The Broadcasting Insider

Note: By no means an exhaustive list

Classic Rock

A lot of folks have their “best-of” lists, Letterman’s got is “Top Ten” lists, and even the regular weekend warrior has a playlist with his favourites.

I’m not going to tell you what you like, but I’ve put together a list of some of the songs I consider to be the best part of classic radio – songs that I like, that I own, and that get requested more often than not on my radio show. These aren’t hard rock, and they’re not easy listening – they’re the type of songs you’d put on if you’ve got the windows down or the grill going. Classics that take you back to the good years, perfect for a weekend barbecue with friends. Read More..

Last week I was at work, headphones on, microphone ready, and when I did the opener for my show I inadvertently gave the title of my next song as the request number. This wasn’t quite as outlandish as it sounds since the next song was Tommy TuTone’s 867-5309. So I go on the air and do my open and give a weather tease and all my usual opener stuff, and then say

Got a favourite you’d like to get on, give me a ring at 867-5309 …

Except my request number, locally, is entirely different. I don’t know how I got my wires crossed, but it struck me how easy it is to get into a groove and slip up – not in any major way, but still. Read More..

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Why Broadcasting Insider?

Two things: I literally walked in off the street, on a whim, and got hired at a radio station. Granted, the station where I started was small, but it proves two things:

• You don’t need a college degree to be on the air.
• You don’t need industry experience to get hired by a radio station.

I make it my goal to provide the best information about working on the radio.

Why Is It Free?

Frankly, the information is already out there. I’d be lying if I told you it was impossible to find good, dependable information on the internet about radio jobs.

But, the problem with all that information is this:

• It’s scattered over literally hundreds of websites, whereas Broadcasting Insider is all in one place.
• A lot of it is written by people who have never worked on the air. Some of it is, most of it isn’t.

Let’s talk about each of those a bit more. Read More..

What Is A Demo Tape? | How Do I Make A Demo Tape?

In the radio industry, presenting a demo tape is kind of the same thing as a a job interview – it’s where the employer gets to hear what you sound like, how you present yourself, and really, whether or not you’ll fit in at the station where you’re applying.

When they say a Program Director will have his mind up within the first few seconds of listening to your demo tape, that’s no exaggeration. Program Directors are busy, busy people and they get demo tapes with some regularity. Smaller stations get them less often, large stations (literally) get sick of them. Read More..

Part of being on the air every day is listening to yourself – so sounding good is important, even to yourself.

Ever wonder why you see DJs in the studio wearing headphones? I mean, they’re right there with the microphones and speakers anyway, so why do they need headphones?

Quite simply, because if they weren’t wearing headphones they wouldn’t be able to hear what they sound like over the air. When the microphone is on (and the little ‘on-air’ sign is all lit up above the studio door) the speakers – we call them monitors – in the studio are off; as soon as you turn on the mic, the monitor goes dead. The reason is feedback: If the monitor didn’t get turned off, then the sound would come out of the speakers, go back into the microphone then out the speakers into the microphone, etc etc, and you’d get horrible feedback – you know, that awful loud whistling that just about ruptures your eardrums. Read More..

Welcome to How To Win A Radio Contest – the website created by me, a professional Disc Jockey daily heard by tens of thousands of listeners.

I’ll tell you a bit about me, first of all, so you can have a bit of confidence in what I say.

About Me

I’ve worked in radio and media since the mid to late 90s, and while I’m in my late 20s right now I’ve already been fortunate enough to land a nice spot at the station where I currently work – the two Prime Time slots for on-air radio is the morning, between 7:00 and 9:00 o’clock, and then in the afternoon from about 4:00 to 6:00 or 7:00. They call these two slots the ‘Morning Drive’ and the ‘Afternoon Drive’ since it’s the time when workers and commuters are on the road, driving. I have the Afternoon Drive. Read More..