Have you ever listened to your favorite DJ show every morning and said to yourself, “This seems easy, I can do it too!” While radio broadcasts can make you famous and influential to thousands (or even millions) of listeners, it's not always easy. Being a host on a radio talk show means that you are required to pay for years as an entry-level employee on a radio. However, nowadays the internet gives amateurs an opportunity to become famous. To find out how to host your radio show, let's look at Step 1 below!
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Method 1 of 4: Getting Events
Step 1. Join a local station
If you're starting from scratch, the best way to get a show on the radio is to start participating in the process of creating the show. Working or volunteering to help out on the radio will be an introduction to the common workflows and tasks that lead to a successful radio show. It can also help you when required to fill out an application when you apply to become a broadcaster. The most important thing is that it will help you to have a connection within the station. Getting to know someone in a particular industry will make a huge difference when you're looking to start a career; Radio station employees often hire people they know and trust to host events rather than hiring foreigners.
The best idea to add to your experience at a radio station is to try volunteering for a local radio community (eg campus radio). Usually these types of radio stations do not operate for profit and rely solely on the work of volunteers to stay on the air, meaning that it will be very easy to find a place compared to radio stations that pursue profit
Step 2. Try for an internship
Several radio stations offer internships to interested applicants, especially young students. There are some internships that are a combination of a local school or a communications department at a college, meaning they usually recruit students from that major alone, while other internships may accept applicants from the general public.
Depending on the amount of time you work, internships can sometimes be more useful than starting a career from the ground up. Good internships are career-focused and also offer job opportunities after the applicant has completed his or her internship
Step 3. If possible, try to take broadcasting education
Studying the appropriate education to become a radio broadcaster will help you get the chance to own your own show. Also, for the record, these educational programs often provide valuable opportunities for internships. If your financial means allow, consider pursuing a degree in communications or broadcasting science to enhance your resume and provide valuable educational background as well as experience.
Basically, communication or broadcasting education background is not really important for a successful career in radio. Some well-known broadcasters on radio, such as Howard Stern, have bachelor's degrees in communications, but many have no relevant educational background. For example, Adam Carolla, host of “Loveline” and “The Adam Carolla Show”, just completed his first-year college education majoring in ceramics
Step 4. Set aside funds while broadcasting on a for-profit radio station
Although all stations have their own rules for hosts, in general, local radio will charge the hosts for the programs they fill. When the number of listeners is very large (morning or afternoon) it is generally expensive, while the rest is usually cheaper. Broadcasters can pay for their shows using their own money, collect donations from viewers, or sell ads to third parties. If they make more money from advertising than it costs to maintain an event, they usually keep the difference as a profit. Successful radio owners usually support themselves in this way. Knowing that you may need to pay for an event is also very important because you don't want to waste time trying to find out if you can afford to keep the event going.
- Since it's expensive to own a radio show, having another job is often a wise idea (at least until you can raise advertising funds to support your show). It's great to completely dedicate yourself to a radio career, but certainly not when you run out of funds and have to stop broadcasting for a few months.
- Costs vary. Typically, at some local stations, radio broadcast times range from $60-$200 per hour, depending on the time slot.
Step 5. Consider using the help of the internet
For people who are first entering the world of radio broadcasting, the internet offers a way to get your voice heard at a relatively low cost and requires no experience. If you have a computer and know how to use it, you can set up custom audio that broadcasts your show (see online guides, such as here). You may also want to try a cheap and free online website like Justin.tv (free! supports video broadcasting). Live365.com (cheap; free trial) or Radionomy.com (9 months free with terms and conditions apply).
- The downside of having an internet-based radio show is that it's really up to you how to promote the show and develop listeners; You will not get any help from the radio station.
- Another great option is to record a general podcast. Podcasts are usually pre-recorded radio shows that listeners can download and listen to. For more info on podcasts, see How to Start Your Own Podcast or scroll down for the podcasting section.
Method 2 of 4: Host Your Own Event
Step 1. Choose a theme or format for your event
Before you start broadcasting, you will be required to define the “goal” of your show. While many events are flexible in structure and topic, in general, most successful events have a theme and purpose. This of course can be very broad, so don't get confused about a specific theme. Ask yourself, “what is my show “about”?” Here are some talk show themes that you can use:
- Latest news/events
- Political explanation
- Music news/Music discussion
- Humor/parody
- Educational topics (history, science, etc.)
- Advice (relationships, DIY (Do It Yourself) projects, etc.)
- Special topics (psychics, conspiracy theories, etc.)
