Value Computer Class/Explore New Tech Skills

The beautiful thing about working in a technical world is that you can develop skills you can learn in your personal life that can be of great value at the station. 

In my Radio and Television Arts program we learn computer skills, often they are disregarded and people just look for a pass in the class. Don't be one of those people. Every skill you develop makes you more valuable to employers. Final Cut, Photoshop, web design, Power Point, spreadsheets, social media, Google Docs and Drives can be a huge resource for you. Just because you aren't using it now (if you are in school), does not mean it won't be of value in the future.

Here's my example of the importance of knowing things outside of the typical radio box. At one of the stations I worked at one of my bosses was in charge of his department, but was also a resource for all photoshop and web design elements too. Not only was he able to pump work out quickly (if it was needed), he saved the station money. He designed the graphic that is now the station logo, but where I think he is of the most value is on social media. 

We live in a world where social media graphics are expected to be updated all the time. He can make contest banners, seasonal icons and spoof photos anytime! He keeps the cost within the building, no money is spent on those tasks being outsourced.

Be the employee you would want to hire. Develop a wide range of skills, even something as small as learning how to take good photos can be a skill your station can use!

When You Move To A New City

Working in radio there are lots of opportunity for travel. You should learn about your new home (no matter how temporary) as soon as you get there. It is important to learn the local culture, places names and pronunciations. The easiest way to lose listeners and their respect is to prove that you don't know what you are talking about. The listener should not be able to correct you. 

One of the first things I do when I am living in a new area is check out the local library. Usually libraries feature books about the area or a Librarian can help you find something. There are often classes, clubs and demonstrations at libraries so it can help connect you with people in your area. 

If reading is not your thing I suggest going to a place that hosts one of your interests. For example, If you like ice hockey visit a rink. There are often postings looking for participants and volunteers, another great way to meet people. 

Physically get out and see the city. When I lived in the UK I would get lost on transit all day, it was a great way to see parts of Wales that I never would have visited otherwise. When I moved across Canada I did the same thing, my job required me to work in a different fast food restaurant of a particular chain in the city everyday. My second summer in that city I continued this job, but was also working at a station. Knowing the ins and outs of the city was vital to me, Day 1. Know the nice neighbourhoods, the slums and most importantly: important areas to your demographics (example: top 40 station attracting teenage girls = mall).

Look for interesting stories that are in your demographics niche and work on telling them. Meeting people and sharing there stories will help you connect with listens and know your new home. 

Attend as many station events as possible. The Promotions Department may even hook you up with tickets! Again, when you are at your stations events it is a great chance to connect with your listeners and be part of the community. 

And of course, volunteer to do things no one else will do with a logo'd t-shirt with a smile on your face. If people connect you with the station you will make new friends right away. Everyone is curious about the mysteries of radio and let's face it you are social anyways. Where the gear, smile and talk. Boom, new friends. 

The Importance Of Networking and LinkedIn

Networking is essential if you are working in the radio industry.

I would not have survived the first day of my first internship (which led to my first job) if I had not kept in contact with my former bosses. Here is my real life example from the promotions department of a major market radio station. My boss, the Promotions Director, gave me an assignment to find three challenging promotional items that he was interested in investing in. 

Item #1-> A Spinning Prize Wheel

Item #2-> An Inflatable Wind Tunnel

Item #3-> A Pink Rotating Vehicle Dome Light

I was in a panic. At the end of the day I had searched, with very little luck, for the items. Out of desperation I made a Facebook post. My previous boss answered the post with solutions for finding the first two items (we even ended up purchasing the wind tunnel). The third item I ended up finding on sheer luck, after browsing many websites dedicated to emergency vehicle lights. 

My former boss saved my ass. Personally, I am not a big fan of having work associates on Facebook. My former boss and I did not become Facebook Friends until after we stopped working together. I am a fan of connecting with work associates and people you want to network with professionally via LinkedIn. 

As a new graduate of university and a student in college, I do have some contacts on LinkedIn that I am connected with socially as well as professionally. I tend not to add people to connect on LinkedIn until after I have finished working with them and I also try to avoid adding anyone I do not really know. The great thing about LinkedIn is that you can see who is viewing your LinkedIn profile. Often employers will check this informative resource in addition to viewing your resume. This is one of the reasons it is essential to keep an updated, complete profile. 

