Help (Getting into radio)

rochey84

Hi guys and girls,

I really really need some help, I want to break into a career in radio, specifically talk radio (the likes of The Spin, The Joan Lea Show, Adrian Kennedy, that sort of thing) but I don't know where to start, I'm on the Joan Lea Show quite a bit lately (at their invite) and in my pre-call centre days I was often on The Spin, but I would really like to get involved properly. I'd happily work for free in my spare time to build up some experience but my current job doesn't really lend itself to allow you to commit to any sort of long term thing.

Basically what I'm hoping to get from this is some advice, I plan on doing a course in media and journalisim when I get some money saved up but in the meantime is there anything I can do to further my goal? Or does a researcher on one of these talk radio shows want an assistant who will have to let them know on a week to week basis how available they are????

Thanks guys looking forward to any and all advice!!!!

fm 1

rochey84 wrote: »

Hi guys and girls,

I really really need some help, I want to break into a career in radio, specifically talk radio (the likes of The Spin, The Joan Lea Show, Adrian Kennedy, that sort of thing) but I don't know where to start, I'm on the Joan Lea Show quite a bit lately (at their invite) and in my pre-call centre days I was often on The Spin, but I would really like to get involved properly. I'd happily work for free in my spare time to build up some experience but my current job doesn't really lend itself to allow you to commit to any sort of long term thing.

Basically what I'm hoping to get from this is some advice, I plan on doing a course in media and journalisim when I get some money saved up but in the meantime is there anything I can do to further my goal? Or does a researcher on one of these talk radio shows want an assistant who will have to let them know on a week to week basis how available they are????

Thanks guys looking forward to any and all advice!!!!

What part of the country are you in ???

rochey84

I live in Dublin 15 and work in swords have a car so I'm relativly mobile

_feedback_

Hi Rochey,

Try having a search of this forum on this topic for previous posts. There has been some very helpful advise posted in the past.

I just posted to point you towards this post which was posted only this morning.

Best of luck with it all!

rochey84

Cheers Elvis, I know Open FM and I don't think my work schedule will help them but I will definatly get in touch with them

Fran1985

rochey84 wrote: »

I live in Dublin 15 and work in swords have a car so I'm relativly mobile

Contact Phoenix FM to get a full understanding of how Radio works by doing your own shot or helping out on another

http://bai.ie/licensed_operators_comm_radio_phoenix.html

or near fm, which would be nearer to swords.

Both of them are within reach of ya, and will give ya great exposure. If you work hard there, you wont be long getting a gig. I'd recommend listening back to everything you do and if you think its 100% perfect, its not, so find out whats wrong with it, and fix that for the next time. As time goes on (and it can be a long time but stick it out) you'll start to improve to a level required by the big players, which is when you start sending out demo's.

Do a few radio courses too. i hear east coast do a good one, in fact a few stations do them but a mate of mine did that one and found it quite good. All this will eat your money and time but if you want it, you'll do it. Good luck with it

rochey84

Fran1985 wrote: »

Contact Phoenix FM to get a full understanding of how Radio works by doing your own shot or helping out on another

http://bai.ie/licensed_operators_comm_radio_phoenix.html

or near fm, which would be nearer to swords.

Both of them are within reach of ya, and will give ya great exposure. If you work hard there, you wont be long getting a gig. I'd recommend listening back to everything you do and if you think its 100% perfect, its not, so find out whats wrong with it, and fix that for the next time. As time goes on (and it can be a long time but stick it out) you'll start to improve to a level required by the big players, which is when you start sending out demo's.

Do a few radio courses too. i hear east coast do a good one, in fact a few stations do them but a mate of mine did that one and found it quite good. All this will eat your money and time but if you want it, you'll do it. Good luck with it

Cheers Fran, I'll defo look into all that when I get home, my really cool and fun workplace has the link blocked, I don't mind loosing time and money for the greater good.

All other suggestions are fully welcome, Elvis I've emailed Open FM and I kinda know someone involved with them so hopefully between those 2 bits of information I'll get a start!

eth0_

Don't waste your time going back to college to study media. Unless you want to become a journalist there's no point. You're better off volunteering at a local radio station in the hope they'll offer you paid work.

Does RTE offer internships? I moved to London last year to pursue my dream of working in radio and once I did a production internship at the BBC I started getting a fair bit of freelance work which will hopefully lead to a permanent role soon.

Lastly - are you aware of how poorly radio pays? A lot of people think it pays as well as TV. Alas not! :-)

Bard

eth0_ wrote: »

Don't waste your time going back to college to study media. Unless you want to become a journalist there's no point. You're better off volunteering at a local radio station in the hope they'll offer you paid work.

Couldn't disagree with this any more! Having done the Higher National Diploma in Radio in Ballyfermot College, topped off with a BA degree in Media Production Management there (in association with DCU), I've gained a valuable qualification, a wealth of knowledge & experience and a huge number of industry contacts. I'm now a producer in a fairly major commercial station and wouldn't be without having done it.

Does RTE offer internships? I moved to London last year to pursue my dream of working in radio and once I did a production internship at the BBC I started getting a fair bit of freelance work which will hopefully lead to a permanent role soon.

While RTÉ take in TY (transition year) students from secondary schools, they don't even take in college (MEDIA) students on work experience, unfortunately. Not sure about internships.

