Next Step.....radio?

[exbutlinred82 0]

Listened to Radio Sheffield the other day and when the two DJs did their nine o'clock swap it transpired that they were former Mobile DJ'S.

 

Any board members fancy that??

 

Admit that I have dabbled in Hossy Radio and Football Commentaries but never been paid for it yet.If I applied do you think that I have done some genuine DJ work (LOL) would put me in good stead.

 

Easy way to make a living??

[spinner 0]

As far as I am aware, the freeing of the airwaves, leading to the current proliferation of radio stations and subsequent dilution of any real prestige associated with presenting, has brought about the situation where the pay is not particularly good except at the very top of the profession.

 

That's the long answer.

 

The short one is "no".

[deejaymitch 0]

I'd love to be a Radio DJ as well as a mobile one but I don't think I could be confined to a station's chosen playlist. And, as previously stated, not many people make big bucks at it these days.

[mikeee 0]

It always used to be, you started a mobile as training for broadcasting.

 

In a nutshell.......

 

Mobile DJ, start in youth clubs, on to pubs, then "Clubs" or working mens clubs, then weddings.

Somewhere around the clubs bit start at a local hospital radio.

After about 5 years or so, make a "topped and tailed" demo and send it to the stations with a covering letter, followed a week later with a phone call.

 

Have fun

[spinner 0]

It always used to be, you started a mobile as training for broadcasting.

 

In a nutshell.......

 

Mobile DJ, start in youth clubs, on to pubs, then "Clubs" or working mens clubs, then weddings.

Somewhere around the clubs bit start at a local hospital radio.

After about 5 years or so, make a "topped and tailed" demo and send it to the stations with a covering letter, followed a week later with a phone call.

 

Have fun

 

 

Also have a look at www.radioandtelly.co.uk which contains useful advice as well as organisations to contact. www.radiotoday.co.uk may also be useful.

 

One piece of advice I saw on a broadcast-related site was dont mention hospital radio in your CV.

Not sure why since, I think, some established broadcasters started in hospital radio, but it may be to do with having connotations of worthy but unexciting.

[Secret Disco 0]

Also have a look at www.radioandtelly.co.uk which contains useful advice as well as organisations to contact. www.radiotoday.co.uk may also be useful.

 

One piece of advice I saw on a broadcast-related site was dont mention hospital radio in your CV.

Not sure why since, I think, some established broadcasters started in hospital radio, but it may be to do with having connotations of worthy but unexciting.

 

 

Ive worked on West Sound,Central FM and finally FM97 WLAN in Lancaster PA USA. All a wonderful experience,but with little pay (except spin-offs clubs etc). Started on Hospital Radio but dont miss it much.

The down side i suppose is working with some of the vainest, "Luvvies" ever.with HUGE ego's.

[4zzz 0]

I have been working with Community Radio station the past two years.

 

I do it for the love of music.

I get to play what I want with no set playlists.

There is no money in it but enjoy the experience.

 

There are not many radio stations I would like to work for.

As 90% would be heres your playlist.

You get to play what the station tells you to.

 

There are exceptions eg Steve Lamauq The late great John Peel etc

 

Most commercial stations are all about having the right voice for the people who pay the advertising bucks.

Thats why a lot of them sound the same with mindless chatter.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Steve_Mitchell 0]

local radio DJ`s get treated like :poo: ... One min your in the next your out... I also do community radio (with no pay) and to them am a hero...lol.

 

Its harder these days to get into radio as most stations now are cutting the presenters down because they are going more national. By this I mean bigger companies are buying out the small radio stations and broadcasting centrally to all the small stations with one DJ.

 

Try hospital radio or a community one. The community one I do has a potential 100,000 audiance.

[jamminroadshow 0]

I would love to do some more radio i did hospital and that went down the pan as senior management fecked it up. I do not know of any here in Stoke but would love to join them.

[DJGAVT 0]

 

Easy way to make a living??

 

 

Having worked in radio for many years (not on air but as a producer) unless your a "Big" name your not going to make great money as a radio presenter.

[deejaymitch 0]

Having worked in radio for many years (not on air but as a producer) unless your a "Big" name your not going to make great money as a radio presenter.

 

I don't think I'd mind the money not being great, it's just something I've always wanted to do. The Playlist thing would be a big sticking point though.

 

[DJGAVT 0]

I don't think I'd mind the money not being great, it's just something I've always wanted to do. The Playlist thing would be a big sticking point though.

 

Well that is the problem with radio these days you "HAVE" to stick to the playlist!!! No room for change there what so ever. Also you can only speak a certain number of times per hour and sometimes for a certain length.

[analyst 0]

First, don't confuse radio presenting with DJ'ing.

I don't wish to re-iterate a number of the good points made already, but if you think launching into radio would be an easy way to make fame and fortune you are deluding yourself.

 

Except for a few at the top, pay is not great, job prospects are poor and job security probably ranks in the minus quantities. Here today- gone tomorrow (and that's you/ the station/ the management/ the organisation) trade-offs/mergers/acquisitions/automation is the name of the game.

 

You are entirely controlled, not the controller. Hell, even the public who make requests on air are told what they can request.

 

The BBC will judge presenters, not on music knowledge or anything related, but on their skills in interviewing guests.

 

However, if you really, really must give it a go, here's what to do.

 

Make up a CD recording of your presenting skills, i.e. interesting links. Cut out the music apart from a few secs intro and outro with each link (the Programme Controller has enough music to listen to without yours). Make it a composite of about 2½ - 3 mins of this stuff, though only the first 30 secs will ever get played (if that). This will ideally be carefully selected from your own live broadcasts (so hosp radio really does help) so a lively, chirpy, interesting persona comes over.