LinkedIn is a great way to connect with potential employers and resources within your industry. I am surprised how few people I know in radio are late in the LinkedIn game. I love it, it is the perfect way to stay connected with peers from college or university and grow a network of professionals as a resource. 

If you are in a radio program, you should have at least one class of connections right there! If you are volunteering with a station (or anywhere) there are more connections. Search for people where you currently work and where you have worked in the past. Connections are everywhere, think outside the box. Your connections are valuable on LinkedIn, they can write a recommendation for your profile or even attest that you have developed listed skills.   

Keep an eye out, your connections may post news from within your industry that could be invaluable to your work. Also, post work you have done or information that you think could help others. Be a good resource for your colleagues. Do remember though, your LinkedIn account should maintain some decorum and taste. Keep your posts professional, save the junk for Facebook.

Promotions Department: Subscribe, Follow and Like the Competition

If you are working in the promotions department of a radio station you know how important it is to keep updated on what the competition is doing. You should know what promotion your biggest competition is running and have a plan to outdo them. 

An easy way to do this is to get your competition to update you. Get updates sent to you, why go digging for information when they will send it to you? Subscribe to the competitions newsletters, tweets and Facebook posts. You may not want to do this from a station account for visibility reasons. If this is the case, 'like' or 'follow' from a private account, not one affiliated with the station. 

I know newsletters are becoming less popular methods of communicating, but I really encourage you to subscribe to one your competition produces (or a top station in your format). This can help you determine wether you want to invest your time in putting one together. I suggest trying it, if you can produce content that your listeners will value. 

Newsletters can be annoying. Plan the frequency of your newsletters (try to keep it weekly, bi-weekly or monthly) and stick to it. People will be more likely to subscribe if they know how often you are going to email them. Make sure you are tracking how many people are subscribing and unsubscribing can tell you what type of content is popular with your fans. If people are unsubscribing, try to determine why.

Or, just ask what type of content your audience wants. Ask in newsletters, tweets and Facebook posts for feedback. Try to make it as easy as possible. The fewer the steps, the more likely people will respond. At one station I worked at we attempted to have a listener feedback night, prizes and all. Not one person who responded would take part. But, listeners take the opportunity to voice their opinions in response to the post. In this case, people would post their thoughts openly on social media, rather than privately email them. It created a small discussion, but ultimately did not give the result we were looking for. 

Sometimes we get so wrapped up in what we are doing that we forget see what other stations are doing. If you subscribe, 'follow' or 'like' other stations it takes almost all the work out of keeping up with them. The real challenge is outdoing them. 

File Management

An example of file management on a PC.

File management is key when working with a computer, it really should not matter what industry you are in. Organization from the beginning is SO important. As a student in NSCC I divided my files between types of classes on my computer. A folder for computer, broadcast journalism, radio and television. I then divided each folder by assignment or type of work. 

Organizing your files is critical, it is important so that if you hand an external harddrive off to someone or someone else works on your computer for a day, that they can access your work easily. Organization helps you find specific files easier as well. 

I try to keep a naming protocol for all my files. My newscast files are named like this, Jan 1 2013 NewsRead 8PM. You should know exactly what the file is before you open it. 

Organizing beds and sound effects is crucial as well. You do not want to produce content that constantly sounds the same, having a 'live' or 'inbox' and an 'outbox' for your work is essential. You need to be able to tell if what you are using to piece together work are not already being used on your station. Save all elements of what you produce for quick fixes in editing. You may be asked to create a spin-off or sequel to a hit commercial or promo, saving what you have used can be critical for branding. 

Be smart. It is much, much easier to maintain organization than to attempt to organize all of your files after things have gotten out of control. 

App Feature: SoundCloud

Another app I think is invaluable to anyone working in the radio industry is SoundCloud. Like Evernote, SoundCloud can be used across multiple platforms. I have it on all of my devices (iMac, MacBook, iPad and iPhone). I use it both as an app and from a web browser. I prefer working from the web browser, but the apps are great on-the-go. 

SoundCloud is a mix of online audio storage space and Facebook. You can connect with your favourite artists or network with others in the industry and get their latest uploads fed to you. You can embed your SoundCloud files on websites and publicize your work through social media. An example of an embedded SoundCloud file can be seen on the Platypus's website at http://theplatypus.ca/blog/120. 

