ needs someone to babysit American Top-40 with Ryan Seacrest, you want that job. If you have afternoons free of class and a station needs a receptionist, you want that job. I've gotten two radio jobs purely by accident. I've played my share of AT-40's and American Country Countdowns in my life, and they've actually gotten me somewhere. I used to always hear, "This guy is not an on-air guy. His tape sucks. He can't read a sentence without tripping somewhere. He has the personality of my recliner," and many other comments about my on-air talent. However, I landed two on-air shifts at the number one stations in two different markets, one in a market roughly Tucson's size, simply by being in the building when someone didn't show up or by being the only one available on a weekend after the competition raided our part-time staff. I've also worked for a station that put the receptionist on-air after someone quit and they needed talent right away.

(4) Don't forget about markets nearby. Small market stations, like Sierra Vista, Globe and Benson need reliable, inexpensive talent.

(5) If it doesn't work initially, don't get discouraged. If you're still playing American Top-40 at KRQ or working weekends in Sierra Vista after you graduate, that's okay. Get a job during the week, maybe in an office or at Macy's or even at a grocery store or whatever. Keep doing part-time radio on the weekend. Work your way up until you get the chance to be on-air and/or go fulltime. Inevitably, something happens, like the competition raiding your staff or a weekender getting too drunk to show up for work, and you want to be there when it does. It is possible to get what you want, even straight from a college station, but it will happen on its own pace. If it happens right away, good for you. If it doesn't, keep with it when you're available.

 

[sledge350]

Katie, these people have all given you solid advice. You may very well be a very talented young lady, but I have to agree with everyone else on this point....if you don't put your ego in check , you are in for a very rude awakening!!!! Radio can be and certianly is a VERY competetive business. You are as "green" as they come, which is fine, but you need to "pay your dues" as they say...before you will ever get a shot at any on air slots in a market the size of tucson. The smaller markets are where people like you (fresh out of school and ready to be the "next great dj") will break your teeth. IF and I stress IF you are lucky enough to gain a position in Tucson, take it..even if it is what seems to be a lousy position. Being in the right place - in the right time- is essential. There are many talented people with real world radio experience who are also looking for work. Trust me, 9 times out of 10.... any PD will hire them before you simply because THEY HAVE THE EXPERIENCE. Dont get me wrong...this biz is freaking great!!! I love it and want to do it for a long time to come. Good Luck and Have fun.

 

[uofa_diva]

Well well well isn't that special Katie...

Here are the reasons why you are naive, let me count the ways:
1) You have a 3.5GPA and you want to work in radio
2) Already with the ego, and you have "zero" commercial experience
3) Unaware of the business practices of a certain company "cheap channel" that you have sent demos to
4) Typical kid out of school, expecting a career to be handed to them
5) The fish tank at Wal-Mart has more people paying attention to it than KAMP radio
6) NYC...think so?...
7) A full "three" years experience? You need at least 5 years "commercial" experience to even be considered for most positions
8) Claiming to have intense radio industry knowledge without any real experience...have you ever interned at a "real" station?
9) Naive enough to claim to be the "Next Great Hope for radio" on a message board like this one...seriously have you ever read any postings on this site?

You just may have to get your start in a small market, maybe you can get your foot in the door in a larger market by doing some grunt work. Just out of school, be prepare to make between $17,000 - $20,000 at a first radio job in any market. Also, us radio people have fragile egos so we don't take kindly to people talking smack without having an idea of what they are talking about. When you get some real numbers behind your "show"...say what you will. Until then try and be modest...there is nothing worse than some snot nosed kid running around a radio station thinking they are the next Ryan Seacrest or Howard Stern.

Finally,

GOOD LUCK

Sir,

I found your comments to be quite rude and I think that I deserve an apology. Where do you get off calling me a snot nosed kid?! I am a broadcast professional. Mind you I coordinate and manage several radio events during the year and supervise a great staff of hardworking individuals. Plus I am confused of your prediction that I would only earn a salary of $17,000 - $20,000. Where did you pull those numbers from? I will be a college graduate. With my degree I will be able to command my own salary. In fact, I already make $25,000 (net gross) being a shift manager at a local restaurant. How on Earth could my salary possibly go down AFTER I get my degree? It's simply not going to happen.

I also in fact did an internship at a station a couple years back. It was a complete waste of my time. They had me go out before dawn and help set up some really stupid large balloon thing and get donuts and coffee. Then I had to stand out in the freezing cold weather for 3 hours and did not get ANYTHING other than a pizza certificate as a thank you. That's what I call abuse and should be illegal! Why anyone in their right minds would volunteer for something like that is beyond me. I have too much intelligence and dignity to stoop that low.

 

[vetDJ]

<shakes head>

There's a fine line between confidence and arrogance.

I'm a 30-year radio veteran, quite well-known in this market and I'm exiled to weekends at present. I cannot buy a full-time airshift right now. But, that's what deregulation and consolidation have created. It's not about YOU! It's about how you can benefit THEM?

