I'm sure your paid podcasts sound great. And no PD will ever listen to them.
As I've already pointed out, people pay broadcasting schools more for the connections than the experience.
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What will it take for me to become a radio personality?
- Thread starter fordranger797
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I'm sure your paid podcasts sound great. And no PD will ever listen to them.
As I've already pointed out, people pay broadcasting schools more for the connections than the experience.
And you think we dont have any? But first you have to be good and that takes practice, so where do you get it from?
One of two things is true in this circumstance:
1) The janitorial crew was derelict in doing their jobs.
or
2) Trash piled up that much every single day. (I am assuming that your janitorial crew was there in the evenings.)
I see nothing wrong in offering to do something of that nature that obviously needed to be done, assuming that it did not come at the expense of something more related to your actual job that needed to be done. (In some cases, this might be a good release, a chance to burn off some energy, or vent some frustration, particularly if you had been sitting for a while.) But as an intern, you probably were not getting paid, except in "experience." Still, I hear that too many interns (regardless of occupation, so not necessarily limited to broadcasting) do little more than fetch coffee for whoever it is that they happen to be working for, or with.
At my last station (where I routinely emptied trash), I noticed that one small wastepaper can in an otherwise little-used studio suddenly started filling up every day. I later found out the reason for this: a new account exec was using that studio as his workspace. Once he left, that can once again turned into about a once-a-week emptying job.
At a previous station (the first one for which I ever worked full-time), various cleaning duties were assigned to all the staffers. Fortunately for me, since my workload there was much heavier than it was at that later station, about all that I had to do was to keep my own work station picked up and straightened up, which I did.
There was a 24/7 janitorial staff; they did light stuff in the daytime and did mopping, shining, polishing the marble, touch up painting and such at night. However, in the newsroom where I assisted with the carting of the newsbriefs each hour, wire copy filled up and overflowed the baskets faster than the folks came around. In my example, I offered to clean up the spillage and was told in no uncertain terms that doing "that sort of thing is stuff we don't do". Despite being an intern, I was part of the programming team, not a part of the cleaning crew.
No, as I said, this was a societal value prevalent at the time that said that a person who is at a certain level... or even more so for someone who had risen to a certain level... did not do work that was "below" them as it projected a wrong image and indicated to others that you were really not suited for your current position in the food chain.
I did everything from helping to cart newscasts and taking them to the 5 stations to doing song edits, and even got a "temporary dispensation" from the powerful union to learn how to board-op for the DJs. I was seldom sitting, and probably did 25 different things throughout each day.
You see, that was socially and societally correct in your environment. In the one I was in, it would have produced resignations, union grievances and terrible discontent.
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Fair enough, but in my world, you often proved your worth by being willing and able to do as many different jobs as possible. I know (from reading their history, which I believe is still on their website) that the current GM of that station who had his stepson sealing the parking lot had himself been hired by that same station as a 15- or 16-year-old to handle cleanup duties at that station. (He has not been at that station continuously since then, but returned as a 20-something in the early '80s, and has been there since then.) I know that another part-timer at that station (not the stepson) did another seal job on the parking lot in which he filled in the cracks with sealant. I know that this second guy's own father also owned radio stations. I suspect that he got the sealing job because he was seeking extra hours.
The larger the station is, the LESS likely it is that there would be this type of overlapping of jobs and responsibilities. Your operation in Mexico city (aside from the societal prohibition) would have been much too large for these types of responsibilities to fall on the shoulders of any broadcasters, particularly if you already had a full-time cleaning crew on hand.
I could only WISH that we had had unions at some of my past stations. That might have resulted in better working conditions and maybe fewer responsibilities, but probably fewer overall jobs available, too.
There's only one way to get good at doing radio.
Doing radio. Real radio.
Doing a podcast teaches you how to do a podcast. Which is fine if you want to do podcasts. But there's more to radio than just learning how to speak into a mic properly. There's pacing, dealing with listeners, knowing how to hit breaks, etc.