Like many apps you can use SoundCloud for free or upgrade for a fee. I use the free version, which has 120 minutes of storage. I like to keep my best work online and refresh it often to keep my online demo interesting, so I most likely will never approach the limit. Also, I use two accounts on SoundCloud so that I can lump similar work together. One of my accounts is essentially a demo of my production work and the second account is a demo of my on-air skill like interviews and show clips. 

The best thing about SoundCloud is how easy it is to use. I cannot stress how easy logging in and playing around with SoundCloud is. Devote a good half-hour to playing with it and I am sure you will find a use for this incredible resource for sharing your work. Wether you are a producer, creative writer, management or talent you can use SoundCloud. 

Upload a teaser for the next morning show and share it on Facebook.

Make a 'Best Of' or a 'Streeter' montage and plug it on-air.

Take a sample of your best work and upload it for potential employers or peers to keep the world updated on what you are working on. 

There are MANY uses for SoundCloud, give it a shot! 

App Feature: Evernote

I love this app!

I cannot say enough about it.

I has transformed the way I gather my show prep.

It stores and organizes my news files.

And, I can attach media files and email them off quickly.

I started using Evernote back in April 2012. I now have the app on my iMac, iPhone and iPad. But, I do not really need it, everything uploads to the the web browser. I usually use the web browser when I am on-air alone. If I am in charge of social media updates and weather etc it is easier than fiddling with a device.

Evernote has spun off more integrated apps that can further expand the programs capabilities. Evernote is free for limited use or $5 a month/$45 a year USD for 1GB of storage. I have never hit the free accounts cap. Note, I use Evernote for text documents about once a day during the work week.

Check out Evernote at www.evernote.com!

Update:

Since taking on my first full-time gig and moving out of the News Department, I continue to use Evernote every single day. It organizes my show prep. I break down all my breaks and write them out and keep all the other links and useful info for the day handy! I can go all the way back to my first day on air and tell you EXACTLY what I said during each of my breaks.

I have even implemented an account for our station organizing all the things that need to be mentioned (community events, liners etc.) for other jocks show prep.

I cannot tell you how valuable Evernote is to me everyday on the job! Thanks Evernote!

Online Training: LYNDA.com

The most valuable thing I ever did was subscribe to lynda.com. Really. I learned more about Adobe Audition, Pro Tools, social media, audio and various computer programs from the online courses. I took the courses while in school and it refreshed and expanded what I learned about audio and production at school. 

There are many great courses about programs, skills and knowledge you need to know if you are working in the radio business. On top of learning new skills, Lynda gives you a printable (and saveable) certificate once you have completed a course. Save these certificates, they are gold that can be used in your portfolio. 

When I subscribed to Lynda.com, I decided to go with the full subscription. This gave me access to the exercise files. I rarely ended up using them, you can use your own files if you want. This subscription is a more than the base subscription. Also, your first week is free on Lynda.com. I recommend keeping your membership past this period. I often go back to specific lessons to ensure I got the most out of it. 

A subscription gives you access to all of the online courses, learn what you want at your own pace. I consume these lessons and then re-watch them to make sure I really get it. 

The only thing I would caution is that a few courses seem a little out of date. Always make sure you are watching a course that is compatible with your software (usually advances in software are not overly out of touch with the course). An example of this is watching social media related videos. Social media changes so quickly that it is nearly impossible to keep up with, the courses still give you valuable information; though the techniques may be a little different (Lynda does retire courses, especially on topics like Adobe after technology has advanced). 

Here are some Lynda.com courses I think are applicable for radio, I have taken (or am taking) all of these: 

Audition CS6 Essential Training

http://www.lynda.com/course-tutorials/Audition-CS6-Essential-Training/97615-2.html

Foundations of Audio: Compression and Dynamic Processing

http://www.lynda.com/Logic-Pro-tutorials/Foundations-of-Audio-Compression-and-Dynamic-Processing/85998-2.html

Audio Recording Techniques

http://www.lynda.com/Audio-tutorials/Audio-Recording-Techniques/95612-2.html

Pro Tools Mixing and Mastering

http://www.lynda.com/Pro-Tools-tutorials/Pro-Tools-Mixing-Mastering/95249-2

Foundations of Audio: EQ and Filters 

http://www.lynda.com/Audio-DAW-tutorials/Foundations-of-Audio-EQ-and-Filters/86649-2.html