Wake up and smell the coffee... and welcome to the realm of SHOW BUSINESS! As far as the radio business, your degree and a buck-and-a-quarter will get you a cup of coffee. And, that's no joke.

 

[spongebag7890]

Hi Everyone! :-*

My name is Katie and I am THE most popular DJ at the University of Arizona on KAMP radio!

I will be graduating THIS May and wanted to know of a great radio station to showcase my talent.

Everyone says that I am the very best Disc Jockey they have ever heard and that my personality is even good enough to go to NYC! Wow! Can you believe it? I'm on my way. College educated and a highly talented broadcast personality with a full three years of intense radio industry knowledge.

However I want to stay here in Tucson to be close to my family and my most fabulous boyfriend who also is a big part of my Number 1 radio show on KAMP radio!

Thanks!

Try a small market first.

Or if you can get anything if Tucson do it. Even if it's replacing annoying Marco Atero for Hot 983 traffic, you can get good recgonition/repetition just doing that.

 

[2Son]

Katie -

Oh how I can't stand peoples' attitudes like yours.

First off, to be a professional, wouldn't you have to be making a salary from your "profession"?

Secondly, you remind me of those "snot-nosed" people who graduate with a doctorate and demand to be called Dr. all the time.

GRRR...

Go ahead and start demanding and see how far you get.

 

[Kent]

Plus I am confused of your prediction that I would only earn a salary of $17,000 - $20,000. Where did you pull those numbers from? I will be a college graduate. With my degree I will be able to command my own salary. In fact, I already make $25,000 (net gross) being a shift manager at a local restaurant. How on Earth could my salary possibly go down AFTER I get my degree? It's simply not going to happen.

We pull these salary figures from experience. Like you, many of us have college degrees, and, like you, many of us had other jobs during college. Unlike you (at least so far), we went into radio after graduation and found ourselves making less money. In fact, I had to swallow my pride one time and work at a Kroger as a checker between radio jobs and made more at Kroger than I did in any radio job I've ever had before and since, including one in a top-40 market, and I wasn't making much at Kroger. I was not able to "command my own salary" based on simply having a college degree. I would venture most Tucson radio personalities can't do that either. Johnjay and Rich at KRQ can probably name their own price, but it's because they have years of success, including success in much larger markets than Tucson (Houston being one of them).

I also in fact did an internship at a station a couple years back. It was a complete waste of my time. They had me go out before dawn and help set up some really stupid large balloon thing and get donuts and coffee. Then I had to stand out in the freezing cold weather for 3 hours and did not get ANYTHING other than a pizza certificate as a thank you. That's what I call abuse and should be illegal! Why anyone in their right minds would volunteer for something like that is beyond me. I have too much intelligence and dignity to stoop that low.

Ummm....that's called a remote. It's not just interns who have to put up with that "abuse." Jocks have to do that, too. Let me tell you a story about a remote I had to do for one of my former employers. We were putting on a food drive for the local food pantry. It was an obligatory remote, and my measley salary was what paid for me to be there. I didn't get any additional talent fees. The remote lasted from 6 AM to 7 PM, and the entire airstaff had to be there at 5 AM to help set up. This remote also occurred in the Midwest in early February. The high that day was 21 degrees. I had to stand out there for 14 hours, along with everyone else. I was afforded 30 minutes to cross the parking lot and go to Subway for lunch. I got a 15 minute bathroom break every two hours. Other than that, I was in that 21 degree and colder weather all day. At the end of the day, I met the director of the food pantry. She shook my hand and said, "Thank you very much. I look forward to seeing you next year!" That was all I got for my 14 hours freezing my butt off. If you have too much intelligence and dignity to stoop that low, you need to reconsider your choice of profession. You'll encounter situations like the one above many times during your broadcasting career. It's part of your job.

 

[billtaylor]

