Creating a Demo Tape in Broadcasting School

Like any other artistic calling, being a radio DJ requires more than just a resume stating what your qualifications are. Similar to the way a graphic artist needs to submit a portfolio to apply for a design position or a writer needs to submit writing samples, a DJ hopeful needs to have what is essentially an audition tape to show off your talents and get you noticed by a radio station. This is what's most commonly known as a demo tape, or these days, a demo CD, and you'll learn how to create one in broadcasting school.

As a broadcasting school student, you'll be learning the basics of broadcasting and the day to day operations of a radio station as you receive your training. The foundation of information you'll receive in your first experiences in broadcasting school will prepare you well for the realities of working at a radio station as a DJ, knowledge you can take with you whether you get a position at the station where you're apprenticing or you take your demo CD out to find a place at another station.

Voice work will commence immediately in order to help you work toward the best demo CD you can create. You'll learn about the importance of diction, articulation, and pronunciation as your broadcasting school mentor helps you develop your speaking voice and lays the groundwork for more extensive voice training. From there, the key is to practice until you feel that you've mastered the lessons you've learned, something that will be reflected in homework like commercials you might record with your mentor's assistance, and which your mentor will then analyze in order to pinpoint the areas in which you might still need to grow.

The process of refining your voice will contribute to the ultimate development of your overall broadcasting personality. Once you're fully confident in the voice you're presenting to the world, you'll be able to focus on the style you'll employ to make yourself a distinctive radio personality with your own consistent delivery style, so listeners will know the minute they turn the radio just whose voice they're hearing! Your broadcasting school mentor's guidance will help you reach that goal, so if you're not employed by your apprenticing radio station by the time you finish broadcasting school, you'll be well-prepared to create a fantastic demo CD sure to gain you employment at another station in your desired market.

Demo CDs should consist of at least a few basic scripts you'll encounter whether you're shooting for a position as a radio DJ, sports announcer, or talk radio host. These basic scripts include weather reports, a thirty-second commercial, and a promotional announcement. Each demo CD should be tailored to the radio station you're applying at, so avoid writing a commercial script about a monster truck show if you're looking to work for NPR, and you probably don't need a weather report warning for hurricane weather if you're looking for a radio job in California. You can ask your broadcasting school mentor for tips on how to target specific radio stations, especially if your mentor is helping you with your job search by offering connections to other stations in the area or pulling for you to get a position at the station where you're apprenticing.

Once you have your demo CD and you're ready to start the job search in earnest, make sure you consult your mentor and the job search resources at the National Broadcaster's Training Network. NBTN offers lifetime job placement assistance, so with the skills you've learned in broadcasting school and the demo CD you've created, you'll find a position in no time. To get started today, visit http://www.learn-by-doing.com/!