Maximizing Your Web Video and Podcast Audience with Hypersyndication

http://www.lynda.com/Video-Web-Mobile-tutorials/Maximizing-Your-Web-Video-Podcast-Audience-Hypersyndication/96660-2.html

iPad Music Production: GarageBand

http://www.lynda.com/GarageBand-tutorials/iPad-Music-Production-GarageBand/109363-2.html

Social Media Marketing with Facebook and Twitter

http://www.lynda.com/Facebook-tutorials/social-media-marketing-with-and-twitter/47759-2.html

Email Marketing Basics

http://www.lynda.com/Business-Online-Marketing-SEO-tutorials/Email-Marketing-Basics/84523-2.html

There are many, many more. If you are working in radio, Photoshop is something that is invaluable to you as well. You would be surprised how handy it is to know how to use this program. I will write about it in the future, but take advantage of your Lynda.com subscription and learn about software you do not know how to use. Your future employers will thank you!  

Get Inspired!

I truly believe you are the average of the top five people you spend time with. I think that this is true in your personal life, as well as your professional life. 


Surrounding yourself with positive, creative people is essential. Of course there are exceptions to the this, I know some people who work solely on their own. I like working on my own, but when I need to get my creative juices flowing there are specific people I like to work with. There are also people I clash with, sometimes when you meet someone you just know you mesh well together. But, sometimes you need to trust your work with people you do not know so well to test a creative working relationship. 

I have watched my bosses work and miss the most obvious creative concepts. Sharing perspectives with others is can present ideas that you (or they) missed. Sometimes you need someone else to draw that lightbulb moment out of you or vice versa. 

When I need that extra push and I do not have a room full of creative people in my backpocket there are a few specific resources I use for inspiration (these are specific to me, try to find things that inspire you as well). 


 Movie 
Pirate Radio (The Boat That Rocked)

I love watching how exciting this period in radio was in the UK. The excitement  and pure love for radio as a medium is contagious. For more on why this period in radio was so exciting read this Wiki article before watching the movie.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pirate_radio_in_the_United_Kingdom


Documentary 
6 Days To Air: The Making Of South Park
I think anyone can appreciate the creative talents of the writers of South Park. This documentary made me appreciate South Park's crudeness. Tough deadlines, creativity; this documentary inspires me every-time I watch it. Even though it is about a television program, I think the messages about creating content apply to radio too. 



Radio Show/Podcast 
The Age of Persuasion & Under The Influence 

CBC airs Age of Persuasion every Saturday. But, I listen to it via podcast episodes and TuneIn. These radio shows are presented in the same style and they are phenomenal. Seriously, these shows discuss marketing and advertising in with simple examples from daily life. I subscribe to them and listen to them over and over again. The shows are created by Pirate Radio & Television and they are enlightening, insightful gems. If you are writing spots these shows should be your radio bible, Terry O'Reilly is a wealth of information about the industry and what pays private stations bills. 
http://www.cbc.ca/ageofpersuasion/
http://www.cbc.ca/undertheinfluence/about/

Nothing gets me more pumped up than consuming inspirational content. If I create something that inspires people the way any of these examples inspire me, my career will have been successful. Again, these are just my examples. Some people go shopping on a "rainy day", I flip one of these programs on and my mood flips. 

Find something that inspires you. Something that informs you. It can give you an edge or that something special you need to get through a project or assignment. 

If you are working in something a little more straight-laced, like news. Find your inspiration or heroes there. Examples of my news heros are: Martha Gellhorn, Peter Mansbridge and Anna Maria Tremonti. Or, if I am about to do a big interview I listen to my favourite interviewers. Alec Baldwin's podcast Here's The Thing and Jian Ghomeshi's daily radio show Q on CBC are my go-to sources. 

In the words of Little Wayne, "do you". Find what makes you excited about the industry and go from there! 

Get Inspired: Have A Life

There are somethings you can do to strengthen your on-air presence that have nothing to do with actual radio skills. 

