After Broadcasting School: Getting Your Own Radio Program

Chances are if you're considering broadcasting school, you're pretty passionate about music. Whether it's through the radio singles and pop stars you idolized as a kid, the bands you lined up outside for as a concert-going teen, or a simple devotion to discovering what's new and amazing in your preferred genre of music, you've always had a love for a great song, and probably also the urge to share that with others.

With a broadcasting school education, you'll have the know-how, and with NBTN's ninety percent job-placement rate, you'll probably also have the entry-level position that will allow you to move up in the ranks and get your own radio program. Whether that's your ultimate goal or just a stepping stone on your eventual radio takeover, your own hour or two of the music of your choice is your chance to get noticed by listeners and by the higher-ups that could see fit to offer you more freedom in creating playlists and getting the best hours (goodbye graveyard shift, hello mid-afternoon show).

In order to nail down a show for yourself after you graduate broadcasting school, you'll want to start out with a specific musical genre that you really enjoy so the show can have some thematic consistency, even if your tastes span all ends of a genre. For example, if you're angling for a late weekend hour of dance music to yourself, you'll probably be able to have some wiggle room in there, allowing you to switch from trance to house to jungle to techno without losing your audience. Even if you're a devotee of several different styles of music, you'll find it easier to put a show together based on criteria more specific than just a bunch of songs you like.

As for securing the actual show, don't be afraid to say something! Use the freedom you're given in putting together whatever program you're initially assigned (even if that program is just playing music for random blocks of time in the middle of the night) to add in the music you enjoy as it suits the assigned playlists. Bosses will be much more interested in giving you more freedom if you demonstrate that you can follow directions well and handle the amount of responsibility you're given, especially since they know you have a broadcasting school education to back you up.

Be sure your employers are aware of the music that you're passionate about, whether it's by you saying so or lobbying for a position outside of concerts in your preferred genre. Bring up the topic of career goals and mention that since you've finished broadcasting school, a big goal of yours has been to have your own show, and that you'd be willing to take on a random block of time if it meant the freedom to expose new and interesting acts that you're into. If you have the opportunity, you can demonstrate a little extra interest by sorting through some of the demo tapes that the radio station receives and finding the best new acts before anyone else does. Who knows, you could even end up finding the next big star!

Once you've gotten your show through perseverance and the skills you learned in broadcasting school, use the time you're given wisely. Separate your show from any other similar shows that might be out there by keeping on the crest of your genre of choice, so your eventual audience will know you're a good resource for keeping up with the latest and greatest songs and artists. Make your show appointment radio so listeners keep coming back, and watch your star rise as you play the music you love to the audience that wants to hear it!