Step 2. Schedule your event in advance
Don't do anything in the studio unprepared unless you're an experienced broadcaster. Scheduling for the timing of your event is a must, especially if this is your first event. Having a plan ahead of time allows you to keep the momentum of the event high and not easily run out of things to talk about. During your first show, you'll find that your schedule doesn't really match reality and some segments take a long time that you can't anticipate, while others take very little time. Take notes and adjust the schedule as needed.
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Let's say we just got a radio show on a political topic for the first time for 90 minutes. Here's an example layout for our first event:
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- (5 minutes) Theme song and introduction.
- (20 minutes) Guest interview: Author Jane Smith.
- (15 minutes) Discussion topic 1: Minimum wage/too high or too low?
- (5 minutes) Advertising.
- (10 minutes) Answer the call.
- (15 minutes) Discussion of topic 2: Political party fraud & how big the problem is in the modern era.
- (5 minutes) Advertising.
- (10 minutes) Answer the call.
- (5 minutes) Allow guests to move on to the next activity. Followed by farewell and closing music.
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Step 3. Consistent, easily recognizable structure
When it comes to radio, consistency is key. Listeners want to hear the same content and type of discussion whenever they listen to your show. Some changes may be unavoidable: for example, if a certain aspect isn't working well, it's best to remove it rather than just becoming an unattractive part of your event. However, whenever possible, you need to maintain a schedule for one event and the next when adding new content in the form of segments and so on.
Step 4. Invite new guests or favorite stars to participate in your event
One thing to keep your event fresh as well as interesting while keeping its format consistent is to keep inviting interesting people, interesting guests to you. The guest will bring their own knowledge as well as conversational style to your event, as a contribution to brightening (or at least entertaining) the discussion. Usually, in return, guests are allowed to promote their personal projects.
The guests you invite should vary depending on the format of your event. For example, if you have a serious art critique event, you could invite guests who offer new perspectives and unique skills, such as professors and artists. On the other hand, if you're hosting a comedy show, you might be able to invite comedians or someone with a unique personality
Step 5. Receive a call from a listener
This is a good idea for building friendships, creating a good atmosphere between yourself and your listeners. If you have an active listener, it will be much easier to keep the conversation going at your event. Opening the line for callers can give you a break from thinking about new, interesting things to discuss. Instead, you can give the listener a chance to make a conversation and all you need to do is respond.
- If you're at a station that doesn't allow profanity, watch out for callers who just want to play around. They always know how to hang up quickly. If your station operates on a waiting time, watch out for callers who may say inappropriate things while on the air. Most stations have an easily accessible snooze button located near the main soundboard.
- If you're broadcasting online, you might want to experiment with taking calls via a voice chat app like Skype. However, you can also create a text chat page for listeners that you can use at any time as a place for discussion.
Step 6. Avoid “dead air” – silence for a moment
Whether you have a community radio program or a small local audience or a national morning show, you'll want to follow the mandatory radio broadcasting rule: avoid dead air. Pauses in conversation are something that doesn't need to take up every moment of your event. However, you'll want to avoid any silence that lasts for a while. This will sound awkward, sound unprofessional, and cause listeners to suspect a technical glitch.
You might think it's a good idea to have music (or similar audio clips) on a waiting list and ready to play when something unexpected happens and you need some time for it
Step 7. Look for advertisers
As said above, it is very likely that you will have to pay for your show to air. To help pay for your show, try to find advertisers who are willing to put up a small amount of money to have their message broadcast on the air. Advertisers can pay a fee or agree to cover a portion of your show in exchange for you for dedicating a small amount of your broadcast time to advertising. Some radio broadcasters read their own advertisements, while others through recordings. Generally, ad rates increase depending on the length of the ad, the time slot, and the number of listeners for the event.
Advertising prices can vary widely depending on the market. For example, 60 ads in the Long Angeles market can cost as much as $500, while the same number of ads can cost as little as $3 in a small town
Step 8. Don't forget to promote your event
Never forget that as a radio broadcaster, your life and death are in the listener's hands. The more listeners you have, the better. With a large number of listeners, you can charge more for each ad, negotiate profitable deals with your radio, and promote yourself and your guests to listeners, so always try to increase the number of listeners by promoting your program.
Another way is to advertise on other shows (especially long ones) that are broadcast on the same station as you. Many stations offer reduced timeframes due to cross promotions
Method 3 of 4: Generating Interesting Content
Step 1. Consider hiring a co-host
For talk shows, having a second (or third, fourth…) person in the studio with you at each event will make your job easier. Most importantly, the co-hosts offer their unique personality as well as their thoughts in every discussion, to ensure that your opinion doesn't go stale. It also allows you to have a little bit of a little argument between you and your co-host which can be quite the entertaining thing on a talk show. If you want to hire a co-host, make sure he or she is someone you can get along with who can commit to the job.
