Radio presenters are the voice of the radio station and are responsible for informing and entertaining listeners. They work in recording studios and may do outside broadcasts. Presenters need strong communication skills to engage different audiences and work with a production team. Experience at community or student radio is often how presenters break into the industry. Qualifications are not required but degrees can help develop skills. Salaries range greatly based on the station, time slot, and presenter's popularity, from £14,000 to over £100,000. Work conditions are variable with fixed-term contracts and schedules that may change.

1. Radio Presenter
What is the job?
This particular job requires someone with good communication skills, due to radio
presenter being the voice of the station and is required to inform and entertain,
therefore building a relationship with the audience, whilst working closely with the
production team and taking direction from a producer or editor. Radio presenters
are often based in recording studios; however there may be times when they are
required to work on location presenting outside broadcasts. As well as presenting
the show a presenter will have to work with the studio equipment.
Presenters often work for a variety of stations which will all have different target
audiences; therefore it is vital that a presenter can cater for all types of audiences.
Presenters could also be expected to review there own output and accept feedback
on their performance.
Depending on the station a radio presenter is working for, they can either be
required to present live or recorded shows, scripted and unscripted. As well as being
the voice of a station, a presenter may also be required to conduct interviews, host
live events, write scripts, come up with original ideas and carry out a variety of other
production tasks. Some presenters may also be required to write material for
websites and a variety of other platforms.
How do you get into the job?
There is no clear path into radio presenting, however most presenters get into the
job by gaining hands on experience working in hospital, student or community radio
and then move on to larger stations with wider audiences. It is also possible to enter
this particular industry by studying a under graduate or post graduate degree in
either MA in radio or media production.
What essential knowledge/skills do you need?
To become a good radio presenter there is specific knowledge and skills needed. A
few of these are:
- It is important that a radio presenter can use their voice effectively for a specific
radio station, therefore making It engaging and entertaining for the audience
- It is vital to have good research skills so that a presenter can gain knowledge about
different station and programme styles as well as audience demographics.
- They must be able to work both independently and in a team.
- It is also important to be able to react quickly in case of problems on air such as
technical problems.
- Radio presenters need to be aware of the law, ethics, copyright and industry
regulations when presenting on air so that don’t slander.
- They will also need a high level of IT skills and be able to operate the recording
equipment in a variety of different radio studios.
- They will also have to multitask between presenting and operating the studio
equipment.

2. What training and qualifications do you need to get in the job?
A degree or qualification is not essential for the role of a radio presenter, therefore
when hiring a radio presenter the employee mainly looks for hands on experience,
weather that is working on hospital, student of community radios. They will also take
into account the amount of time a person has spent developing their presenting
skills as well as their personal style, therefore it is vital to have evidence of hands on
experience rather than specific qualifications when apply for the role of a radio
presenter. However there are a variety of media degrees and college qualifications
available which will improve a person’s presenting skills and their personal style.
What salary, conditions and working practices are involved in the job?
In terms of salary a source says that a radio presenter can earn between £14,000 £100,000 a year. However it is obvious that different presenters will earn different
salaries depending on a variety of factors, such as how popular that particular
presenter is, the time slot of the show they are presenting on and how large the
audience for the particular station the presenter is working on. A prime example of
this is Chris Moyles who presented the breakfast show on radio 1 with a salary of
over £600,000 a year.
In terms of working conditions it is very volatile due to the job being not very secure
due to things such as fixed term contracts, working hours vary enormously,
presenters may start presenting on a show and then not engage and entertain the
target audience and presenters are never guaranteed a job. However if a presenter
does engage the audiences and becomes popular it is a very rewarding job.
What employment contracts they usually operate under?
Most radio presenter’s work fixed term contracts, therefore they will be hired to
work on a variety of stations or a fixed time, for example a presenter may be given a
1 year contract with a particular station.