Keeping up with Progress

March 28, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Keeping up with Progress

There are a number of ways to think of radio broadcast. Radio broadcasting is an excellent form of entertainment for sure, but there is also an important safety and information element to radio broadcast that can not be overlooked. Without the advent of radio broadcasting it would be significantly more difficult to stay up to date on current events as well as any urgent information that needs to get to the community quickly. This is something that both the government and the local community have come to rely upon for getting information that they need and information that they want such as local events and the weather.

One challenge for those in the radio broadcasting career is to keep up to date on the newest technology. Computers play a big role in the technological changes of the broadcasting world. This means that it is vital that they constantly keep up on what is the most current and most popular technology that is available to work with. Often this sends many broadcasting engineers back to school to learn what is new. This doesn’t mean that they need to stop their world and go to school full time. In fact, thanks to the ability of amazing online educational opportunities, an individual can get an affordable and well developed continued education while still maintaining full time responsibilities. Radio broadcasting isn’t what it used to be and has developed into a very technical process. For that reason it is easy to see why it is increasing in popularity.

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Opportunities Hinge on Technological Engineering

March 24, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Opportunities Hinge on Technological Engineering

While radio broadcasting has been popular as a career choice for some time it has risen to a new technological level making it more appealing to those who are interested in advanced technology. With the great classes available online many can find exactly what they need in a broadcasting career while learning from home. This is great for those maintaining a full time job and trying to break into the business of radio broadcast. For individuals wanting a broadcasting career it is not just about having a great voice any longer. You need to understand a great deal about the engineering of the computers involved in the process.

Thanks to great advances in technology radio can be heard all over the world from a variety of other sources. This means that you can be in California and hear a radio program from the UK. This means that there are a larger number of options available for someone looking for radio experience. Choosing to follow a career in radio broadcasting requires some aptitude in technology. Taking the time to find out what you want to accomplish with your radio career before you begin will help you to find just what you need in your career options. Online education is a great way to accomplish the goal of radio broadcasting engineer. You will find that the better the education and your understanding of the technology involved in radio broadcast the more opportunities for employment you will have. Taking the initiative to investigate possibilities will go a long way to reaching your dream.

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Exercising Perseverance to Get the Right Job in Radio

March 9, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Exercising Perseverance to Get the Right Job in Radio

Getting your foot in the door in the radio industry is always going to be a challenge, even when you are just looking for an internship that you can participate in. This is a very competitive market by nature, and so you are naturally going to run into difficulties along the way. Unfortunately there is no real magic trick on breaking into the radio industry, so the only thing that you can really rely on is that perseverance is going to pay off. Many radio stations are not going to be apt to really give you the time of day, but if you keep working at it, you might make some leeway.

If you are working in a big city, this is going to be even harder because the market is extremely competitive and there are a lot of people trying to break into it just as you are. You might try applying for jobs and internships away from the city, choosing radio stations and related positions that are closer to the suburbs for example. When you move away from the big cities you are going to find smaller stations that are looking for people, and so you should have an easier time of finding a starter position that you can use in order to work your way up the ranks.

At worst case scenario, you might consider joining a radio station in a sales capacity and slowly working your way over to a broadcasting position. This is not ideal, but it will allow you to get your foot in the door in an otherwise extremely competitive marketplace, and once you get in, you can impress your superiors and work your way up to the type of position that you actually do want.

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Some Radio Career Opportunities

March 7, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Some Radio Career Opportunities

Announcers and Air Personalities: Many people that graduate college to pursue a radio career end up going to radio stations to become a radio announcer. These typically include air shifts of between four and five hours, plus occasional live broadcasts, daily production time and numerous other duties.

News Reporters and News Anchors: These positions involve gathering of the news, reading and writing. You might be a news anchor in a music radio station either in the morning or in the afternoon, or you might work for a cluster of different stations. On a news station that only does news, you might be part of a larger team.

Production: An important aspect in all radio stations is the production of promotions, commercials and a variety of other types of audio as well. All announcers generally have some production responsibilities. At multiple station facilities and larger market radio stations, this could potentially become a full time working position. You would use production techniques, voice, sound effects and music to create unique audio that is ready for the air.

Sales Reps for Radio Broadcast: As a sales representative you would call businesses in the listening area, helping them to market their companies and businesses through your radio station’s advertising. This will include 30 second and 60 second radio ads and sponsoring special events for the companies that you are working with as some examples.

Promotions: There is a big emphasis placed on promotions by radio stations, including parties, giveaways and contests. As a promotions director you would make sure that everything was put together properly. In some cases this is part of the job description for the announcer or the DJ, and in other circumstances this is a full time job all on its own.

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Getting a Job in Radio Broadcasting

February 18, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Are you interested in a career in broadcasting, specifically radio broadcasting? During the past few years, we’ve seen an increase in radio broadcasting outlets, especially online and via satellite — think Sirius or XM radio and all those myriad internet stations. So how does one go about landing a position at a radio station or other broadcast venue?

First, don’t limit your choices. Not every one can be a DJ or on-air host. Plus there are lots of other jobs in radio that are just as exciting.

Second, get an educational background in broadcasting. This can include degrees in communications and mass media to certificate programs in radio broadcasting. Some programs may be an entire four-year program while others may last just a few months. All are designed to give students a broad background in all aspects of the broadcast field.

You may be taught how to produce your own show for on-air play. You may also learn to write and produce commercials. You may also be exposed to how to market and perform listener surveys. Voice-over techniques, as well as how to run the actual equipment will also be part of a broadcast curriculum.

Once you’ve gotten your studies done, you’ll want to start on your career search. Remember that this is an extremely competitive field, so the better prepared and the more professional you present yourself, the better.

Do your research about potential employers so that when you interview you will appear knowledgeable and interested. In addition to your resume, make sure you bring along business cards for your interview. This will make you appear very professional.

Because of the competitiveness of the field, you may work in an unpaid position just to get your foot in the door. There are many stories of now-famous DJs who got their start emptying the trash and running errands.

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Small Community Radio Challenges

February 1, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Small Community Radio Challenges

Everyone is familiar with the radio and the advancements made with radio. It is now easy to listen to stations that are across the country and even on the other side of the world. While this is the most common radio broadcasting it is not the most appealing to some. There are groups of people who want to reduce the reach of the radio and develop radio stations that are intended for only small areas such as a neighborhood or perhaps a town. These radio stations would provide information on the local area that would only really interest those local to the area.

Because this type of radio broadcasting requires low frequencies it is not common as the FCC is in command of regulating licensing for radio stations. The available licensing is typically for larger frequencies meaning that there are no licenses given to those who want to create a radio station with a closer target audience. Choosing to create this type of station is considered to many as being stepping back in radio technology, but many see it as being appealing and appropriate for those looking to becoming a closer knit community and keeping up to date on all things local.

Although technology seems to be directing radio to something greater and to trying to reach as far as possible, many are finding that the local communities could really benefit from some extremely local news keeping them fully involved in the goings on of every day life in the area. This is becoming popular for many in the radio technology world. The challenge comes in getting appropriate licensing to take this broadcasting to the next level. For those interested in pursuing a radio channel that works only locally, getting help from those in the community can not hurt. Many are taking the time to pursue this as a way to keep the community working together through difficult times. By keeping everyone up to date on things that are only important to the locals, there is a bond built among the people. This is also an excellent way to keep the communications going among a small community.

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Alternatives to Micro Radio

December 28, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Running a micro radio station can be a pretty daunting task. For starters, the FCC essentially bans micro radio stations unless the station owners, who are usually volunteers with a specific interest, get major permits to broadcast. Even if it is financially feasible to get the profit, these people often find that they need to spend thousands of dollars on equipment.

There are alternatives to running a micro radio station, however, and these options tend to be less expensive. The first option is to go old-fashioned and have a local newsletter. Micro radio broadcasts typically are about a small topic, such as regional chess players and tournaments, or are specific to a small town or even neighborhood. Sometimes having a newsletter with a nominal subscription fee is a better, less expensive option.

If you feel that hearing interviews and calling in are important, however, you can look at going the podcast route. Podcasts are basically radio shows streamed online. With the introduction of streaming audio, the internet made it capable to hear or see people on the internet without significant expense or difficulty.

The biggest expenses to producing a podcast are a computer, which many people already have, and a good microphone, which can be had for $50. Then all you need is software and the ability to create an engaging show. Various software options are available for free online, which makes the ongoing costs for running a podcast negligible.

Getting people to a podcast is a bit more complicated, but with a marketing blitz, it is possible to get people to tune in when you are airing your show. The best part about a podcast compared to a micro radio show is that listeners can hear your show later if they are unable to be there at the time you are airing.

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Ideas for Micro Radio Stations

December 22, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Micro radio stations are low-frequency and low-power broadcasting channels that speak to specific audiences and communities. They typically are nonprofit and don’t have commercials. Here are a few of the topics that you may want to cover on a micro radio station.

Neighborhood News

One of the biggest uses for micro radio broadcasts is to share information with others about a certain community. This information may consist of interviews with community leaders or may include news about events going on. These stations can gather volunteers for work in the community or call for support of people in the neighborhood.

Local Sports

There is a place on regular, commercial broadcasts for local sports information, but those stations still need to make decisions based on their commercial interests, which means that less popular teams will fail to get much coverage. If you have a micro radio station devoted to local sports broadcasting, you can share information about all teams from Little League to local high schools.

Community Service

One of the problems that people in charity work face is that there are few inexpensive ways to get out the word about the work they do. That means that small nonprofits often are faced with needing a tremendous number of volunteers but being unable to reach those people. An excellent idea for a radio broadcast is one that promotes the volunteer needs of local organizations for free. You also could include interviews with group leaders and information about the work these groups do.

City Commission

Focusing on local politics will allow you to keep your broadcast area small but still reach the people who will be affected by the information. Cover local commission meetings and discuss controversial upcoming measures.
These are only a few of the ways that you can use micro radio broadcasts to provide quality information to your community.

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Potential Benefits of Permitting Micro Radio Stations

December 20, 2010 by Leave a Comment

The FCC, or Federal Communications Commission, is reluctant to permit low-power radio broadcasts. These broadcasts, called either micro radio or pirate radio, requires very little wattage to work, and they typically can reach only a small audience. Still the FCC’s argument is that these broadcasts could interfere with larger stations that have paid for space on the airwaves.

So why should the FCC budge and allow micro radio stations? Here are a few of the
reasons.

Micro radio is not commercially driven. That means that the information will tend to be very local and specific. These stations are usually run by volunteers and do not have any corporate sponsorship.

Pirated radio appeals only to a small segment of society. Much like a newsletter is for people with a very specific interest, micro radio is the same. Requiring massive permits” at a great cost ” would destroy these stations because they cannot appeal to a large enough group of people to afford the permits and equipment.

The information that these stations put out is important! While few people may care about the policies of the local animal shelter, those people who do care tend to be passionately interested. Micro radio allows for these small groups to connect with each other and to make a difference. That would not be possible if it were not for micro radio broadcasting.

The concept of  ”owning”  radio space, which is essentially places on a spectrum of airwaves, is a bit complicated to understand. These stations are simply using basic tools to practice their hobby. They are not, in fact, “stealing” anything or using anything that anyone else could use. They are simply finding small “open” spots to use.

Micro radio is an interesting concept that deserves more study by the FCC, but until then these stations will remain illegal.

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Get Started in Micro Radio

December 14, 2010 by Leave a Comment
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Want to broadcast your own views to a local community of listeners? Does what you have to say offer a diversity of ideas; ideas not normally found within standard local radio stations? Then you might be interested in micro radio.

Formally known as micro power radio, and less informally as free casting, or sandbox radio, micro radio is seen by many as a way of “pirating” views across the airwaves without so much as a thought to a federal license.

Still, some radio personalities do just that-piece together a micro speaker box, a DC Motor, and other important and readily available parts, and start up their own micro-radio station, keeping the big money from leaving their already empty pockets. They can say what they want to say, and share views representative of their position, without so much as a how do you do.

Many like the idea of assembling parts to their satisfaction, and being able to broadcast from their very own room or private shelter. You may be interested in building your own transmitter or antenna and gathering together items from around the yard that would make for great sound effects.

To get started in the field of macro media, get your hands on the following:
-Learn more about the Media Activism Movement by perusing “Micro Radio and the FCC: media activism and struggle over broadcast policy,” by Andy Opel.
- Discover the history and strategies of survival of the micro power radio movement from the book, “Microradio & Democracy: (Low) power to the people” by Greg Ruggeriero.

You may also want to check out what micro radio stations are already out there. Radio4all.org is a website focused on getting the word out about radio stations, both large and small-FCC approved and otherwise. Key into the “Radio Station Organizations and Resources,” page for the “pirate” in you and learn about the FCC as well as various micro radio stations currently sharing the airwaves.

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