Broadcast Radio... a bad idea?

<p>I've always dreamed of being on the radio. Like talk shows about sports and stuff. Is it really hard and not pay well? I'd be going to a top journalism school like mizzou or syracuse. Is it really hard to break in to?</p>

<p>Radio doesn’t really pay that well. Unless you work up a great reputation and become a regular somewhere you might have very few hours a week of work to do. But this doesn’t mean you can’t do radio. I’ve actually seen quite a few radio jobs listed in the past couple of years that don’t even require a degree or that much experience. They’re just looking for people with talent. </p>

<p>Radio is not completely dead yet, but you should still back up your studies with another career plan. Media advertising is a career that can pay a lot and offer you a better job outlook. Studying television broadcasting as well will give you a chance to take jobs in news stations if radio doesn’t work out.</p>

<p>Honestly radio production isn’t a major I would go to a top school for. I would only go if 1.) well, if I could afford it. Entry level jobs in radio and TV do not pay that well at all and it can take years to build up a big enough career to start really paying back those loans 2.) if I was going to include journalism, news reporting, advertising, video production, etc. in my studies as well.</p>

<p>You can get a great start in radio by working student radio. Some schools have very popular student radio stations.</p>

<p>how hard is it to break into radio? Is it hard to get a job out of college? Also do you know if people do other things while doing radio?</p>

<p>I think it depends a lot on where you live. If you live in a city with a lot of stations of course it might be easier to find a job. However, sometimes it’s harder to break into large markets when you have little experience. </p>

<p>The people I know that went into radio were able to find jobs fairly easily, but they sometimes weren’t the most glamorous ones. I know people who had to work promotions for stations, like going out to events and giving out prizes and stuff. Other people I know got jobs running boards. Some people I know even started their own independent station, like on the internet or on Itunes.</p>

<p>If you live in an area where there are jobs available then it might not be too hard. However, you might not get paid much or have great hours. Especially when you’re starting out be prepared to work all kinds of hours, like night shifts, weekends, and holidays. </p>

<p>Like I said, start in student radio. Use your professors and fellow students to start networking and find out where you can get work. Then work on projects that you can put on an aircheck to send out to stations. You might even be able to find part-time work during school.</p>

<p>As for doing other things while in radio, I was always told to train in advertising since that’s where the money’s at. That way you could at least do sales jobs while looking for an on-air job.</p>

<p>So tell me, would this be a good plan. I’m thinking I’m going to go to Mizzou (University of Missouri) for journalism. Then major in radio/tv broadcasting with an emphasis on sports journalism and also strategic communications in the Journalism school. I think I could maybe go into sports radio, if that’s not too hard, and also do sales on the side after college. Would that be a good idea?</p>

<p>If you go to Syracuse, you will have minimal problem finding a job after graduation. They have a great broadcast program & alumni program which is good for networking. I think you’d be on the right track to find a job in broadcast if you go there. I don’t really know about Mizzou but I know their com school is really good too. I think you’ll be fine.</p>

<p>i would go to to mizzou i think. I’m thinking of going into advertising and sales as one thing and anchoring radio as another. Do you know how hard it is to break into sports? Even like minor league teams or whatever is it hard to get a job in sports journalism?</p>

<p>I have no knowledge whatsoever of sports broadcasting/journalism except it seems like a lot of those people are older broadcaster who have a lot of years of experience. </p>

<p>I think your plan sounds good though! It’s always good to have a backup plan, and even a plan C sometimes. Look into opportunities at your school for working with the athletic departments. Sometimes they need people to shoot footage or maybe even do commentary for games. Or if you don’t mind written journalism you could always try to get a job with the school newspaper, writing for the sports page. </p>

<p>The great thing about radio is that it’s pretty easy to start getting experience. You could possibly start doing your own radio shows in student radio as soon as your first year or two of college.</p>

<p>yea and if i did advertising and couldn’t go down the radio route, is an MBA a good thing to get? My parents want me to get one after college and a little work experience.</p>

<p>I don’t think it would help with radio, but I’m not sure about advertising and sports broadcasting. I’d research those careers to find out. I know there are a lot of entry level advertising jobs out there that require a college degree and little experience, so you should be able to find something without a higher degree- I think. But don’t take my word for it, do the research to make sure.</p>

<p>so would getting into advertising be a good idea at the moment? I mean isn’t advertising a growing field?</p>