 

Be very careful in doing all this, be hypercritical of yourself. If you are not 100% certain that every millisecond is perfection you are wasting your time. The PC knows you have contrived this recording, so if it sounds in any way :poo: what the hell would you be like live?

 

To enhance your chances of it not hitting the waste bin as soon as the envelope is opened, make an "interesting" cover for it, anything to make it stand out from the other 1000 hopefuls. Find out the name of the Programme Controller of the station and send it to him by name with a good application letter.

 

Sit back and prepare for rejection - which they won't tell you about anyway.

 

Good luck!

[exbutlinred82 0]

Good Post analyst.

 

Loads of cynicism from everyone towards Radio then.

 

 

HOWEVER!!!

 

 

Somebody has to do it.....don't they??

 

 

Five years ago if u had told me that I would be fronting countless Weddings Birthdays etc etc I would have laughed at you.

 

 

Originl thread states at least two (well paid??) Radio Sheffield presenters were former Mobile DJ's ....that was my point.

 

What happens to burnt out Mobile DJ's in your area.

[Mattaious 0]

Ive worked on Hospital Radio for a while - Then moved over to community Radio - Did a stint on local radio - but i didnt get the buzz out of it like being a DJ -

 

The wages were :poo: and i hated doing the sunday lovesongs - lol

 

besides that - Stick to being a DJ infront of real people - Much better buzz IMHO

 

 

[spinner 0]

I've done Hospital Radio which might have been better if more than half the hospital was wired to receive it!

 

I did an internet radio show twice a week for 2 years. It was great experience, became quite well known and had listeners all over the world. The cost of running the station without enough sponsorship or advertising led to its closing.

 

I help out with community radio twice a year.

 

If you can control your own show that's great but, in the vast majority of cases, you can't.

 

Couple that with less than brilliant pay and it becomes unattractive ( in my opinion ).

 

 

[exbutlinred82 0]

 

Community Radio??Identify please??

[Jase Windu 0]

Originl thread states at least two (well paid??) Radio Sheffield presenters were former Mobile DJ's ....that was my point.

 

If you mean Whitey from Radio Sheffield then he's not a former mobile DJ, he's still at it and very good too.

 

I've done local radio (not paid) community, and a load of RSL's on different stations and it was fantastic because I had free reign to do exactly what I liked during the shows (Breakfast & Midmorning), I could pick the songs, the features, any competitions that ran, the only thing I didn't control was the news & adverts. It involves a lot more work than you think to in the end get very little back, but it was such fun I did it for 7 years all together and it improved my road skills too.

I did think about going into full time, but when you've got kids and need to be able to pay the bills and still be able to afford to eat, and not wanting to be constantly looking over my shoulder watching for someone who wants to stick a knife in my back I decided I'd be better off running a shop and working a couple of nights on the road.

 

[spinner 0]

Community Radio??Identify please??

 

 

The one I help with is based in Spalding, Lincolnshire.

 

Have a look at www.tulip-radio.co.uk.

 

[UKHero 0]

Pay for ILR is very bad average around £50 per shift (usually 4 hours on air plus prep time) I know of a station that pays £20 per shift so thats how bad it is. The only good thing radio can do for you is boost your profile so you can up your mobile prices.

 

Other than that working in radio is a minefield and although I do it part time would never do it fulltime.

 

the restrictions and pressure on the presenter is massive more than working in any club. Each of your links is analyzed in a weekly snoop meeting with the PC and you can be out of a job at any time.

 

With automation, most radio stations use a PC based music system (yes guys PC Based not HDC) and shows can be pre recorded in 15 mins and broadcast over a network most stations are run by groups now so 1 jock might go to 15 stations so 14 jock jobs lost. As music becomes more and more throw away and stations are run more and more by accountants I see the role of presenter fading to just some generic sweepers pre recorded by one voice for the whole network and then all sequenced together in programmes such as Enco or Myriad. Presenting on the radio these days is not an enjoyable experienc in MHO due to all the above.

 

A mate of mine was recently let go from a station because another guy who had friends higher in the organistaion needed a job.

 

Sorry if this paints a bad picture of the industry but radio is going down hill at a rapid state of knots, but if you feel you need to give it a go best of luck try Hospital or College radio first though as mobile and club work is so very different from Radio work and a guy who is good at one is not always good at another and that works both ways. Many of the radio jocks I know would be useless at mobile work.

 

Nik

[4zzz 0]

Community Radio??Identify please??

 

The one I work for is 4ZZZ in Brisbane and is kept going by constant hard work and people subscribing.

 

There are a lot of these stations around Oz and is A good alternative to a lot of the same pre programmed

playlists that the commercial stations pump out.

 

Most of the stations sre of a different format eg Country, MOR, Talk Radio, Alternative.

 

Not to sure of the current UK Community network but is a good experience and can only improve the quality of your mobile work. Plus getting some gigs through the station is a bonus.

 

http://www.4zzzfm.org.au/

[exbutlinred82 0]

Yep!!

 

Steve White....handing over to Howard Pressman!!

 

Community Radio ....why not 24/7 ??

[spinner 0]

 

Community Radio ....why not 24/7 ??

 

 

Funding.

[Robbie Harrison 0]

I do both Community and ILR radio.

 

On the community radio i still use the playlist log. The reason for this is that you are there for the audience not to play songs you like. Anyone who watched the Harvey Goldsmith docu about Big L will know this.

 

I love being on the radio, not for the music though. I like doing the interviews and talking to callers, oh and playing the jingles!

 

Radio is about much more than playing the music. People see the radio as their friend and it's great to be a part of that.

[Slimboy Fat 0]

I know of a station that pays £20 per shift so thats how bad it is.

 

Not 107.7 "The Wolf" by any chance, Nik? :lame: