Breaking into the biz

[CAwasinNJ]

If you were giving advice to someone who was trying to break into either radio or TV on a local level, what would you tell them? Who would you approach and at what station? What would you offer to do?

[Timmy]

Get a job at eBay or Adobe!

[dxstuboy]

Work as a remote tech for several years and hope a position on air opens up.

[CAwasinNJ]

What about if you want to go into production? Same advice?

[henry]

I'd tell them (and I mean this as politely as possible): RUN LIKE HELL!

Best case scenario is $23,000 a year for full-time work. Part-timers usually make about $10/hour. The long-term prognosis is "it's gonna get worse, not better."

If a person has talent, take it as a side-gig to YouTube. You can pull a bigger audience, have a better sandbox to practice your craft, get instant metric and feedback, and split profits with Google 50/50. Radio and TV sends all its profits to the executives and banks. It's 15th century serfdom.

I've spend six years getting into the biz ... hit the $20k ceiling ... and now I'm trying to get out. While there are aspects of the job that are A LOT of fun, don't plan on it being a career. Work it for 3-5 years like I did and have an exit strategy.

And DO NOT major in broadcasting/journalism/communications. That was my fatal mistake. Pick something like engineering/computer science/information systems/secondary education.

[marchmountain]

Well I'm in high school, and I've been volunteering at K-TALK. I screen calls, etc and just last Saturday they let me host an entire hour of radio by my self. Though K-TALK probably doesn't impress other stations, it is a great oppurtunity to learn equipment and practice your craft.

[henry]

K-Talk is a fantastic relic of radio's yesteryear. It used to be about the "craft" and a bunch of mom and pop owners trying to serve the community, break even, and (if lucky) make a few bucks.

Since 1996, it's all corporate. Clinton signed a bill that the Republican congress passed. In it contained a line which nearly removed ownership limits. A "radio station bubble" happened (similar to the housing bubble) as owners went on a buying spree. Banks happily loaned as much money as a corporation wanted to pay 2-3 times what a station was worth. Today only a couple companies are left (Clear Channel, Cumulus, etc.). Advertising revenue dropped significantly, but they still have huge "mortgage payments" to pay. So over the past 10 years they fired everyone, pretty much. Supply and demand means the average pay per employee also dropped a lot .... they are a lot of people who still want to work in radio, but few openings.

Marchmountain, I want to tell you what nobody told me 10 years ago: There is no pot of gold at the end of this rainbow.

I always thought that if I just kept pursuing better and better gigs, I'd eventually wind up making good money ($50k). That simply doesn't exist anymore. In this market board ops make about $9-10/hour and get 5-10 hours of work each week. Voicetrackers make $20 a week. Full-timers (who act as music director, program director, and have a 5-hour shift) may crack $20,000/year, but those are the very jobs that are disappearing quickly.

So I thought I'd jump markets. But I talked with a board op buddy in Los Angeles. He just quit because they were also paying about $12/hour down there. Which sounds good, until you learn a tiny 1-bedroom apartment costs $2600/month.

The joy is in the journey in this business. If you like what you are doing RIGHT NOW and can afford the poor pay, soak up every minute of it. Radio is fantastic business to get in with little experience and do some very big things (like host your own talk show, which sounds awesome!)

Please know that it's not the destination, unless you want to live in a rented single-wide trailer driving a 1990 Ford Taurus wagon for the rest of your life. Soak up as much experience at K-Talk as you can and the use it on a resume to pursue a better career. Major in something more meaningful, like engineering, or computer science, or information systems. Your ability to communicate will go far in engineering (engineers are poor communicators). If you are dead set on working in communications, go into Public Relations and become a spokesperson for a company. The pay can sometimes break $100k if you are really good by the middle of your career.

I by no means am trying to crush any radio dreams you have. I, despite my best judgement, still work in radio. I just cracked the $20k figure myself for the first time in 6 years. But I'm really struggling to pay the bills --- and if the economy were better, I'd be chasing a better job. Now I have to go back to school because I made the mistake of majoring in broadcast journalism.

To give you some idea there, the journalism folks make equally bad pay .... TV reporters make about $31-38k (but you have to start out your first 1-2 years in tiny places like Casper, WY making $18k), depending on experience, but often put in 50 hour weeks. Producers sometimes have work schedules starting at 2 AM. There's some money there, but it's pretty terrible and doesn't get better.

Anyway, enjoy the biz as long as you can. Radio is easily the best job in the world --- until you have a family to feed. Then it's kind of miserable.

[CAwasinNJ]

Congrats on the gig MM.

[kenglish]

Jun 12, 2012 21:10:12 GMT -6 CAwasinNJ said:

If you were giving advice to someone who was trying to break into either radio or TV on a local level, what would you tell them?....

Two words:
Cosmetology School
;D

[seattlefollower]

Jun 17, 2012 10:40:19 GMT -6 kenglish said:

Jun 12, 2012 21:10:12 GMT -6 CAwasinNJ said:

If you were giving advice to someone who was trying to break into either radio or TV on a local level, what would you tell them?....

Two words:
Cosmetology School
;D

I love it. You'll work the same amount of hours, but make way more money. Hopefully (working) for yourself, too. :-)

[dxstuboy]

Jun 14, 2012 13:53:56 GMT -6 henry said:

I'd tell them (and I mean this as politely as possible): RUN LIKE HELL!

Best case scenario is $23,000 a year for full-time work. Part-timers usually make about $10/hour. The long-term prognosis is "it's gonna get worse, not better."

If a person has talent, take it as a side-gig to YouTube. You can pull a bigger audience, have a better sandbox to practice your craft, get instant metric and feedback, and split profits with Google 50/50. Radio and TV sends all its profits to the executives and banks. It's 15th century serfdom.

I've spend six years getting into the biz ... hit the $20k ceiling ... and now I'm trying to get out. While there are aspects of the job that are A LOT of fun, don't plan on it being a career. Work it for 3-5 years like I did and have an exit strategy.

And DO NOT major in broadcasting/journalism/communications. That was my fatal mistake. Pick something like engineering/computer science/information systems/secondary education.

There is truth to this. I only stay in the biz because I really love radio, but it is a sinking ship. The $23k/year is about accurate. Unless you are a manager or owner of a radio company, don't expect to see much more than that. If you work in a larger market like SLC and are a sales rep, you could make more than that, but on air, no. I've been working in radio since high school.

[justin]

Have you thought about starting a podcast? I would imagine that a person would pick up some valuable experience in production if you're running the whole show yourself and putting it out on the internet. As much as I hate to say it, I can't see much of a future in broadcast radio. I'm listening to podcasts and streaming audio now more often than traditional over-the-air local broadcasts.

[Timmy]

Ok, so you gotta know that folks like Chunga, RFH, other long-termers (grant & amanda) from bigger stations are pulling more than $23k! That would be ridiculous! I get the love of radio but at some point, the rent/mortgage/payment comes due...