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| 2006 host of Viewpoint on UAE Radio 2 Self operated desk and 100% live phone-in (no delay) Head of Radio 1 & Radio 2 Jeff |
I have worked on community, commercial and public radio stations in various parts of the world, more on the different types of radio a bit late, and in 2016 my work came to an abrupt pause. During that pause I was given time to reflect on my career and work experiences and have been encouraged to share some of this with you and hopefully encourage you to take your next steps.
I have also worked as a lecturer of Radio & Sound at university and have found that by studying the various forms of radio stations we find that at the end of the day 'Radio' is about people and if you like people then thats as good a place as any to start your radio journey.
Community radio: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community_radio
Focused on the local community, run by volunteers and tends to have a looser editorial control, a good place to start. Managing a community radio station can be a tremendous challenge.
Commercial Radio: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commercial_broadcasting
Commercial radio sector, many would say, is the most competitive. I previously shared this description with my university media students,
In the commercial radio world 'Time is money, every second counts, you will have to have writing skills for commercial content and also writing skills to abbreviate your speech during radio show (some would say you need to economise your vocabulary.
In today's world of so much consumer choice the idea of making a great first impression to your listener has become more important than ever. I remember one particular management seminar I attended together with a group of Programme Manager colleagues. The theme was making an impression and how in everyday life people generally make up their minds about you within the first 3 seconds of meeting you based on your appearance and how you conduct yourself. On the radio a listener will make up their mind in just about the same amount of time so well worth making a note here!
Public Radio: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_broadcasting
This kind of radio/television tends to be funded by the Government. It encourages best practises and there are some excellent examples in the public sector of how best to Write for Radio by using sound and editing techniques.
One thing that is common to all of these different types of radio stations - 'People.' is what makes a radio station come to life and when dealing with people, particularly creative types, the role of a Programme Director/Manager or Editor can be like managing a football team or parenting a family. Egos and creative temperaments have to be nurtured and managed and there is an art to it, something we may focus on another time.
Be proactive and go for it!
In 2001 I sat at my desk in the radio station in Bolton, Greater Manchester, and took a moment to browse through the Radio Magazine, (the magazine ceased circulation in 2011)
In this particular edition of the magazine there was quarter page feature on Richard Branson and his Virgin Group focus on the Asia Pacific region and the prospect of their huge investment in the radio sector. Having read the article I put the magazine down, picked up the phone and dialled directory enquiries. I told the phone operator that I wanted to speak to Richard Branson and seconds later I was connected and the rest is history. The moral of the story, if you really want it then go for it! You can see a picture of Sir Richard Branson together with my former team at Radio 2 in the UAE featured in my previous blogspot post.
Music scheduling and Nuisance Calls
So many people think that Radio presenters choose the music that is 'featured' on their shows. This is not how it happens. In reality radio groups invest in focus groups and music research for their specific audiences. There is a science to it and hours spent sorting through Genres/Openers/Female & Male Artists/ Group Categories/ Endings of songs to determine whether they Fade or have a Cold end. The categories and details of each song can get really complicated and over the top. Recurrent/Oldies/Gold/Powerplays ....... the list goes on and on and on....and on some more..
Take a look a this clip for RCS GSelector: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsBjjuKxVYM
The Nuisance call:
Radio presenters will all tell you about nuisance calls, how this person would call time and again to ask for a request and whatever it may be. What most presenters will not tell you is what is the most common type of nuisance call? Its the kind of call that ALL presenters who self operate studios have experienced at least once in their career, and quite a few still experience it time and again.
The most common nuisance call is the call that the presenter decides to take knowing full well they only have 30 seconds in which to do it before they are supposed to talk again on air. It is a phenomena that all presenters go through. This basically comes down to discipline and preparation and yet in the lonely world of the radio presenter whenever the studio phone lines light up the desire to connect with the listener takes and that is when mistakes can be made.
There are colleges and universities that feature Radio & Sound as part of their Media courses, apart from adding a qualification to your list you will learn a lot and you could find yourself being offered an internship as part of the course. This is something that you should definitely consider doing.
One other important question to ask: Who is your favourite radio personality and why? Answering these questions may help to push you in a particular direction.
Please do share your thoughts and comments here. If you are a radio professional it would be great to hear from you too.
Special thanks to: Giles Squire, Sam Zniber, John O'Hara for their radio vision Harry Dunne for his motivation direction. Mr Ahmed Sulaiman, for the many hours of conversation (may he rest in peace.)
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