Lastly - are you aware of how poorly radio pays? A lot of people think it pays as well as TV. Alas not! :-)

This, I agree with. If you haven't simply got a passion for it and are trying to get into it to be 'rich and famous', you're barking up the wrong tree!

Fran1985

Bard wrote: »

Couldn't disagree with this any more! Having done the Higher National Diploma in Radio in Ballyfermot College, topped off with a BA degree in Media Production Management there (in association with DCU), I've gained a valuable qualification, a wealth of knowledge & experience and a huge number of industry contacts. I'm now a producer in a fairly major commercial station and wouldn't be without having done it.

How much of this experience did you get in college, and how much did you get while travelling the country doing work experience in various radio stations? I'd imagine you got most of it from the work ex! You can tell the ones who went to college every day, worked hard and did every assignment. Then you can tell the one's that volunteered their time and went out and got hands on experience and there's a big difference, in favour of the latter. Obviously a combination of both can be a help, but the experience is worth more than the papers imho.
I have that HND but it was only when i put the effort in after college, volunteering on community radio every saturday, taking annual leave from work to go do work experience, that i started to make in roads into getting a gig. Happily at it now, but as you said, its not for those who want to be rich quick

RockLady

Bard wrote: »

Couldn't disagree with this any more! Having done the Higher National Diploma in Radio in Ballyfermot College, topped off with a BA degree in Media Production Management there (in association with DCU), I've gained a valuable qualification, a wealth of knowledge & experience and a huge number of industry contacts. I'm now a producer in a fairly major commercial station and wouldn't be without having done it.

Fran1985 wrote: »

How much of this experience did you get in college, and how much did you get while travelling the country doing work experience in various radio stations? I'd imagine you got most of it from the work ex! You can tell the ones who went to college every day, worked hard and did every assignment. Then you can tell the one's that volunteered their time and went out and got hands on experience and there's a big difference, in favour of the latter. Obviously a combination of both can be a help, but the experience is worth more than the papers imho.

Niall is right, you won't get very far if you don't have anything on paper. I did the old Broadcast Media course in Liberties College six years ago and got great marks, made good contacts and got my current job after working for free for almost a year. I've just finished the HND in Ballyfermot and have made yet more contacts, got great marks again (all going well!) and will hopefully get on to the degree year too.
Fran is also dead right though. The ideal really is to have a combination of both. Unless you're super lucky, be prepared to work for free for an extended period. If you're not, fuggaboutid!

heybaby

I would second the opinion that work experience in radio is more important than letters after your name, after all if you have a quality demo showcasing your talents, it will be far more impressive than having done several years in college. I would get in touch with local / community / hospital radio stations if i were you as they will give you the freedom you wouldnt get in commercial radio.

I note you saying your work schedule currently would limit your options, to this I would say you have to sacrifice what you are doing now if you wish to follow your dream of getting into radio. Opportunities in radio even at a community radio level are hotly contested, you must be available to grab your chance which means being flexible.

Consider reducing your hours where you are working at the moment to free up some of your week to do radio, it will mean you are earning less, but you will by now be aware that radio doesnt pay well so it'll be good practice for you financially too.

eth0_

Bard wrote: »

Couldn't disagree with this any more! Having done the Higher National Diploma in Radio in Ballyfermot College, topped off with a BA degree in Media Production Management there (in association with DCU), I've gained a valuable qualification, a wealth of knowledge & experience and a huge number of industry contacts. I'm now a producer in a fairly major commercial station and wouldn't be without having done it.

I'm not sure I agree with your views. There are plenty of people working as producers, execs, station editors in the BBC and RTE who don't have any media qualifications - many of them don't even have a degree.

Obviously your degree helped you get work experience and contacts, and taught you the nuts and bolts of radio, but tbh you sound like the sort of person who loves radio enough to have broken into the industry via other routes.

I'm not saying media qualifications are crap - far from it - I just don't necessarily agree with the idea that they are essential to have any chance of getting a job in radio. Especially if you're not a school leaver, you're changing careers and probably already have debts. It's probably financially easier for someone in this situation to break into radio through the well trodden community > local > national route.

I am basing this on my own experience, btw. I'm 30 and having been involved in community and internet radio as a hobby for a few years, I realised I wanted to work in radio full time. So I moved to London, made some contacts in the BBC, got some work experience there which led to an internship on a national digital station and from then on i've been doing freelance work (permanent roles in radio are really thin on the ground at the moment). I don't have any radio qualifications (I do have a degree in psychology, though).

I cannot stress how important it is to make good contacts in the industry. If you sit around waiting for jobs to be advertised you'll be waiting for a long time. For instance, last night I was offered an assistant producer job on a national radio series...in the pub!

joolsveer

I am involved as a volunteer with Phoenix FM and they would be delighted to have you as a volunteer. Contact them at info at phoenixfm dot ie.

Dudess

Experience is way more important than the piece of paper. Experience plus the piece of paper though is obviously the best combination. But a course does open doors all right.

Try Dublin City FM OP? Think that's what it's called anyway - used to be Anna Livia. Or NEAR FM in Coolock?

Don't mean to pee on your parade but it's not easy to get solid work in radio these days (even during the boom it wasn't that easy). Mostly freelance and shocking pay/conditions. Go for it, but have a plan B.