Person who has an on-air position in radio broadcasting
A
radio personality
is a person who has an on-air position in
radio broadcasting
. A radio personality who hosts a
radio show
is also known as a
radio host
(North American English),
radio presenter
(British English) or
radio jockey
. Radio personalities who introduce and play individual selections of recorded music are known as
disc jockeys
or "DJs" for short. Broadcast radio personalities may include
talk radio
hosts, AM/FM radio show hosts, and
satellite radio
program hosts, and non-host contributors to radio programs, such as reporters or correspondents.
Description
[
edit
]
A radio personality can be someone who introduces and discusses genres of music; hosts a
talk radio
show that may take calls from listeners; interviews celebrities or guests; or gives news, weather, sports, or traffic information. The radio personality may broadcast live or use
voice-tracking
techniques.
[1]
Increasingly in the 2010s, radio personalities are expected to supplement their on-air work by posting information online, such as on a blog or on another web forum. This may be either to generate additional revenue or connect with listeners.
[2]
With the exception of small or rural radio stations, much of music radio broadcasting is done by
broadcast automation
, a computer-controlled playlist airing
MP3
audio files which contain the entire program consisting of music, commercials, and a radio announcer's pre-recorded comments.
History
[
edit
]
In the past, the term "
disc jockey
" (or "DJ") was exclusively used to describe on-air radio personalities who played recorded music and hosted radio shows that featured popular music.
[3]
Unlike the modern club DJ who uses
beatmatching
to mix transitions between songs to create continuous play, radio DJs played individual
songs
or
music tracks
while voicing announcements, introductions, comments, jokes, and commercials in between each song or short series of songs.
[4]
During the 1950s, '60s and '70s, radio DJs exerted considerable influence on popular music, especially during the
Top 40 radio
era, because of their ability to introduce new music to the radio audience and promote or control which songs would be given airplay.
[5]
[6]
Although radio personalities who specialized in news or talk programs such as
Dorothy Kilgallen
and
Walter Winchell
have existed since the early days of radio, exclusive talk radio formats emerged and multiplied in the 1960s, as telephone call in shows, interviews, news, and public affairs became more popular. In New York,
WINS (AM)
switched to a talk format in 1965, and
WCBS (AM)
followed two years later. Early talk radio personalities included
Bruce Williams
and
Sally Jesse Raphael
.
[7]
The growth of sports talk radio began in the 1960s, and resulted in the first all-sports station in the US,
WFAN (AM)
that would go on to feature many sports radio personalities such as
Marv Albert
and
Howie Rose
.
Types of radio personalities
[
edit
]
- FM/AM radio
?
AM
/
FM
personalities play music, talk, or both.
[8]
Some examples are
Rick Dees
,
Elvis Duran
,
Big Boy
,
Kidd Kraddick
,
John Boy and Billy
,
The Bob and Tom Show
,
The Breakfast Club
, and
Rickey Smiley
.
- Talk radio
?
Talk radio
personalities often discuss social and political issues from a particular political point of view.
[8]
Some examples are
Rush Limbaugh
,
Art Bell
,
George Noory
,
Brian Lehrer
, and
Don Geronimo
.
- Sports talk radio
?
Sports talk radio
personalities are often former athletes, sports writers, or television anchors and discuss sports news.
[8]
Some examples are
Dan Patrick
,
Tony Kornheiser
,
Dan Sileo
,
Colin Cowherd
, and
Mike Francesa
.
- Satellite radio
?
Satellite radio
personalities are subject to fewer government broadcast regulations and may be allowed to play explicit music.
Howard Stern
,
Opie and Anthony
,
Dr. Laura
, and
Chris "Mad Dog" Russo
are some of the notable personalities who have successfully made the move from terrestrial radio to satellite radio.
[8]
- Internet radio
-
Internet radio
personalities appear on internet radio stations that offer news, sports, talk, and various genres of music that are carried by
streaming media
outlets such as
AccuRadio
,
Pandora Radio
,
Slacker Radio
and
Jango
.
Notable radio personalities
[
edit
]
Notable radio personalities include
pop music
radio hosts
Wolfman Jack
,
Jim Pewter
,
Dick Clark
,
Casey Kasem
,
John Peel
,
Charlie Gillett
,
Walt Love
,
Alan Freed
,
The Real Don Steele
and
Charlie Tuna
;
[9]
sports talk hosts
such as
Mike Francesa
;
shock jocks
and political talk hosts such as
Don Imus
,
Howard Stern
and
Rush Limbaugh
.
[10]
Career
[
edit
]
Education
[
edit
]
Many radio personalities do not have a post-high school education, but some do hold degrees in
audio engineering
.
[11]
If a radio personality has a degree it's typically a bachelor's degree level qualification in radio-television-film, mass communications, journalism, or English.
[12]
Training
[
edit
]
Universities offer classes in
radio broadcasting
and often have a
college radio
station, where students can obtain on-the-job training and
course credit
.