I don't think Kati is that far off base.
I am the owner of KQSS FM in Globe/Miami. April 1st we will have been on the air 20 years. Before building this station, I was at KIQQ in L.A. Moved to L.A. from Miami FL. Pushing 50 I realized unless I got my own station and KIQQ changed formats, I'd be job hunting again. I got the C.P. and went to KIQQ to get stuff they'd given me to help start the station. Everybody was cleaning out their desks. We were on the 11th floor, Transtar was on the 4th. Over the weekend a cable was run between the two and at 9am KIQQ went from CHR to Lite Rock and the kids who were answering the phones became board ops. The GM I'd worked for in other markets was also soon gone. Timing is everything.
Small market radio has changed. Satellite and automation have wiped out more jobs than Cheap Channel's voice tracking. The farm system for entry level radio is virtually gone. Took with it the broadcast schools. Many of us took jobs in small markets and then moved up. Many small markets would rather train a local person than hire from outside. They assume the person they've hired is dreaming about a bigger market the day they arrive. Beginners still expect 7 to 10 bucks an hour while being trained and they want health insurance. You also learn pretty fast that our school systems suck. Few locals are gung ho radio people. They just want something better that WalMart. I never thought I'd pay someone to go to school. I've been looking for a news person for years. I won't hire out of the valley as they want to commute and that doesn't last. Turnover is expensive. Entry level money can be slim. Spot rates have stalled, expenses haven't. Telling Kati she may have to take a pay cut is the truth. Unforunately, she's doesn't appear to realize the difference is an investment in her future. If she had a 4.0 she'd still have to prove herself. It can also cost 2 grand to take a job in a small market figuring first and last months rent, deposites and other moving costs.
About 13 years ago I hire a UofA grand to do news. She was great. She had worked at Pizza hut since graduating because she couldn't find an industry job.
3 years later she was at KGO in San Francisco and quit. It was part time and she couldn't survive in S.F. on 30 grand a year. Another entry level person is now at Channel 4 in Tucson. Another is on TV in Madison WI. You gotta start somewhere.
Kati is right about internships. Most are rip offs. The station has the person doing grunt work that has nothing to do with broadcasting. Yes they're at a real station, and they're learning what they don't want to do if they get a real job. It's managements fault for stealing from these kids.
The good news is Kati is passionate about radio. The bad news is she hasn't found a real job in the business. The truth is out there lurking.
At 71 I still don't want to do anything but radio. It would help if I was as good as I was 25 years ago. I hear the old airchecks (when I have the nerve) and wonder how I did it. Proof is available as we stream at www.gila1019.com

 

[Kent]

Honestly, Bill and Katie, I agree, to an extent, with the notion that internships are a ripoff. If you really want to learn the technical aspect of radio, you don't get too much out of internships. You don't learn how to do production, how to run a board, how to do good show prep, let alone a good show, or much of the on-stage aspect of the business. I've never bought the idea that someone who was an intern would automatically make a better board-op than an enthusiastic applicant simply because that person had previously been an intern.

When I was working at a radio cluster while going to school for an advanced degree, a friend of mine going for an undergraduate degree was interning at the same cluster. Unfortunately, one of the main things she learned was that she didn't want to go into radio. It might have been different if she had actually gotten to do the technical aspect of the business and worked with the production department on writing commercials, doing voiceovers, or maybe even board-opping the university's basketball games. However, she was very frustrated with only getting to go to remotes and hand out papers and put gas in the vans. I can understand that frustration, and I wouldn't want to be one of 57 interns. It's too easy to get lost in the shuffle and be forgotten.

However, I have to also say that, when it comes to internships, you also get out of them what you put into them. When my friend was handing out papers at that remote, the jock was doing it, too. Granted, she didn't get airtime every 15-20 minutes, but she did actually get to experience a remote from the other side, and she found out that it's not all glitz and glamour. Although I think she would have been great in radio, her internship taught her that she didn't want to be in the business. She's better off now because she's doing something she likes better and pays better. Katie's description of the event she went to during her internship is much like several of the remotes I've done, only I was there freezing longer than the interns!

 

[uofa_diva]

<shakes head>

There's a fine line between confidence and arrogance.

I'm a 30-year radio veteran, quite well-known in this market and I'm exiled to weekends at present. I cannot buy a full-time airshift right now. But, that's what deregulation and consolidation have created. It's not about YOU! It's about how you can benefit THEM?

Wake up and smell the coffee... and welcome to the realm of SHOW BUSINESS! As far as the radio business, your degree and a buck-and-a-quarter will get you a cup of coffee. And, that's no joke.

You mentioned that you are a 30-year radio veteran, but cannot "buy" a full-time airshift right now. Could that be caused from maybe not having your degree? In my last statistics course, our professor stated that in today's highly competitive job market, over 50% of employers will not even consider a candidate without his or her degree.

The same was true with my mom. She was stuck in the same position for almost 8 years with not one pay raise. She decided to go back and finish her degree at the University of Phoenix (all on-line) and then she also got her Master's. Less than a year later she got a great new job and tripled her salary.

So I have to disagree with you that my degree will only get me a cup of coffee.

 

[2Son]

Well, perhaps you'll found out once you venture into the real world. Perhaps you will find a job that will pay you a little more than a non-degree'd individual. Perhaps your degree won't land you a job worthy of your standards. Time will tell. One thing I will say is to never EXPECT to land a job or the pay that you want because you DO have a degree. If that's what you're looking for, go find a nursing job (and not in AZ).

 

[vetDJ]

Whoever said I had no degree? I didn't say that. Hmmm... I guess that would be you?? That's quite presumptuous on your part.

Ya know, I admire your chutzpah! And, you certainly are full of it.

 

[soazdude2]

Come on, it's gotta be Phil Hendrie. Gave up Bobbie Dooley and this is his new act.

Somebody get Akbar in on this. Paging Dr. Akbar...