The Life of a Radio DJ
A Dedication to Those Who Do Late Night Dedications
On a brisk fall day in 2019, Sykes Student Union was bustling with upperclassmen trying to sell the incoming freshmen on their clubs. The biannual West Chester University club fair was in full swing when I walked into the building. A TV caught my eye with an ad for the campus’ radio station, WCUR. I quickly found their table and signed up. I went to the on-air training sessions, learned about George Carlin and the seven words you can’t say on the radio (if I list them in this blog post, I will likely get in trouble), and by the end of the fall semester, I had passed the training tests.
One semester of training later, I found myself running a radio show with the guy I had done my on-air training with. Nobody really listened to our show apart from my parents and occasionally my grandfather, but I didn’t really mind. We talked about the new Fast and Furious trailers, listened to soft rock from the 70s, and read public service announcements about shopping at Goodwill. It was a typical college radio experience, but what if I (or you) wanted to continue doing radio after college?
Getting Started
The best place to start, ironically, is college. Many radio DJs have “an associate’s or bachelor’s degree program in communications or broadcast journalism (“How to”, 2020)”. At West Chester, the best degree to pursue for someone wanting to go into radio would be a degree in Media and Culture. This person could also try to get an internship with a smaller radio station, like WDIY, in Allentown. Using this experience, you could apply to a larger station with a reel. Dash Radio DJ Gary Jamze recommends “doing courses, as you can learn from somebody else’s experience, and be put in touch with people you wouldn’t have known otherwise who could really help steer you in the right direction (Middleton, 2019)”. West Chester offers MDC 320, which is Communication in Television and Radio. A student looking to take this class would need to be focused on a Production Concentration. Jamze also recommends “[making] the show, and [using] it as a demo. If the person is a DJ, he/she can make that demo, or they can always be in touch with a radio producer… to help them (Middleton, 2019)”.
Radio DJs need to be experienced in “communications and media, telecommunications, and sales and marketing (“Summary Report”, 2020).” An MDC student can get a lot of experience in the first two (hell, media is even in the name of the degree) through the program at West Chester, and the university offers marketing classes as well. A radio DJ needs to be proficient in operating technology and public speaking (another class offered at West Chester), and have a good grasp on social awareness and what is going on in the world.
Applying to stations is the hardest part of becoming a radio DJ. Much like an artist’s portfolio, an aspiring DJ should have a reel. “Disc jockeys should edit reels of their best work to send to prospective employers. No matter the experience or education, radio stations will need to hear how a radio DJ sounds on the air and how they communicate with an audience (“How to”, 2020).” This means that you should either have experience on a college radio station, an internship, or, as Gary Jamze says, “if somebody wants to get a show of their own, that person should make the show (Middleton, 2019).” Some radio DJs are also getting started by doing podcasts. Podcasts are easy to get into, and could serve as an interesting demo reel for potential employers.
Life as a DJ
So, you get hired at a radio station as a DJ. First of all, congratulations on getting hired! Second, you need to start thinking about how this is going to change how you live your life. The average radio DJ in Pennsylvania makes around $33,742 (“How to”, 2020). The average monthly rent for an apartment in West Chester is $1,554 (Bona, 2020), which, over the course of a year, adds up to $18,648. This still leaves you a sizeable amount of money to buy food, pay bills, and anything else you need to do.
What does a radio DJ do all day? In Gary Jamze’s experience, it’s not easy. “The productions don’t just come together on their own, and for a 1- or 2-hour audio show to sound slick and well-researched, a lot of planning has usually happened to give the listener the best experience (Middleton, 2019)”, Jamze says. He has to keep up to date with current music, and make sure his show is interesting, so he keeps his audience. On top of that, Jamze has to organize interviews with artists and choose his playlist for the week, which brings challenges of its own. “I could be sent over 100 promos per week, and my show generally has room for about 28 tracks. Sometimes if a promo is received and the track doesn’t make it to air in the current week, it will still eventually be played at a later date. I also receive quite a few promos outside of the show’s core music policy, so they wouldn’t be played (Middleton, 2019).” Jamze and many other DJs get sent music from around the globe. DJs also find music through each other and streaming services such as Spotify.
Being a radio DJ is a lucrative job that provides the world with entertainment. It is rewarding, if you’re into that sort of thing. I would assume if you’ve made it through this entire blog post that you are definitely into that sort of thing. DJs make above the average median income in the United States, and if you’re already a Media and Culture major at West Chester, you’re on the right track to being qualified for the job. If you want more experience, why not come to WCUR when school starts up in the fall?
References
Bona, S. (2020, March 18). Pennsylvania Rent Report — February 2020. RENTCafé Blog. https://www.rentcafe.com/blog/rental-market/local-rent-reports/pennsylvania-rent-report-february-2020/.
How to Become a Radio Disc Jockey: Step-by-Step Career Guide. Study.com. (2020, July 10). https://study.com/articles/How_to_Become_a_Radio_Disc_Jockey_Step-by-Step_Career_Guide.html.
Middleton, R. (2019, December 4). Industry Insider: Dash Radio Dj Gary Jamze on Adapting in the Internet Age. Magnetic Magazine. https://www.magneticmag.com/2019/12/industry-insider-interview-dash-radio-dj-gary-mcnealis/.
Summary Report for: 27–3011.00 — Broadcast Announcers and Radio Disc Jockeys. O*NET OnLine. (2020). https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/27-3011.00.