[13]
Prospective radio personalities can also intern at radio stations for hands-on training from professionals. Training courses are also available online.
[13]
Requirements
[
edit
]
A radio personality position generally has the following requirements:
[14]
[15]
- Good clear voice with excellent tone and modulation
[16]
- Great communication skills and creativity to interact with listeners
[16]
- Knowledgeable on current affairs, news issues and social trends
- Creative thinking, to be able to think of new ideas or topics for show
- Able to improvise and think "on the spot"
- Ability to develop their own personal style
- A good sense of humor
Opportunities
[
edit
]
Due to radio personalities' vocal training, opportunities to expand their careers often exist. Over time a radio personality could be paid to do
voice-overs
for commercials, television shows, and movies.
[17]
Salary in the US
[
edit
]
Radio personality salaries are influenced by years of experience and education. In 2013, the median salary of a radio personality in the US was $28,400.
- 1?4 years: $15,200?39,400,
- 5?9 years: $20,600?41,700,
- 10?19 years: $23,200?51,200,
- 20 or more years: $26,300?73,000.
A radio personality with a bachelor's degree had a salary range of $19,600?60,400.
[18]
The salary of a local radio personality will differ from a national radio personality. National personality pay can be in the millions because of the increased audience size and corporate sponsorship. For example, Rush Limbaugh was reportedly paid $38 million annually as part of the eight-year $400 million contract he signed with Clear Channel Communications.
[19]
Gallery
[
edit
]
-
Jessica Letshwiti, ICE100 Radio,
Botswana
,
Southern Africa
-
-
Luis Lopez, director and presenter of the World Dance Music radio program at
Los 40
studios in
Valencia
-
-
Kevin Joseph O'Donnell,
Australian Army
station "Radio Commonwealth", Korea 1955
-
Maud Ruby Bashsam aka "
Aunt Daisy
" on station
2ZB
,
Wellington, New Zealand
, 1959
-
-
Talk radio host and guests,
Radio Fiji One
, Fiji Broadcasting Corporation
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
L. A. Heberlein - The Rough Guide to Internet Radio 2002 - Page v. "In addition to putting songs together, a good radio host can tell you things you didn't know about the artists, the songs, and the times."
- ^
Rooke, Barry; Odame, Helen Hambly (2013). "
"I Have to Blog a Blog Too?" Radio Jocks and Online Blogging".
Journal of Radio & Audio Media
.
20
(1): 35.
doi
:
10.1080/19376529.2013.777342
.
S2CID
144905276
.
- ^
Shelly Field (21 April 2010).
Career Opportunities in Radio
. Infobase Publishing. pp. 2?.
ISBN
978-1-4381-1084-4
.
- ^
Higgins, Terry.
"Club Features New Breed of Disc Jockey"
.
Milwaukee Sentinel
. Milwaukee Sentinel, June 29, 1984
. Retrieved
7 July
2016
.
- ^
Udovitch, Mim.
"Last Night a DJ Saved My Life: The History of the Disc Jockey By BILL BREWSTER and FRANK BROUGHTON Grove Press"
.
New York Times Book Review
. New York Times Company
. Retrieved
8 July
2016
.
- ^
Battaglio, Stephen (10 March 2002).
"Television/Radio; When AM Ruled Music, and WABC Was King"
.
New York Times
. Retrieved
8 July
2016
.
- ^
Jim Cox (26 October 2009).
American Radio Networks: A History
. McFarland.
ISBN
978-0-7864-5424-2
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
"Radio and Television Job Description"
.
CareerPlanner.com
. Retrieved
28 February
2013
.
- ^
"Series: Charlie Tuna"
.
www.radioechoes.com
.
- ^
Leopold, Todd.
"The kings of the radio: All-time great DJs"
.
CNN
. Archived from
the original
on 14 April 2016
. Retrieved
9 January
2017
.
- ^
"Radio Jockey Education and Job requirements"
.
educationrequirements.org
. Retrieved
12 March
2013
.
- ^
"Announcers and DJs"
.
Occupational Outlook Handbook
. bls.gov. September 8, 2022.
- ^
a
b
"ASU Dept. of Radio-TV"
. Arkansas State University
. Retrieved
5 March
2013
.
- ^
"Radio Jockey education and job requirements"
.
educationrequirements.org
. Retrieved
12 March
2013
.
- ^
"RJs Talk About Their Careers in Radio"
.
YouCareer.in
. 1 September 2013
. Retrieved
28 October
2015
.
- ^
a
b
"La locucion es mostrarte tal cual eres -"
(in Spanish). 2018-05-08
. Retrieved
2020-05-09
.
- ^
"Radio Jockey: Job Prospects & Career Options"
.
webindia123.com
. Retrieved
28 February
2013
.
- ^
"Disc Jockey (DJ), Radio Salary, Average Salaries"
.
Payscale.com
. Retrieved
22 March
2013
.
- ^
Farhi, Paul (3 July 2008).
"Rush Limbaugh Signs $400 Million Radio Deal"
. Retrieved
26 September
2018
.