RADIO JOCKEY AS A CAREER
A radio jockey is a person who has the ability to woo an audience with the quality of his voice, sitting in a booth surrounded with audio equipment.
ROLE OF A RADIO JOCKEY
A RJ as he is called has to anchor the radio show as per script, plays the music and audio advertisements properly. He has to read the news and make important announcements, Conducting celebrity interviews and moderating group discussions. Before a show is aired the RJ has to prepare the script and finalize all the small details of the show. He has to be versatile and engage his audience along with entertaining them. It requires an amalgamation of conversation, humour and music.
SKILLS REQUIRED
A RJ must possess spontaneity, spunk and a pleasing personality. A good voice modulation, strong command over language, creativity, be updated with the latest news and happenings and good presence of mind. The RJ should be well read to interact well with the target audience. He/She should possess technical knowledge regarding operating CD players, Sound Mixers and other types of digital equipments. Blending of one’s voice to the background music and becoming quiet before the beginning of lyrics are certain qualities which a RJ must possess to conduct live shows. A good presence of mind can help cover audio failures. A person with a calm, composed persona is fit to become an RJ.
ELIGIBILITY
It is a talent based career and the prerequisite is plus two. Essential factor is a good voice with good diction, fluency and language clarity. A person should have the capability to modulate the pitch and tenor of his or her voice.
AIR has two month-in-house trainings for RJs and auditions for this course are held after every three months.
Radio Mirchi has the annual RJ hunt through which RJs are recruited. There is audition followed by a screening process to hire the best RJs.
Several institutes have also started courses to help candidates understand the technicalities involved in this profession. The institutes offering courses on RJ are-
- Radio City School of Broadcasting, Mumbai
- Indian Institute of Mass Communication, New Delhi
- Xavier Institute of Communications, Mumbai
- Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi
- Xavier Institute of Communications, Mumbai
- The Mudra Institute of Communications (MICA), Ahmedabad
JOB OPPORTUNITIES
The first thing is to go for an audition and the voice is tested to find out whether it is suitable for the radio or not. Both the voice and a pleasing personality are taken into consideration to hiring a RJ. One could work at AIR(All India Radio), Times FM, Radio Mid-Day etc. An RJ can do voice-overs for Ad-films, host events and shows and online jockeying.
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CAREER PROSPECTS
The radio industry is expected to rise in the next 5 years which will create innumerable opportunities for people aspiring to become RJs. Aspirants could try their hand in Programme Direction, Script Writing or be a part of the marketing team.
The RJ can enjoy a fusion of music, interacting with different kinds of people and having flexible hours of work. Sometimes working at erratic hours may become a problem but overall it is an upcoming profession.
SALARY
The salary is based on the number of hours put in by a RJ. Salary could be from 18,000-25,000. Reputed RJs earn between35,000-45,000/month. A fresher can earn up to 10,000 a month. So there are good prospects in this career.
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