If you are on-air talent it is essential to keep your content fresh and current. There is no better way to do this than to go out and live a little. I know this can be a challenge if you are a student or on a limited budget. Hopefully if you are working at a station they can help you out by giving you tickets to events etc.

With social media it is very easy to immerse yourself in your online life. Would you want to listen to this? We sit behind a computer and mic as a job, it is easy to gather your prep without leaving the studio. But, it is not that interesting (and most anyone can do it). Take in a show, go to a game, visit the park, see a movie. Getting out will make your shows more interesting and will help you connect better with your audience. 

If your station is hosting an event, go. I have met so many on-air personalities that do not take part in their own stations promotional events. You are most likely going to have to talk about it anyways, why not experience it and know what you are talking about. Not only will the experience give you invaluable information, it will help you connect with your listeners. Listeners will better connect with you on-air if they experience you off-air. 

As a huge radio nerd myself, I love listening to people I have met or know on the radio. It gives you a "I know them" moment. And, it is always humbling to meet the people who essentially write your pay checks. 

If you are trying to make yourself Facebook famous, there is no better way to get likes than to take photos with your fans and have them post them to your page (or you can take them and post them). People will like you, even if they don't like your station. If you are attending an event, let your fans know. Invite them to come out if you are hosting. We are living in an age where you can make yourself into a seudo-celebrity. Why not? It will make you more valuable to your station and it will impress potential employers. 

I will write an additional blog in the future going into more detail about social media integration in your work. Also, there will be an upcoming feature blog discussing the best ways to learn a new city or town if you have just moved away for work.

Back to the point. If you are leading a boring life, it can reflect in your work. If you are working in radio, it is more than likely that you are a social person. Use your social skills to your advantage and get out and experience life as your listeners live it. If you are working at a station than it is more than likely that they can help you our with tickets and finding local things to do. 

It you are working in a small town it can be more challenging to find things than a big city. Look at traditions in the area, are there local beaches people frequent? Where do people go sledding in the winter? When does the local university/high school hockey team play their major sports? 

It may take some research at first, but it is worth it. If you can reflect your format with your activities, even better. Post what your doing to your social media (blogs, Facebook, twitter). If you aren't trying to invite people out to join you then post it afterwards. Plugging where you are and what you are doing beforehand may be useful if you are are getting paid to promote an event or it is for your station. 

I guess it all really goes back to the local point from a previous blog. Local content is key for engaging your listeners and proving a computer can not do your job. 

What You Need To Succeed: Personal Recorders

Technology is constantly evolving and so is the personal audio recorder. 

A handheld recorder is needed for the second year of my radio program. I bought one in my first year of the program, but I was really unhappy with what I ended up with. Our class had not yet been advised about what to look for in a recorder and I simply bought what I found at Radio Shack.

Big mistake. My work was averaging in the 70s, even though the content was great the quality was horrible. The recorder I bought is just like the Sony pictured to the right. It is a great little recorder if you are looking for something to record your thoughts on, but it really is not broadcast quality. 

A good recorder is an investment, do not buy one that is cheaply made. Save your money, this is in an investment. It is telling when you listen to your work. Recording is the first thing you do when working with your own audio. If you record garbage than everything down the line will sound bad too. Crap in, crap out. 

I know a lot of people are switching to recording clips on their iPhones and iPads. I have recorded on both before for broadcast. But, I do not recommend it. There are some definite advantages doing this if you do not mind losing some quality. 

Drop Box and iTalk are some apps I recommend if you are recording on an iPhone or iPad. Search for these blogs specifically if you are interested in using the apps. Basically, I record and organize files with iTalk and then send them back to the studio instantly with DropBox.

You can use both apps for free, but if you are using them all the time than you will need to upgrade to a paid account (most likely). You can also integrate Evernote into this system as well. Evernote is also covered in another blog post. 

The clips can be good enough for broadcast, depending on what you want to use them for. Using these apps together is a great way to get clips from streeters, interviews or imaging clips that you want to send back to the studio immediately. But, if you are looking for perfect quality this is not the route I would take when recording. Again, the benefit of using this system is the speed of transfer back to your producer.




