It has
been nearly six months since I graduated from radio school and I have learned a
lot in that time. I am now working in my first full-time radio job (eeeeekkkk
still can’t believe how lucky I am) and I have been crazy busy with everything
so I thought I would compile for you a list of the things I have learned in my
first six months out of radio school.
Here
we go.
1. I
have four hours inside the heads of my listeners every weekday. I owe it to
them to sound the best that I can, which for me means no eating. I don’t sound as good when I have eaten, if need be a
snack can be consumed when I have a solid block of music in front of the news
(about 25 minutes). But, no spicy food while on-air, ever.
2. Coffee is amazing. Free, nearly always-fresh
coffee is one of the best parts of my job (especially when on the morning
show).
3. With
that being said, there is a time and a place for coffee. Too much coffee can
dry you out, so hydration is key. Water
is your voice’s best friend.
4. 3
minute rants are fine when you are in radio school but after about 1:45 in the
real world people will change the channel. People will probably only keep
listening if you are talking about some thing controversial, in the middle of a
truly amazing interview, or that person is your mother. When you listen back
you will be embarrassed that you took up so much time. If you are doing your job right you know that seconds are a long time
and using them well is an art.
5. Sometimes
it will feel like you need more of those precious seconds to get a message out
there, this maybe the time to utilize social media to tell the rest of the
story. Do not rely on social media it
can be a crutch. Use those 144 character twitter skills to craft an
informative message in your timeframe and try to get everything you need in
there. Think of the web as bonus content for the devoted listeners who will go
there, do not assume everyone will.
6. Be entertaining or
informative.
8. But, if you do want to go there make sure what
YOU are adding about yourself is of value to the listener and don’t force it if
it isn’t there.
9. You
will meet some odd balls out there in our line of work (I assume this is the
case in most lines of work), weird people with strange tendencies. Embrace the different characters in your
office if possible; learn to work around them if you can’t. I like to think
of people around the office in terms of great television characters they remind
me of.
10. Sometimes
these odd balls are awesome! They can become really good friends, but know the line between what is personal and
what is professional and when to go there with work friendships. In our
line of work things blur really easily and it can be tough to toe the line.
11. On-air less is better than
too much.
It may seem like you can make something 5% better by adding 30 seconds worth of
rambling in the moment but there is a good chance that if it wasn’t part of
your prep it will make the break 25% more annoying by dragging things out.
12. Have an out; an end game is
key to your breaks. If you need to write it out do it. If you need to write out every one
of your breaks there is no shame in it, you know your show better than anyone
else. I think ending strong is more important than any other part of your
break, regardless if you need to write it out do it, reherse it and go. If you
get more comfortable as time goes on, great! I write out every break and it
keeps me concise.
13. Radio is not jobs are not
9-5.
Remotes and all that jazz are part of it, but so is show prep.
a) It is normal to think about
your show and prep it in your head while you are not at work. Experiences and
daily life events are great things to work into your show prep.
b) You may not be the first
person in every morning or the last person to leave every night, get what you
need to get done and then work ahead.
14. We
like to work on our own, you can ask people if they need help with anything
(especially radio people, not sales etc.) and they will most likely tell you
they have everything covered. On the
rare occasion someone else asks you for help, do it, right away. Unless
what you are doing is vital, then do it, from what I have found people never
ask for help unless it is important and then it is most likely freaking
important. Help them out, stat! We like to be individuals in radio, but we are
all part of one giant team in the end.
15. The more you can do the more
you are worth.
Those Photoshop lessons, creative writing classes, and web design workshops all
make you a more valuable employee and can help expedite processes that normally
need to be outsourced.
16. People
will always have an opinion on what you do and how well you are doing it.
Sometimes it can pop up when you least expect it (like in an email from a
listener), sometimes you will get it non-stop you have to work with that thinks
they have a valuable opinion but no industry experience (like a sales rep) and
you will always have to be open to it in air checks.
Respect
the opinions of others regardless of their knowledge of the radio industry.
Listeners are your bread and butter, they may not have ever stepped in front of
a mic or on a soapbox of any type; but you have an intimate relationship with
them (hopefully) that brings them back everyday. I have gotten most positive feedback in person or over the
phone; negative feedback comes in cold emails. I take all of that feedback with
a grain of salt.
But
have a trusted team that can give you feedback from experience. You may not
always agree with one person (like your PD, etc.) so it is smart to have others
to go off of as well. If there is a place you dream of working get in touch
with them, I bet you anything the PD at that station will give you an air check
and help you become the talent they want to hire in the future. Look to other
colleagues too. I have never met someone who has been refused an air check,
seriously. Most people are working to get better themselves, climb the radio
latter (like becoming a PD), or hire the next big thing. We
put ourselves out there everyday and most of us are still pretty vulnerable,
know your brand and where you want to go and find the resources you need to get
there.
There
it is. My list of sixteen things I have learned in my first six months working
in radio. There is so much more I could say, but right now those are the
biggies.
I
will try to update more as I go so I can get into specifics and not just long
lists.
