By April Watts   Radio is an extremely competitive industry and breaking in is difficult.  Becoming an on-air personality is even tougher.  I have outlined seven secrets or rather keys that when combined with talent and ability will help those, who wish to become radio personalities, unlock the door of opportunity.  

Internship

One of the best ways to break into the radio business is through an internship.  College students that major in Communications have the best opportunity to get their foot in the door, while simultaneously completing their educational curriculum.  Landing a job in radio, especially on-air, is a highly competitive process and interns that maximize their opportunities have a head start on outside competition.  Most people—if they are lucky enough to get beyond the roadblocks and rigorous filtering process—have one or two brief moments to catch the interest of a Program Director.  Interns, however, are at radio stations daily or weekly for a specific period of time and get the opportunity to treat each day like an audition or an interview by exhibiting qualities like hard work ethic, reliability, creativity and personality.  Exceptional, radio station interns often become employees.  Caveat: Interns should not be intrusive with their intensions of becoming on air personalities, nor should they be overzealous in the concept of treating “each day like an audition or an interview.”  In other words, interns should work hard and exhibit their qualities when opportunities present themselves, but BE EASY.  In a business that relies heavily on relationships, annoying is the last thing anyone should be considered.   Another advantage interns have over outside competition is access.  They have the ability to pick the brains of Program Directors and other radio personalities for insight and critique, while an outsider with a wack demo doesn’t get the job or a call back.  My best advice to radio station interns is, “Don’t squander the opportunity.”   NetworkingSkills and ratings keep on air personalities in their positions, once they are hired.  But breaking into the business is a different story.  Like any other industry in today’s society, it’s less about what someone knows about radio and more about who someone knows in radio that lands the job.  Relationships are critical in eliminating the road blocks and rigorous process mentioned previously.  For example, having “friends” in and affiliated with radio to introduce you or make a call on your behalf can be the difference between a Program Director (PD) or Assistant Program Director (APD) taking a listen to your demo and it being lost among the scores of demos and air checks that never make it to anyone’s CD player.  A good relationship with an on-air personality could land you a feature on his show or a shot at being his producer, which could eventually lead to your own gig.  It all depends on your level of talent and how much you network once you are in the door.  Most people don’t get opportunities, not because they lack talent and ability.  They don’t get opportunities because no one knows they exist.   Networking is one of the easiest ways to gain and increase your visibility to Program Directors and other decision makers in radio.  Warning:  Beware of the company you keep!!  While networking with the right people can open doors for aspiring radio personalities, networking with the wrong people can also close and lock those doors.  People should try to know as much about a person’s reputation and relationships before they attach themselves to them.  It wouldn’t be wise for a person with a bad reputation to introduce an aspiring personality to a PD because the aspiring personality will become associated with that person’s bad history and character flaws.  As the saying goes, “Birds of a feather flock together.”  That isn’t always true but a busy PD doesn’t have time to conduct litmus tests so, people are judged by the company they keep.  It isn’t fair but it’s real.  Another way to network is by joining national and local broadcasting organizations.  This is a wonderful opportunity to interact with peers and meet leaders in the industry. Segue into the BusinessIn his inaugural address, former President John F. Kennedy told his fellow Americans, “Ask not what your country can do for you: Ask what you can do for your country.”  That was the mentality of the nation in 1961.  This ideology has increased exponentially for most individuals and corporations in America today.  In life and business people want to know how a relationship with you can benefit them. Increasingly, professionals and experts in other industries are getting opportunities to host radio shows.  Psychologists and business experts are getting talk shows, while comedians, singers and other entertainers are getting music programs.  Steve Harvey, Lil’ Mo, Monie Love, Rev. Al Sharpton and Michael Baisden are just a few personages that transitioned or segued into radio from other professions.  These people and others like them benefit radio stations because as celebrities they come to the table with a built in following that translates into listeners and advertising dollars.  Aspiring radio personalities with an area expertise or some level of celebrity should use these tools to segue into radio.  For example, a personal trainer or health and fitness expert would have a good shot at pitching a segment or show about nutrition and exercise.   Segueing into radio is a good idea for working professionals that are not considering radio as a full time profession.  Hosting a radio show is also beneficial to professionals looking to increase their share of the market in their respective fields.     Making Your DemoEvery on-air hopeful must have a killer demo.  A demo is a demonstration of one’s talent and skill.  Professional radio personalities submit air checks when they are seeking opportunities.  The difference between an air check and a demo:  An air check is an edited sample of an actual on-air presentation and a demo is a fictitious radio presentation.  Amateurs present demos because they have no on-air experience.  PD’s are extremely busy people and radio has changed greatly from the good old days when program directors had the time to develop and groom personalities.  Today’s PD needs personalities that take instruction well and get it the first time around.  Usually, that comes with experience.  Therefore, a novice looking to break into the business must have an exceptional demo to be given consideration.The average demo should be 4 minutes or less.  Again, PD’s are very busy people and time is of the essence.  Any demo longer than 4 minutes is a waste of time and may be disregarded for not being in accordance with the industry standard.  Keep it simple.  A killer demo grabs the PD’s attention in the first 10 seconds.  Fancy production and identity drops are useless and eat up precious time that should be used to display vocal delivery.  Demos should be tailored for individual radio stations.  For example, if an aspiring personality is applying for a job at V103 FM, then the demo tape should be made using the station call letters.  Radio hopefuls should listen to the radio stations they are applying to before making their demos to get a feel for the sound of the station and the delivery of its personalities.  Presentation is a key component of a killer demo. If it sounds hot it should look hot too.  Demos should have computer printed labels, a CD case or jacket, and be accompanied by a headshot and resume.      Getting In Where You Fit In Versatility is crucial to breaking into the radio business.  Again, this is a tough and highly competitive industry.  The first opportunity to get into the business might not be an on-air opportunity. Aspiring personalities have to be willing to “get in where they fit in.”  Many jocks got their start in promotions and marketing, production and as show producers and board operators.  In addition to getting your foot in the door, versatility keeps you employed.     Free LaborWhen all else fails, WORK FOR FREE.  Radio hopefuls that have tried it all unsuccessfully should volunteer at a radio station.  Many stations need assistance with events, promotions and other tasks. Becoming a star volunteer and making the right connections just might lead to greater opportunities.  But the likelihood of that is slim.  There’s an old adage that states, “Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free?”  As a general rule, people ascribe less value to free stuff no matter how good it may be.  The trouble with this route is good cheap labor is hard to find and good free labor is even more of a rarity.  So, when a company lucks up and finds an excellent free worker, it’s tough for that person to break the stigma of being free labor. A savvy people person may have a shot at working this angle.  Again, take this route after everything else has failed miserably. Persistence…Persistence…Persistence          Persistence pays—especially in radio.  Those with little will power and thin skin should reconsider their career path because this is not the road for them.  My mentor and industry vet Lou Hankins always says, “You’ll get a lot of no’s before you get a yes.  So get excited about the no’s because it means you’re that much closer to the yes.”  One day when I was still trying to get my big break in commercial radio, Lou asked, “How many no’s have you gotten today?”  My response was, “Ahhhhh…”  He replied, “If you aren’t getting any no’s then you’re not even in the game.”  What Lou meant was one demo, one phone call and one radio station wasn’t going to me get anywhere near my dream of becoming an on-air personality.  Aspiring personalities should seek constructive criticism from PD’s, tweak and improve their demos and resubmit them as many times as it takes to finally get a “yes.”