Breaking Into The Radio Biz..

A little earlier this morning I wrote on the Radio-Info board about how I got my start in the radio business back in 1979. For you non R-I readers, here it is...

When I was trying to break into the industry for the first time, I was attending community college, where I worked at the student newspaper. I had no radio experience, but knew from about age 12 that radio was what I wanted to do.

I tried sending out the tape and resume to almost every station in town, but it seemed like there was never a response...not even an acknowledgement. I went in to the FM country station
it was WOMA then) one day and the PD had me record an audition tape, which he seemed to like. But...nothing.

One of the DJs at WOMA called me one day and said, "John (the PD) kind of liked you, but is probably not going to hire you. But he leaves every day at 5:00. Come in one night around 7:00
and I'll teach you the board."

I'll interject here that I have a visual disability. It's congenital cataracts, which have made me legally blind for all of my life. However, I participate in many activities, and about the only thing I can't do is legally drive a car. But I can certainly see well enough to operate a radio control board. So, I deduced that this was making the PD nervous. But he couldn't SAY that..

Over the next few months I did learn the board. I board op-d ball games and such and made friends with pretty much everyone there..after hours. The PD NEVER knew.

One day, one of the DJs there at WOMA told me about another station in town that I should try for. They had, of course, received some of my tape-and-resume packages in the past.

The PD/morning man/manager of the second station was doing a live remote from a movie theater one afternoon as my mom and I were driving past. I decided to go in and meet him in person..and I did. I introduced myself (nervous as all get-out, I might add) and he responded, "I think I have four or five of your resumes. I found them in my desk. I just took over managing this station and I will need to hire a part-timer soon."

Then he said, "What will you do if I DON'T hire you?"

"I'll keep applying until you do," I answered.

He kind of smiled and said, "I figured as much. Tell you what..come down next Friday around 9 in the evening. I'll have Stephen, our evening/night guy, give you some training on our board and we'll take it from there."

He did hire me, and I began at WTAL AM-1450 on October 12, 1979. That was the start of my roller-coaster ride in what we call a radio career.

How do you get started in radio now?

I think meeting or networking with people in the industry is about the best way nowadays.
Maybe it always has been.

It worked for me.