radio

1. Radio
Radiohas beenaroundforyearsand for a brief time itstartedto looklike the beginningof the end
of radiobutwhere there’sawill there isaway. Radioiseverywherenow smartphones,laptops,
computers,cars.Radiosince has become biggerthanit’severhave whichmeanscreatingmore jobs.
There are somany jobopportunitieswithinthe radioindustryandwe are goingto be lookingat3
mainjobsin radiothat you’ll be able togetinto.
Radio broadcast assistant
A radiobroadcast assistanthelpstoprovide vital supportinthe developmentanddaytoday
productionof radiowhetherI’dbe local or national radio.Theybasicallygivepractical assistance to
the programme producersandpresenterstoensure thatthe radioshowsruns smoothlyaspossibl e.
Dependingonwhathouryouwant to workhere’sa justa little informationaboutthe workinghours.
Theyare usuallylong,Shiftsvarydependingonthe programme youare workingonbut typically
includingsome eveningandweekendworkandoccasionallyovernightshifts.Tightdeadlinesmay
require youto work overtime.Youalsogotto prepare tocover forcolleagueswhoare onholidayor
absentthroughsickness.
Salarylevelsare fairlylowinmanypartsof the industry.Startingsalarieswithinlocal commercial
radiomay be in the regionof £13,000 to £16,000. Salariestendtobe higherwiththe BBC,withthe
minimumstartingsalarybeingaround£15,700 for local stationsor£20,000 withinLondon.Witha
fewyears’experienceandincreasedresponsibility,salariesof £17,000 to £29,000 can be achieved.
Freelance radiobroadcastassistantsneedtonegotiatetheirownrates,whichcanvarysignificantly.
WithRadiobroadcast assistantit’snotessential tohave adegree orHND to become a radio
broadcast assistant.However,competitionisextremelytoughandmanyassistantsare graduates.
Therefore, arelevantqualificationinradioormediaproductionmayimprove yourchancesof getting
intothe industry.
Pre-existingexperienceisvital fordevelopingadditionaltechnical skillsanddemonstrating
commitmenttothe industry.Thiscanbe obtainedthroughstudent,hospitalorcommunityradio.
You couldalsotry to get part-time orcasual workat yourlocal station.Buildinguparelationship
withtheminthis way mayleadto furtherwork.
Radio CommercialsProducer
Commercial producerscreate radioadvertisinginresponse toclientandstationpromotionsfor
radiostations.Theybringtogethersome high-levelradioproductionskillswiththe understatingof
the creative potential of radioandaudiocontenttomarketand sell productsandserves.Radio
commercialsproducersreallyhandle alotof what’smarketedandpresentedtothe public,they
manage clientbriefings,generate andpitchideas,andwrite scriptsorworkwithwriter. Theymay
cast actors and voiceovers,selectmusic,andorganize andrunrecordingsessions.Theymayalsoedit
and produce finishedcommercialsandotheradvertisingmaterial.Theymayproduce trailersto
promote client-sponsoredeventsorcompetitions,ortobuildthe stationbrandand promote the
stationitself.
In termsof qualificationyoucanworkyourway upfrom an entry-levelrole tobecome radio
commercialsproducers,withoutadegree.Thatsaid,some employersmaywantyouto have a
degree inbusinessmanagement,radioproduction,marketingorcommunications.Keepinmindif
youare consideringtakingaradiocourse inhighereducation,the followingcoursershave been
carefullyassessedbythe radioindustryandawardedthe creative skillset.
Salarylevelsvarydependingonwhere youbegin,butagraduate withsome relevantexperience
mighthope to earnup to £16,000. Non-graduate entrypositionscouldcommandaround£12,500.
Obviouslywhenatthe seniorlevel withexperience (e.g.after10-15 years inthe role):£30,000 -

2. £45,000 forsenior.Againfreelance dependsonthe ratesyouwantto charge basedonyou’re
credentialsandwhatyourskill set.
Havingsome workexperience candefinitelyhelpaidyouintogettinginthe radiocommercial
industry,tryto source some workexperience atyourlocal radiostation.More businessesare
lookingintothe people have some experience undertheirbeltsothattheycan see youare
familiarizedwiththe industryandwhatyouare lookingtoachieve.
Radio presenter
If you’ve beenlivingunderarock (whichI’msure youhaven’t) youwouldbe unaware of whata
radiopresenterisright?We all knowwhata radio presenteris hostsandbroadcastsmusicor talk
showsona varietyof media.The jobof a radio presenteristohostshowson radioor the internet
whichrevolve mainlyaroundmusic,conversation,interviewsandstories.A radiopresenteristhe
introductoryvoice of the broadcastand alsokeepsthe show flowinginordertoentertainan
audience. The jobactivitiescanrange frominterviewing,introducing,readingnewsandsport,
informingthe listenersaboutthe weatherorcreatingandcontrollingconversation.
AcademicQualifications are notstrictlynecessarytobecome aradiopresenterbutasthe career
path isbecomingincreasinglypopularandit’sverycompetitive,it’sadvisable toembarkonformal
qualificationsinordertoincrease the chancesof employability. There are avarietyof degree
programs,foundationdegreesandHNDcourseswhichprovide abackgroundknowledgeand
relevance toradiopresentingwhichemployersmaylookfor.
Withradio presenteryouhave toa skill setthatwill enable you toengage avariedaudience and
create an original showeachtime theyhost.Reallytrulythismeansthattheyhave tohave an
extremelycreative andoutgoingskillset.Theyhave toengage and possesabig personality.
Possessingexcellentoral communicationandpresentationskills
Havingthe capacity to workto a rigidschedule andmanage theirtime effectively
Beingable towork efficientlywithinateam
Beingable tomake decisionsunderpressureandtoimprovise toahighstandard if necessary
Beingupto date withcurrentaffairsandpossessingresearchskillswhichcanensure accuracyof the
informationtheyare discussingonradio
Like any otherrolesinthe radioindustryitrequiresyouhave some experience whenmovingupthe
ladderinradiopresenting.Mostpresentersstartbybroadcastingsmall showsonhospital radios,
universityradios,communitystationsoronline streamingdevices,whichtheyusuallyvolunteerfor.
YouTube has become anexcellentmediumtopractice presentingandhostingandhasbecome a
source for manytalentscoutsand employers.
Salarywithinthissectorof the industry are extremelyvariedwhenitcomestoradiopresenting.
Earningsare dependentona whole hostof factorssince beingone of the biggestpositioninthe
field,includingexperience,the type of radiostation,the popularityof the show,andthe radio
medium.Forexample,radiostationsonlinewhichare lesspopularwill paytheirpresentersfarless
than national mainstreamradiostationson 'FM'frequencies.Experience isakeyfactor forradio
presenterslookingtoincrease theirsalary.Employabilityformore mainstream,well paidradioslots
comeswithhavingpresentedavastnumberof shows,preferablyvaryinginstyle.Large mainstream
radiocompanies,suchas BBC Radio1, pay anythingbetween£100,000 and £600,000 a year to their
radiopresenters.Lessexperiencedradiopresentersonlesswell-knownstationscanearnas little as
£14,000 a year.Many radio presentersworkonafreelance basisandthereforeincome iscalculated
pershowexecuted.