I don't begrudge you what you do for a living, but I think you're marketing yourself wrong by trying to appeal to people who want to do radio.
I agree. I don't want to exude the impression that I look down on podcasters, but I'm having a hard time seeing how doing a podcast will benefit me in this scenario. I think the better choice is to stick to a real radio environment.
That being said, there is something else I would like to bring up (for anyone to respond to). What steps should I take to get from where I am right now to being behind a microphone? I feel as though it would be an insult to the people who run the station to ask for an opportunity to host a chunk of airtime, and I respect the hosts that I learn from far too much to take away their opportunities to be making money on air.
I think you are looking down on podcasters.....ok Ill make a distinction......a podcaster is one who doesn't do it live..who edits it. Radio is live warts and all and that's the way I like it......I usually dont edit the shows unless you get a bad coughing jag or you spilled water on the floor. But streaming live and treating it as a live show makes it more realistic.
And whats the difference between a podcast and you sitting in a radio production studio editing the best of your morning hosts show when he is on vacation? Nothing really.
And whats the difference between a podcast and you sitting in a radio production studio editing the best of your morning hosts show when he is on vacation? Nothing really.
Nothing, but hosts don't get paid to do "best ofs".
I'd look for a job as a board op. Then suck up to the air talent until they let you sit in once in a while. Show a spark of talent, get some material for a demo, and you're on your way. You're gonna have to be very persistent.
Again SMG where do you get the demos? Our pitch is simply You are too old to be an intern if you are over 25.....the age discrimination is massive in this country.......so put your money where your mouth is and get a pro to help you create your show. Then you will have plenty of stuff to edit your demos from..
Richard, I've sitting on my hands over here in the corner trying to figure you out, and figure out what is your game.
I hang out in other forums with Voice-Over people. I swear there are more people tying to make a living helping gullible new voice over people get started than there are real, live, legitimate working voice-over people. You can't possibly create your own demo. You can't possible create a good product in your own home studio... you need my studio. Etc, Etc, Etc. Reminds me of walking through the convention center once day when an Amway conference was taking place.
I just did my thing. (One guy called my methods "creepy" the other day) I just beat Google to death just now trying to figure you out. What is your company name, your studio name? Do you really exist?
Have you really followed SMG.... ? you just trashed him as being too old to get started in the business. And yet his story is one of making a transition from one business to another and from what I can see at a distance, he has "grabbed the Brass Ring" as they might have said at Coney Island in days gone by.
Let's pretend that we are all third graders and this is "Show and Tell" day. Your turn Richard. Would you like to show and tell all the boys and girls here in the room how your plan works?
Simple ever heard of brokered radio shows? thousands of people everyday in America buy air time to promote themselves their business or to make demos to get real jobs...........its been going on for 75 years.
So instead of a OTA station whats the difference if its internet, no one can afford to buy airtime in major markets but for $99 hour or less you get a nice studio an engineer hosting streaming royalties, and some editing ...why is this such a big secret? sure we could use it for voice overs or even porn...and so can every other recording studio in America.
So instead of paying CSB $10,000+ and getting a student loan you pay a fraction of that each week and produce your own radio show.... so if i get 10-15 people a week i could have a FT job the studio makes some $$ to reinvest in equipment bills get paid everybody is happy.
Remember 90% of the people bring very little to the table so they have to pay....if you had 5000+ Fb friends active blogs with hundreds of responses to your posts a completed professional website, then come talk about reduced cost or even free for a month or two.....
As far as SMG no all i said he is too old to be an intern companies violate EEOC everyday in america, its not like the old days you have to be in school or very young to be an intern...Maybe if he went back to college and then applied that way...actually he would be covered under EEOC ( since most of the ads say must be in college).....and sue them for age discrimination if you are over 40.....weird how the law works...
does that explain it?
So instead of a OTA station whats the difference if its internet, no one can afford to buy airtime in major markets but for $99 hour or less you get a nice studio an engineer hosting streaming royalties, and some editing ...why is this such a big secret? sure we could use it for voice overs or even porn...and so can every other recording studio in America.