I am really excited to try Zoom's iQ5. It is a mic that plugs into your iPhone or iPad. If you have these devices and you plan on having them with you when recording on the streets than this maybe your best option. Personally, I like the boost I get when presenting myself with a professional looking recorder. Many people record on their iPhones, its become normal. Having a piece of professional looking recording equipment could open some doors for you that an iPhone or an iPad may not. This product is not out at the time of posting, but it rumoured to be priced around $100. Remember, you get what you pay for.
http://www.samsontech.com/zoom/products/mobile-recording/iq5/

What do I use? I use a Zoom Q3 HD. It is pictured to the left. To me it was worth the investment. Working at a 'Top 40' station, I saw how important social media development was. If you are thinking of using video on the web (or even just personally) than this is the perfect option for you. It records broadcast quality audio and high definition video. It is Mac native, but is simple to use on a PC too. Also, it uses SD cards so the storage can be whatever you want! 
http://www.samsontech.com/zoom/products/handheld-video-recorders/q3hd/

I love my Q3 HD, I take it with me EVERYWHERE. It is simple to use, so that anyone can help shoot you (if you want to be in the video). It is a bit more than other recorders, it sits around $300. 

The only thing I do not like about my Q3 is that it does not have an XLR plug. This would be very, very handy. The Zoom H4N does have XLR/TRS inputs. It is a bit cheaper than the Q3 HD as well, under $300. This is the base recorder recommended in my Radio and Television school program. As pictured to the right, plugging using these plugs may be better for your purposes. If you want to use a microphone in your recordings, this is your best option. If you know you will not be using the video feature than this may be the best option for you. 

http://www.samsontech.com/zoom/products/handheld-audio-recorders/h4n/ http://www.zoom.co.jp/products/h4n/

Most people in my program bought the Zoom H1 Handy Recorder, pictured to the right.  This recorder is essentially the Sony recorder on steroids. It records good audio, most of the time. It is around $100. If you need a recorder on a budget today than this is the best one to buy, but I would recommend waiting to buy one with additional features. Our instructor did not want us to by this recorder. I have heard really bad work out of this recorder and good work. Don't risk it, spend the money and it will come back to you in the amazing work you will produce.
http://www.samsontech.com/zoom/products/handheld-audio-recorders/h1/

I also bought the accessory kit for my Q3, it comes with a case, windsock and tripod for the Q3 (and other goodies). These are the accessories I use the most. If you are buying the accessory kit as well. It is worth the $50.  

No matter what you do ensure you buy a broadcast quality recorder. Search online for what is hot, what gets solid reviews and know what it is you are looking for. It can be overwhelming, but if you know what you want it makes the experience shopping for a recorder easier. I recommend, if you really do not know what you want, check a music store. Here in Halifax we have a Long & McQuade (that is where I bought my Q3 HD). Store staff can help you determine what you need, if they do not have what you are looking for you can always go back to shopping online. 

Or, if you are working in radio; ask your colleagues what they are using and what they recommend for your specific job. 

If you do not need to be portable, if you will be mostly recording at home than a home studio is what you are looking for. Not simply a personal recorder. We will talk about what you need to set up a home studio in future blogs. 


*I wrote about Zoom products in this blog, I am not supported by Zoom in any way. I simply know this brand better than any other brands out there in portable recording. There are other great brands to checkout, but most everyone I know use a Zoom recorder (and love them!).

Warming Up and Strengthening Your Voice

Nope. That is not an alien. Those are vocal cords and you need to strengthen them if you are going to be working in radio!

What does that mean? 

You need to practice, practice, practice. 

Warming up is key to conditioning your voice for any performance. 

There are many websites that provide many different methods to warming up your voice. Here are some good examples of vocal warm ups and how to do them. I am no expert in warming up your voice, I like to start humming before I leave my apartment and sing on the car ride to the station. I then read over my show prep and go through a news read. 

There is nothing worse than going through your show and hearing yourself  'wake up'.  Have you ever listened to a show where the jock's voice crisps as the show goes on, this is the vocal cords waking up. Warming up will avoid this. You can sometimes hear morning show hosts vocal cords 'waking up' if they do not warm up when they start a morning show. 

Do your show prep justice, warm up before you deliver your content. 

If you were a hockey defence-man you would spend time developing a strong slap-shot right? Think of strengthening your voice the same way. Your voice is what will be bringing in the bacon and your going to be talking more than you can imagine, spend some time developing it. 