Co-hosts have another advantage. For example, some can be invited to exchange broadcast hours or help to find something and also a guest book
Step 2. Schedule features regularly
For listeners, the pleasure of hearing their favorite shows is to anticipate, tune in, and even participate in their favorite features. As long as you follow the rules of your station (as well as the Act) there are no limits to the segments you have, get creative! Here are some ideas for what you can do:
- Prize Call
- Live or recorded segments for man-on-the-street
- Contest “100th Caller” will win
- Listening to the listener's story
- Live interactive comedy
Step 3. Create a memorable segment
Just because your listeners seem to appreciate the consistency of repeated segments, doesn't mean you're shy about creating custom or special segments. Experimenting with new ideas while keeping the format and structure of the event intact allows you to innovate and surprise your audience. It's also a great way to find out where your event is going, when it gets a good response it can serve as a repeat segment later.
Step 4. Build rapport with contributors
If you notice that certain people may be frequenting certain stations or guests who are popular with listeners, don't let them go in vain! Instead, try to build friendships in a working relationship with them. Talk to these people when it's not on air and ask if they'd like to be a regular on the show. Even if they are interested in joining your event as a special member, they will certainly appreciate being made a “friend of the event” or being recognized as an official contributor.
For example, if one of your callers is chatty, has a quirky personality and crazy political views, you might want to create a semi-regular segment where he or she contributes commentary on a hot issue
Step 5. Create a character when it's on the air
Some radio talk shows, especially research or serious criticism topics, are found to be very useful. However, many talk shows are known to be exaggerated, rude, or oddly assumed from their owners. If your show aims to attract an audience, consider creating a character for yourself. The interaction between a crazy host and a flat co-host or an unexpected caller will make for some really good radio later on.
Step 6. When in doubt, learn from the best
No radio is perfect from start to finish. Of course, it can take a long time to become experienced in developing broadcasts that are presented every day. During this time, it's a good idea to check out some of the world's best radio and podcasts to get inspired. It's not a shame to get ideas from successful people; they also had role models in broadcasting before they became successful (for example, Howard Stern cites Bob Grant as his role model). Here are some radio shows and podcasts you might consider listening to:
- “This American Life”; Politics, serious issues, interesting stories for the people
- “The Howard Stern Show”; “Shock Jock”, vulgar humor style
- “The Ron and Fez Show”; humor, chat
- “Car Talk” (no longer broadcast); automotive instructions
- “Comedy Bang Bang” (podcast); absurd comedy, improv
- The Bugle” (podcast); news, politics
Method 4 of 4: Creating a Podcast
Step 1. Record your event
For listeners, the difference between a radio talk show and a podcast is very thin; both listen to the host/co-host chatter on a well-known subject with or without guests. However, for you broadcasters, recording a podcast is a little different than recording a live event. You will broadcast as you normally would, but instead of broadcasting live. You will record this and offer it for download on the internet. To do this, you'll need tools that can help you record high-quality audio files and have enough hard drive space to store them.
For the most basic of podcasting needs, you can start with a computer and a reasonable quality microphone, which usually costs around $100 at an audio supply store
Step 2. Edit the audio file
After recording your show, you'll want to listen to the audio file and if needed, cut out any parts you don't want to include in the final podcast. To do this, you'll need software to edit audio (some free programs, such as Audacity, are available online). Next, insert ads, introductions and endings, or whatever you want to add to your podcast.
When finished, save the file in an audio format that will be easy for listeners to use, such as.mp3
Step 3. Upload your event on an online site
Next, you must make the podcast available to your listeners online. Various free sites, such as Youtube.com, Soundcloud.com, and many others allow you to upload audio files with a free account. Note, with this site, the per-file bandwidth limit will require you to shred your podcast into pieces. You can also try online audio stores like iTunes, Google Play store, and others.
Generally, most podcasts are offered to listeners for free and are supported by donations, sponsors, or advertisers. Charging rates for podcasts will lower potential listeners when you have to compete with hundreds of other free podcasts, so it's certainly not a good idea
Step 4. Another option, create a blog or website for your broadcast
Usually, professional podcasters have their own websites that contain links to each podcast episode, such as news podcasts, merchandise stores, and more. You may also want to buy a domain in your own name and build your site from scratch, but for most people, a free blog like WordPress.com is also very useful.
