Born for Broadcasting: Taking the Right Career Path for Radio

Some are born to entertain. However, not every personality and voice transfers well to radio. Yet, some are born for broadcasting, having a great voice, an appealing personality, or an interest in technical audio equipment and production. Here is a number of ideas that will get you on the right path to your first job as well as your career.

Become a Promotions Assistant

A promotions assistant does odd jobs such as driving vans, setting up tents, promoting events, etc. It’s not an entirely glamorous assignment, yet it provides radio experience and gets one’s foot in the door. You may need a certain number of college credits or years of radio experience to become an assistant. Check local listings, find the emails of important persons, and scan websites for job openings and descriptions.

Start a Podcast

Whether you’re interested in tinkering with production software or itching to be the star of the show, a podcast will provide you with opportunity to get experience. Starting a podcast is relatively easy. Most get lazy as far as producing appealing content on a regular basis. Perhaps it’s best to grow a library of content first, gain momentum, and then launch a live podcast.

Go to School

There’s no harm in going to school and pursuing a degree in broadcasting. Aside from traditional college curriculums, broadcasting schools offer a faster track into the business. Both options can be pricey depending on tuition and housing. Take a look at related info at Recording Radio Film Connection and CASA schools. Lastly, search for a paid or non-paid internship. Some jobs won’t pay but working accrues college credits.

Volunteer

You may find limited job openings, yet you can volunteer to work for free. The experience still allows for practice and the ability to make connections. Radio is a popular medium. At times, who you know is important. Be proactive in making friends in the industry by volunteering at college stations, local stations, and guest appearing on others’ podcasts.

Interview Professionals

Interviewing current professionals gives you the chance to really understand what a job in radio is like. Also, asking the professional questions about how they broke into radio gives you a blueprint to follow. Furthermore, it’s always good to know more people in the business regarding job opportunities, room for advancement, etc.

Go to Conferences

Attend professional conferences where you’ll hear panels of discussion, meet veterans in the field, and rub elbows with peers. Following personalities on social media is good, sending an email is better, yet speaking to seasoned professionals in person gives you the opportunity to make an impression. Attending conferences may also lead to job opportunities.

Attract a Following

Today’s job candidates sometimes come with a following of their own. A number of ‘celebrities’ are getting their start on online platforms like Snapchat, YouTube, Twitter, etc. If you have a podcast, just like writing a blog, you can’t expect people to stumble upon your content. You need to direct their attention from other mainstream platforms like Facebook. Attracting a following will give you more experience in delivering content that the people want. Moreover, a following can be used as leverage when shopping for a job or asking for a raise.

Keep Trying

The greatest writers, sports stars, and other entertainers don’t all come out of the gates and become superstars. Many people have to work at their craft before they start to get noticed. Therefore, keep trying if broadcasting is your passion. Don’t get discouraged and take constructive criticism in stride. Don’t judge yourself against other personalities but pay attention to how well you’re progressing each week, month, etc.

Be Yourself

Those already in broadcasting encourage aspirants to be themselves. There may be pressure to act a certain way because that’s what is popular at the moment or works well for another personality. For example, a lot of people attempted to emulate Howard Stern due to his ‘shock jock’ style and subsequent popularity. However, you have your own unique personality, which is likely to work best for you and your audience.

Network Offline

There is plenty of online opportunity for those interested in broadcasting. However, the industry is filled with people, so don’t forget to engage in networking offline. You can visit radio stations and ask questions, go to industry related conferences and events, and consider starting your own interest group using a tool like Meetup.com.

Explore Options

Being a radio personality isn’t the only way to break into broadcasting. Some people may prefer to do things ‘behind the scenes,’ which involves research, audio equipment, or advertising and promotion.

James Petulla has spent more than 30 years as an educator. He is the CEO of Recording Radio Film Connection and CASA Schools which offer one-on-one mentor/apprentice education in recording, film, radio and culinary industry settings. This unique approach to higher education has resulted in a graduate job placement rate of over 72%.