In periods where I am not on-air some key things I do to maintain and strengthen my voice are:

1. Save your old news reads and read them aloud for practice. If you have a wire subscription you can simply pull a few newscasts from it to read. I mix it up, a couple from the wire and a couple of my old stories. Though working with new content provides an added challenge, if you are focusing simply on strengthening you vocal cords than any content will do. I try to do 3-4 newscasts at once when I use this strategy.

2. I read newspapers aloud. I try to read three medium sized articles without taking a break. This will challenge you, newspaper articles are not written for broadcast, you will find the sentences longer and often a more diverse use of words. I read the articles to the best of my ability without stumbling, it helps to read through each article first. 

3. Read to someone. This is a little different than other exercises, I recommend this if you are working on character voices or just want to change up your routine. I read to my cousin at his bed time, this can be challenging. If you are reading to put someone to sleep you will not project the same way you would on-air. Try reading with children other than at bedtime. Read magazine articles to your spouse or family members.

4. A new thing I have been trying to do lately is read movie subtitles or television with my broadcast voice. Sometimes it goes a little fast, but it is good practice reading new material quickly. 

5. Download movie scripts and practice going through a read. It is pretty easy to find scripts online, this is another good way to work on new voices as well. 

I think you can get the picture, strengthening your voice is not something that is going to happen over night. Start reading aloud with your on-air voice, do it whenever you can. Try to do it for at least 15 minutes straight. Unless you are working on talk radio it is very unlikely you will be speaking for so long on-air. 

Strengthening your voice should not come at the expense of your radio show. Before accepting a position your voice should be strong and ready to do shows consistently (especially if you are working on a morning show or on-air for long durations daily). Nothing would be worse than starting a job and losing your voice within the first few shifts.  

Keep at it all the time, but do not over do it. If it starts to hurt or you begin to lose your voice, stop! Remember your voice is your tool! 

Show Prep

A note about show prep.

Show prep is the work you do to ensure your radio show is informative for listeners. Depending on your format you will be doing different types of prep work. For example, 'Top 40' stations you will most likely be talking about entertainment news, celebrity gossip and local events. Most formats try to speak to specific demographics, your show prep should be useful information that your audience wants to hear.

For example:
A 'Top 40' station would not play country music and a hot pop song would not play on a country radio station. You would not talk about country music industry news on the 'Top 40' station and vice versa.

Of course, some songs are cross format lines and are played on country and 'Top 40' stations (thank you, Taylor Swift). Some songs/stories are big enough or relevant to be covered on both stations, knowing your format is the key. Know who your listeners are, know what listeners you want to have and the speak to them when you hit the airwaves.

Personally, I do my own show prep. But, you can pay for subscription and have your work done for you. I do not do this because I like to keep my shows local, I like to talk about what is going on with my listeners. I still throw in news and stories from the outside world, but I think it is important to give people tuning in information that they may not hear anywhere else.

You may be presenting the only local content your listeners hear during the day, let them know what is going on! Is there a foot of snow on the way? Is there an accident backing up traffic during rush hour? Be the local information resource.

Local content is key. With the development of new technologies radio is global. What you are broadcasting from a rural, small town in Montana can be picked up by anyone in the world now with live broadcast streams. When people find a station they like, regardless of where they are in the world they will tune in. I know many people who tune in to their hometown radio stations no matter where they are living, it is a comfort from home where ever they are.

Have a good mixture of prep like important information pertaining to your format (entertainment news, tv programming, music charts, box office results etc.) and local information like public service announcements, news and events.

Keep your bits short and sweet. Know the information, practice delivery and then keep it to the point. When you do the work ensure you have an 'end game'. Are you driving your listeners to your Facebook or Twitter pages, or to the phone for a call in? Are you ending your break with a joke? Keep in mind what you want to happen when you turn off the mic.

Here are some good prep websites
Dan O'Day   http://danoday.com/odayprep1.html  (free)
The Complete Sheet   http://www.wisebrother.com/wbm_products/tcs/  ($$)
The Morning Skoop   http://www.themorningskoop.com/    ($$)
Radio Jock's Prep Directory  http://www.radiojock.com/prep.html
FM Jock's Prep http://www.fmjock.com/en/    ($$)
The Bull Sheet http://www.thebullsheet.com/home.html ($$)