Radio Internship Reviews

Call up any Radio Broadcaster or Program Director and ask them how you can break into the business. The answer you're most likely to hear is: "Radio Internships are the way to go".

One little problem they never mention is...

Radio Internships are usually only available for currently matriculating college students.

What they're actually saying is: unless you're in college, there's no way you can get in radio and be on-air.

That's a bunch of bull as you'll see down the road here, but if they had it their way their station would be filled with nothing but free laborers doing Internships.

Let's take a look at what Internships are...and aren't:

Radio Internships are for college students

Traditional Two Or Four-Year Colleges:

You can choose this route for your journey, and cross your fingers that your college will find you a radio internship as a part of the curriculum. Most colleges restrict outside internships to upper-class students, so you’ll have to wait a year or two.

But despite these obstacles, traditional colleges are the most widely traveled path to a career in broadcasting - the operative word here being 'widely'. Many do travel this road, but according to U.S. Department of Education statistics, only 12% of interns ever reach their destination of being on the air.

Ouch! Two to four years, tens of thousands of dollars – and my chances of being on-air are just 12 stinkin percent?!

That’s right - only 12 out of 100 who choose this path for the journey ever reach their on-air destination.

In all fairness, you can’t fully blame colleges, or even the internships, for this low figure. College students sometimes decide that broadcasting is not for them, or they might hear another calling while in school.

Before you choose this path, here is your roadmap. You need to have information about what internships are – and are not. Then and only then can you make an informed decision to begin your journey down this road.

An Internship IS:

1. An offer of your services to a radio station in exchange for college credit and exposure to an on-the-job setting.

2. Exciting and informative, although you are only permitted to observe the on-air process, and do not participate.

3. A chance to see how other departments inside a radio station work. Most interns are expected to help out by making copies, handing out flyers, or give away promotional CDs at remote broadcasts.

An Internship is NOT:

1. Geared toward on-air training. To the contrary, Federal Fair Labor Laws prohibit interns from replacing or performing employee job duties.

2. A chance to make a Demo Tape to send out. Many stations prohibit interns from using the equipment for any reason. Plus, what would you put on the tape since you have no formal training or sound bites yet?

3. An internship is NOT available to a non-college student (typically).

As long as you understand these limitations, a traditional college approach and internship might just work, if you can wait two to four years to get out into the real world.

Remember, though: Internships are usually limited to college students only. Offering your services to a station for free, as part of an “informal internship,” is not a promising route.

Corey Deitz, longtime DJ and radio guide at http://radio.about.com, advocates teaching yourself this lesson the hard way: “Call up as many stations as possible, and offer your services free of charge”. You'll see what I'm talking about.

I’ve worked with hundreds of radio stations, and my experience is the odds of finding any takers would be equal to hitting a home run in the bottom of the 9th inning with 2 outs!


Lack Of Radio Training During Internships Hurts Your Chances Of Being On-Air:

The lack of any hands-on training is a serious flaw to the college/internship approach. Lest you think training doesn’t matter, try this little exercise. Grab a microphone and speak for two staright minutes about your favorite topic. If your goals are to become a DJ, then talk for a minute, then play a song from your favorite band, then speak afterward.

Now, play back the recording. Not what you expected is it? This exercise will give you a deeper appreciation for the skill that broadcasting requires. Not to mention a healthier respect for the jocks that perform flawlessly each day.

Radio Internships Produce NO DEMO TAPE?!

Few, if any, internships will give you the chance to make the all-important “air check” demo tape. Without a demo tape — forget it! Verrrry few radio decision makers will even consider hiring you for an on-air position without first hearing how you sound behind a microphone.

After Doing An Internship - You Still Need a Plan:

Upon completion of any internship, the student still has to devise a plan to acquire actual broadcast training. It is not the station’s job or intent to train any intern to become a radio personality.

I’ve always felt that a smart intern would recognize this and utilize the resources around him. Close observation of the entire process during show prep, taping, and the actual on-air procedures can be instructional, though it is passive training.

You can then take this information and start your own Internet radio show, perhaps from a place like http://live365.com. An Internet show would at least give you the chance to implement the techniques you've observed.

You can then take the tapes of these Internet shows and use them as a demo tape, or ask a DJ to critique them. This would help you to develop your on-air skills, and would also show station management your initiative and desire.

SUMMARY: Lack of actual training, I believe, is the primary reason that only 12% of college graduates who’ve done internships actually go on to a broadcasting career.

It's apparent the College/Internship path is a well-trodden one, and with a bit of luck, in a few years you could be one of the 12% who make it on the air.

As you can see, the Radio Internships do one thing the broadcasting schools failed to do: Get your foot in the door at a real radio station, around real professionals and real decision makers...who have the very real ability to hire you.

With no formal training, however, they neglect the "What you know" portion of the saying, but are spot-on in addressing the 'WHO you know' portion.

Imagine if you could find one model that addressed BOTH sides of the equation and provided answers to both WHAT you know and WHO you know?

Stick around, someone way smarter than I has thought of just that solution.

Until next time,

Many Blessings

Michael Madden

http://BroadcastingCareer.com/

Radio Broadcasting Careers | Your Motives?

Whenever people approach me asking for assistance in launching their Broadcasting Careers, regardless of whether it's in Sports Broadcasting or Radio Broadcasting, my first question will always be "Why are you interested in a Broadcasting Career?"

The answers are always telling.

