16 Things I Have Learned Since Radio School

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.

7. Take yourself out of the equation- it is not about you- some of the most talented radio hosts never let their listeners get to know them personally.

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.