So instead of paying CSB $10,000+ and getting a student loan you pay a fraction of that each week and produce your own radio show.... so if i get 10-15 people a week i could have a FT job the studio makes some $$ to reinvest in equipment bills get paid everybody is happy.
Remember 90% of the people bring very little to the table so they have to pay....if you had 5000+ Fb friends active blogs with hundreds of responses to your posts a completed professional website, then come talk about reduced cost or even free for a month or two.....
As far as SMG no all i said he is too old to be an intern companies violate EEOC everyday in america, its not like the old days you have to be in school or very young to be an intern...Maybe if he went back to college and then applied that way...actually he would be covered under EEOC ( since most of the ads say must be in college).....and sue them for age discrimination if you are over 40.....weird how the law works...
does that explain it?
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No, you didn't explain a thing. First, let's get SMG out of the squabble. He HAS a job. A REAL job. They pay him a salary to be a "talker". Who cares whether it would be legal for him to be an Intern.
It looks to me like you are trolling out here looking for customers for your studio, your coaching and you on-line "airtime". Brokered. Now maybe the people who have control of this forum have told you it is against policy for you to promote you enterprise by name here so you can't answer my request. But what does in accomplish for you to come here and claim that you have the best new enterprise since "sliced bread" and yet we can find you, we can't evaluate you.
The theme of our thread is personality. I have no doubt you can coach people on technical expertise as in how to use a mic, how to produce the equalization and compression of audio files, and how to speak clearly, distinctly, etc. But can you teach PERSONALITY?
That seems to be the root question we pitch around in a lot of threads about Talk Radio. If talent in the industry had a bit more personality, and confidence in that personality, maybe they would feel so compelled to be the meanest, toughest most doctrinaire person in the whole world... which is what seems to be gutting Talk Radio as we know it.... at based on the conversations we have here.
It looks to me like you are trolling out here looking for customers for your studio, your coaching and you on-line "airtime". Brokered. Now maybe the people who have control of this forum have told you it is against policy for you to promote you enterprise by name here so you can't answer my request. But what does in accomplish for you to come here and claim that you have the best new enterprise since "sliced bread" and yet we can find you, we can't evaluate you.
The theme of our thread is personality. I have no doubt you can coach people on technical expertise as in how to use a mic, how to produce the equalization and compression of audio files, and how to speak clearly, distinctly, etc. But can you teach PERSONALITY?
That seems to be the root question we pitch around in a lot of threads about Talk Radio. If talent in the industry had a bit more personality, and confidence in that personality, maybe they would feel so compelled to be the meanest, toughest most doctrinaire person in the whole world... which is what seems to be gutting Talk Radio as we know it.... at based on the conversations we have here.
Ill tell ya its so simple you need practice so where do you get it? Well everyone else looks for customers too....you just hate people can make money off the internet while OTA jobs are gone.....
Again how do you know if you have what it takes? practice in a studio environment....I just dont see why you are so angry....just go on Craigslist there are people who always advertise looking for show hosts in every city....but the kicker is 90% are ghetto rap and hip hop.....and most locations are not safe to walk at night.
Again how do you know if you have what it takes? practice in a studio environment....I just dont see why you are so angry....just go on Craigslist there are people who always advertise looking for show hosts in every city....but the kicker is 90% are ghetto rap and hip hop.....and most locations are not safe to walk at night.
I'm just curious, if I can record an aircheck on my own for free, why would that be a bad option?
I did think of another question for you guys, however. I happen to work for a rather "community oriented" radio station (as opposed to a station belonging to a major conglomerate). Will this improve my chances of getting to hit the air?
I did think of another question for you guys, however. I happen to work for a rather "community oriented" radio station (as opposed to a station belonging to a major conglomerate). Will this improve my chances of getting to hit the air?
I see this as the same as a musician paying for studio time. If it were marketed like that, I wouldn't have a problem. Marketing it like "you're on the radio and this will help you get a radio job" is where I have the issue. If I had a state of the art studio, that's what I'd do. I'd sell "aircheck creation and review" services instead of selling "Internet airtime".
