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Knowing what you should get out of radio school is an important part of the school-scouting process. It may seem obvious at first--you want to get a degree! You want to gain some knowledge! But in fact, there are many other factors to consider as well. Nobody has to tell you that the job market is tough out there. Although the relatively new world of satellite radio has expanded the market in many ways, it's still a hard industry to break into, and these days it's more competitive than ever. Radio school is one effective way to give yourself an edge over the competition. But you need to be smart about it and make sure you're getting all you can out of the experience. Below are some of the things to consider when checking out different programs:


1. The curriculum. Your education in radio should be both hands-on and comprehensive. Hands-on means spending time in a real radio studio, working with actual professionals in the field. You should have the opportunity to perform the duties of the position you want to have someday, whether that means producing a show, or performing as a talk-show host, or anything else. Comprehensive means you should graduate knowing about the radio industry from A-Z, everything from the history of the medium to the technical aspects to marketing to on-air content.


2. The teachers. What you should get out of radio school will depend a huge amount on who is doing the teaching. You want to make sure that the instructors are working professionals, not academic who have been out of the radio business for years.


3. The cost. This one is very important. No matter how prestigious a radio school may claim to be, if it costs an arm and a leg and you can't pay for it yourself, it's probably not for you. That fancy degree may help land you a few more interviews, but the paper itself isn't going to be able to pay off the huge amount of debt you're likely to incur through your student loans. Find a low-cost school with the right curriculum and great teachers (yes, they do exist) to make sure the money you start earning stays in your wallet.


4. Your job prospects. Obviously you're going to radio school so you can get a job once you graduate. Make sure the schools you're looking at do everything they can to help graduates achieve their professional goals. This could include internships, mentorships, strong alumni connections, and/or a job placement department. These are the basics of what you should get out of radio school.

Link: http://www.billboardmama.com/what-kind-of-education-do-i-need-for-a-career-in-radio-p-1227.html

If you’re thinking about a career in radio, you might be wondering what kind of education or schooling you need in order to get there. Perhaps you’ve even scoped out a few broadcasting schools to see if one of them is right for you. It’s enough to make you wonder how badly you really need that degree or certificate—and what your alternatives are.


There are several ways to go about this, but in general there are three paths of education you can take to prepare for a career in radio:


1. The college route
There are lots of regular colleges and universities that offer communication or media degrees, and you can choose an emphasis in radio if there isn’t a specific degree available. These degrees typically take two to four years to complete. The positive is that you get a well-rounded education beyond just in radio, which can be a great experience, especially if you’re just out of high school. The negatives can be that you might not want or need that broad of an education; that the education you receive is not specific enough; or that (depending on school budgets) universities sometimes lag behind on current equipment and technology.

2. The vocational school route
There are numerous specialized schools of broadcasting out there, all of them advertising that they have the latest equipment, or a fast-track program to get you launched into a career in no time flat. These are usually certificate programs where you can specialize in radio or another form of media, and sometimes can be completed in one or two years, or even less. The plus side of this approach is that if the school does what it claims, you can actually get a quality education that will help you in the long run. The negative is that usually with specialized schools, the cost is higher.

3. The mentoring route
A lot of people working in radio learned their skills simply by working under a mentor, someone else in the business who showed them the ropes. Sometimes this happens organically, but there are now some educational programs using this method to train people in radio—literally placing students with working professionals in real-life studios to work through a guided curriculum. The positive is that this method is often just as effective an approach as traditional schooling—and at a fraction of the cost. The negative (if there is one) is that it requires the student to take more personal responsibility for their educational path.



Thankfully, the nature of the radio industry is that there is not just one path to get there; in fact, having a degree doesn’t even necessarily improve your chances of getting a job! The important thing is to get the education, so you can demonstrate that you know what you’re doing. The ability to produce results is still the best way to get a career in radio.