If fame is you're reasoning (and many of those interested in Sports Broadcasting Careers seem to fit this mold), you may want to reconsider...and I'll tell you why.

I once heard a famous Christian author and reputable child psychologist, Dr James Dobson, speaking on marriage. The question was posed "How do I know whom the right person is for me to marry?"

His answer involves a principle I transfer to those looking to begin their broadcasting careers. He simply stated that he believed the right person is NOT the person you think you'd like to spend the rest of your life with, but rather...

The right person to marry is the one you couldn’t imagine living your life WITHOUT!

(That truth has worked in my life, as I fooled my high school sweetheart into believing that I was the one she couldn't live without over 33 years ago:>))

Now, let's carry that same principle over to your broadcasting career.

Is radio broadcasting (or tv) something you'd just like to spend your life doing, or...is broadcasting something your life couldn't do without?

There's a huge difference, and the people I come in contact with whose motives are fame in desiring a Broadcasting Career should probably step back for a moment.

On the other hand, those who 'have the calling' in them, and feel their life would be incomplete without taking action on this unquenched thirst, would do well to seek options for moving forward.

I've met and interviewed a goodly number of famous people, but will share a story with you regarding my niece, on the importance of answering your calling without fame as your motivator.

From the time she was a young girl, she loved sports.... and was darn good at whatever she put her hand to. Always shy and never one for the spotlight, she became too talented to play with other girls, so she began competing against boys...and seriously began to put the hurtin' on them, as well.

Fast forward to her high school days, and she settled on Soccer. Eventually, she decided to leave Texas and move in with my brother in Virginia while her parents were reassigned to Italy by the military.

At 15, she was named to the US Women’s national soccer team, eventually played in 3 Women’s world cups, 3 Olympic games and recently retired as the all time leading scorer in the history of International soccer.

You’ve most likely seen her on various Nike/Gatorade/Mattel commercials over the years and is probably one of the most famous women’s athletes in the world today.

And yet, a major part of her appeal is, simply...she's still that quiet, shy kid who'd rather let someone else enjoy the spotlight.

The bottom line is, she would've played soccer if no one in the world knew her name. She was simply answering her calling.

This past Christmas she made a comment to my wife that ties all this together, in saying "Soccer was the only thing that I ever wanted to do and could envision myself doing".

Can you say the same thing in regards to your desire for a career in broadcasting?

This appears to be a common thread for many truly famous people. Their greatness attracts fame as a result of them answering that thing they "had to do".

If pursuing a Broadcasting Career is something you have to do, stay with me. If a Broadcasting career is something you'd just like to try...stay with me, and I'll point you in a direction that may be initially safer.

How can you discern the difference between whether it’s your actual calling or just something you’d like to do?

Just trust your instincts...they’re usually right.

Until next time,

Many Blessings

Michael
http://www.BroadcastingSchool.comchool.com



P.S. To clarify one minor point, when you see the term Broadcasting career, I'm speaking of entering this field in either a part-time OR full-time capacity.

Broadcasting Careers Information | Four Primary Ways to Get Your Foot in The Door

Some Decent options for your Broadcasting career...But One Sure Fire Way To Break Into Radio Broadcasting:


If you want to become an on-air radio broadcaster, you have four primary options. In this entry, I'll cover just the first one so as not to overwhelm you.

(1) Teach yourself.

This involves approaching a public access community radio station, or Internet radio company like Talk Shoe.com or Blog Talk Radio.com

This is a great way for the person who thinks they may want to get into broadcasting to test drive the industry. The monetary outlay is minimal (as little as $25-$50 per month) and, hey, it’s broadcasting (with little or no audience to complain about you cutting your teeth at their expense).


Buying Your Own Brokered Time

Smart business owners, among others, would do well to take a closer look at purchasing their own time slot from a local station.

Let’s face it; we’re bombarded with so many advertising messages daily it’s difficult for your ad to stick out.

Purchasing your own time positions you as an expert in your field. People subconsciously believe that if you’re on the radio you must know your stuff. Plus, you’re giving free information and advice that positions you as an expert in your field.

I’ve done this myself and had tremendous success with it. All my marketing materials mentioned the radio show, which increased credibility among those unable to listen.

Feel free to contact me if this of interest and I can help you avoid the pitfalls many beginners experience.

Public Access Community Radio

Many communities have public access radio stations. Most require a significant amount of volunteering before being considered for your own show, but it is a way to break in if you have the time. Contact your local Program Director to determine if this is time efficient for you.

"O.K. one of these worked and I’m in, now what?"

The old saying “practice makes perfect” only applies in broadcasting if you are practicing the correct techniques. Chances are high that if you’ve never been trained properly, your “practice won’t make perfect”.

Finding a teacher/mentor is critical to your continued development.

You may look at the local landscape and offer a broadcaster a fee to critique your work if there is no one immediately available to you. The danger you run into with this approach is there is no real way for you to know exactly how good of a teacher this person is since they don’t do this on a regular basis.

Eventually though, if you are passionate enough about it, you may develop your own style. This may enable you (hopefully) to produce shows for commercial radio admired by thousands, if not millions, of people.

The downside to this path is the learning curve is long and slow but success has been occasionally achieved this way.

People who do well in this format are generally self-starters. The type who may read up on things, visit forums seeking guidance and advice, prefer learning on their own and are generally well able to sell themselves.

My next entry will cover the 'dreaded' Broadcasting Schools.... and whether they should be taken seriously.

Until then,

Many Blessings

Michael Madden
http://www.BroadcastingSchool.com