And I don't consider brokered hosts "real" either. Maybe some of them are good, but I don't think it's the same as someone who ate Ramen noodles every night for years until they could get a full time gig that paid well.
And to the OP, who asked about "community" stations, that's fine. I think some PDs would probably respect people coming from a small company station more than someone who just voice tracked a shift at a Clear Channel station. Small station guys usually can troubleshoot equipment problems, know how to deal with pesky salespeople, and can think on their feet better when they're live on the air. There's nothing wrong with working for a conglomerate either. Take what jobs you can get.
And I don't consider brokered hosts "real" either. Maybe some of them are good, but I don't think it's the same as someone who ate Ramen noodles every night for years until they could get a full time gig that paid well.
And to the OP, who asked about "community" stations, that's fine. I think some PDs would probably respect people coming from a small company station more than someone who just voice tracked a shift at a Clear Channel station. Small station guys usually can troubleshoot equipment problems, know how to deal with pesky salespeople, and can think on their feet better when they're live on the air. There's nothing wrong with working for a conglomerate either. Take what jobs you can get.
I've seen in the past some suggestions on airchecks (Airchex if you are creating a cereal) but can't remember where I last saw a good set.
I've only listened to a few thousand demo tapes / airchecks, and here is what I'd include.
Part A. Samples
A couple of scoped commercials (no gig comes without that... even if it is for fund-raising for a non-com). Hard and soft sell, etc.
Some production samples if you do production
Scoped aircheck of a few breaks from a music shift. Liners, intros, contest, promo liners, etc.
Part B Full Show
If you got them to listen this far, add a scoped (edited music and commercial breaks) hour or two of a show.
Tip: if you make it a "best of" tape, the PD will know you can't do this break after break and it will hurt your chances.
If it is talk, do a short piece on each of several topics. Be sure to include the reset after each news or commercial break, how you get into a topic, a bit of a monologue and maybe some calls if you do that. Show that you can do a variety of subjects, and avoid doing several takes on the same theme. You'll be evaluated on your personality and style.
At the beginning, say something like "Hi, I'm Ford Range and I'm looking for a (brief description of kind of gig you want in 20 words or less) and give your phone number. Don't read your resume. But if the aircheck / demo becomes detached from the paperwork, you want them to know who you are.
In the past, we often looked at demo cassettes as a source of free tape to put music on... that was a while back, of course. But it shows that you have to kiss a lot of frogs to find what you want. Send lots out, follow up nicely, and send more to more stations... Be ready to move to Missoula or Twin Falls, too.
Exactly SMG you pay for the studio the engineer and the overhead, in this case its a streaming internet station......and how do you get a radio job?
I consider brokered hosts real, they have to abide by the format clock in a lot of stations TOH news weather breaks.very few get the whole hour or even 50 minutes to themselves
And internet radio can be the same its all depends on how you run it, like an amateur or being strict about the time clock. And the same for community stations are you lax with time, music sequeways do you let anyone on who is boring,droning, barely literate, because you have to fill the time.....and they are willing to volunteer?
I consider brokered hosts real, they have to abide by the format clock in a lot of stations TOH news weather breaks.very few get the whole hour or even 50 minutes to themselves
And internet radio can be the same its all depends on how you run it, like an amateur or being strict about the time clock. And the same for community stations are you lax with time, music sequeways do you let anyone on who is boring,droning, barely literate, because you have to fill the time.....and they are willing to volunteer?
How did I get a radio job? I started as a board op and worked my way into on air. Then I applied for every position I thought I could possibly do until I got a full time gig. I know it's the old fashioned way, but it seems to have worked.
Yet they aren't there on the merits of their ability.
The Internet isn't radio.
A couple posts back you gave some excellent advice on making a demo. If I were you, that's what the focus of my business would be. A facility to make demos and consultation into what makes a good demo. Sort of like those broadcasting schools you seem to hate so much, but much cheaper.
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