Link: http://www.billboardmama.com/schools-broadcast-p-1226.html

Broadcast Technicians are responsible for setting up, operating, and taking care of a wide variety of broadcasting equipment used for television shows, radio or school broadcast, or movies. The equipment can be used for live production or for recording the broadcast. Most broadcast technicians work at radio and television studios, where they take charge of the equipment used for broadcasting or recording radio or TV shows. Others work on movie sets. The type of equipment they use includes microphones, cameras, consoles, computers, and tape recorders. Broadcast technicians who work for small television or radio stations are generally versatile and perform a variety of duties, whereas those employed by large stations tend to specialize. Before initiating a school broadcast, technicians conduct tests to ensure that signals work properly. During the broadcasting of TV or radio shows, broadcast technicians focus on controlling the quality of the sound and/or picture. To do this, they operate control panels that cause camera angles to be switched, sound volumes to be raised or lowered, and special effects to be inserted. When broadcasting news programs, technicians operate controls that shift from studio coverage to on-the-scene reporting. They also use controls that allow switching between local sources and satellite feeds in order to blend national and local coverage within a school broadcast. When making any of these switches, technicians typically rely on cues from program directors that alert them to when the switch should happen. Communication with co-workers during filming and broadcasting is normally accomplished through the use of hand signals and headsets. When recording programs, technicians first map out which cameras, microphones, and equipment should be used for the particular show being recorded. They then review the script so that they know in advance when to make switches involving cameras and other equipment. They also plan the insertion of commercial breaks. Field technicians prepare for broadcasts of news events by driving vans to the event site, where they discuss equipment placement with reporters and camera operators. They then set up the equipment in a manner which maximizes the clarity of signals recorded or transmitted back to the studio.

Link: http://www.billboardmama.com/radio-school-courses-p-1225.html

If you're investigating radio school courses, you probably already know what an exciting field the radio industry is. With the advent of satellite and Internet radio, the opportunities for aspiring professionals in the field are greater than ever. Even so, the competition is fierce, so it's important to have an excellent education before you go out there and try to make a name for yourself. There are all kinds of schooling options, from technical and trade schools to college and graduate school programs in radio, to alternative schools that emphasize hands-on training, mentorships, and internships. Whichever route you take, you need to make sure the school you attend offers a thorough curriculum to prepare you for a career in radio.


The radio school courses you take will depend in part upon the job you hope to have once you graduate. Of course, there are certain courses you can expect to take regardless of your particular interests, such as a history of broadcasting, FCC rules and regulations, and learning about how the industry functions as a whole. But you will also take specialized courses depending on your personal career goals. Below are some of the more popular on-air jobs in radio, and what type of courses you can expect to take for each.


1. Talk show host. Aspiring talk show hosts need to learn first and foremost how to use their voice most effectively. Breathing techniques, vocal exercises, and proper diction and enunciation will all be taught. You also need to understand how to use the microphone and other equipment in the booth. Finally, you will learn how to develop your own voice as a talk show host, and should have the opportunity to create your own show on a campus radio station.


2. News broadcaster. Like the talk show host, the news broadcaster can expect to take courses in performance to use his or his instrument (voice) effectively. In addition, the news broadcaster will learn about how to report current events, particularly hot-button issues such as politics and religion.


3. Radio DJ. Surprisingly enough, DJs don't typically select the music played on radio stations these days--that's a job usually assigned to the station's music director. Still, radio DJs have a very important job, acting as the most public "face" of the station. DJs must be charismatic and comfortable interacting with listeners. You can expect to take course that help you develop your on-air persona, as well as learn interviewing skills and how to think on your feet.


This is just a small sampling of what radio school can offer you. Make sure you do your homework and know what you want to get out of radio school courses.

Link: http://www.billboardmama.com/radio-college-degree-p-1224.html

Some think that having a radio college degree guarantees you a job in the radio industry. However, having a diploma is not valued at all in the radio industry. Far more important is working, building up a resume, and making connections. People say that getting your first job in radio is notoriously difficult, but there are ways to break into the industry, and it takes lots of hard work to go out and meet people and have a network of connections that can help you in the job search market.


Going to college for broadcasting and radio can be incredibly expensive, especially if you want to attend a good school. Tuition to these schools can cost over $100,000 in some cases. In order to pay for college, most students have to take out loans, borrow money from people, or max out their credit cards. Also, there is also a loss of income you may have to account for, because going to school full time and working full time can be very difficult. In many cases, students choose to go away to college, and this is a huge added expense. Dorming usually costs over $3,000 a year, and you must also put aside money for food or a meal plan, depending on the college’s rules.


It is also important to access whether going to college is worth all of this money. Getting a radio college degree is a difficult, time-consuming process. You must sacrifice at least four years to get a degree, four years where it is difficult to find time to work or do much besides study. Also, many of the professors in college have not worked in the field for many years and cannot provide their students with the accurate information on what the industry is actually like know, the most current technology, or provide worthwhile connections.


Instead of going to school for broadcast, students are now choosing to go through apprenticeship programs. Apprenticeship programs place students with someone who works in the field, giving the student the opportunity for a first-hand education at an actual radio station, learning from current technology, and opportunity to network with plenty of other people who work in the radio field. This is a good way to build up your experience and resume as well. This experience is far more important when it comes to getting a job in the radio industry, rather than a radio college degree.


Having a radio college degree is almost worthless when you go out into the field, it is far more important to be a hard worker and start working as soon as possible.