Jobs on legal radio?

[Strand]

how would you go about getting a job on a legal station. ? I have been doing pirate radio for quite a while now and would like to get into legal radio.

i may consider moving to northern ireland if i got a job up there .... anyone with any helpful tips please post here

thanks in advance;)

[deco]

I would have at least expected the ever intellect and opinions of one or two here but maybe they want to keep yhe secret of their sucess.......... A secret......NOT.

Sorry pal, nothing but hard work, comitment, passion and of course the ever hard wearing Tough Neck needed to beat off all those who inevitably make it their small-minded buisness to abuse you for trying........

Just a thought...........

[the slut]

Deco u hit the nail on the head.... strand i dont mean to frighten u but deco is sooooo right... you work your backside off doin anything...even for free just to be in da four walls of the station... n just when ya think your gettin somewhere...... booooom.... your nowhere...trust me you will get persecuted to high heaven n this buisness will make you go la la but remember its your life.. you live breath n eat radio...put all the small mindedness in the back of your mind or better still put it out of your mind all together.
be willing to work very very hard,any chance you get show them your ready n willing.... n lastly dont wanna sound corny...actually i guess i done that already ehh... but just be careful who ya be-friend cause ive still got a massive stab wound in my back.... if ya get me, this buisness is notorious for that..................................

but strand on the upside we are the next dempseys o`shea`s
n the likes so whatever ya do never ever loose sight of wha ya want..............

I LOVE JOCKIN`....

KEEP ON SLUTIN`

[Korn_pop]

Long hours , little or no pay -- lots of hassle but if you are determined IT DOES pay-off! xxx

[DeargDoom]

be best friends with the CEO?

[RadioFriend]

It’s my genuine feeling that Radio is the only business in the world that’s full of pull. I’ve never minded ever not getting a gig because I was not reaching the standard, but how many times have we seen people move forward with little or no talent? I listen to guys on Air all the time and say to myself that I would not lace their shoes but I often hear a guy who has enjoyed a lot of success for reasons only know to the Gods?
After all (at least in my case) you are your own greatest critic.
It’s a very closely-knit community and a lot of people are hired through “A friend of a friend” theory.
Having said all that I still think that if you can come up with the goods you will some time achieve what you have always wanted. The thing about Radio Presentation is that while there seems to be bags of guys doing it, its still very much a specialised trade.
If the BCI would take a “Survival of the fittest” approach then there would be more variety for the consumer and more jobs for us.
Radio in this country has changed very much in the past few years .We are now living in the world of the Consultant .If you are a Radio consultant is it fair to say that “If your not part of the solution then there is good money to be made in prolonging the problem”?

My advice to anybody who is serious about making a living in Radio is to “know how good you are “and if you want a fair and honest opinion ask the Pro’s to Air Check you.

If every programmer in the country tells you that your crap then don’t worry just do as I do…Stop washing, grow a beard, live on a healthy diet of cabbage soup and Xanax and buy yourself the great 4 cd collection from Dan Fogelberg called Portrait. And last but very much no least talk complete “gibberish” when your parents know on the bedroom door to complain about the smell.
Rgds

RF

[KJ]

lol

Great writing there RF

Getting a gig in radio IS a lot about who you know, but then again every area of the media industry is like this isnt it? i.e. : TV, newspapers, film etc


KJ

;)

[Korn_pop]

yeah .... sure is --- if ya dont know anyone straight away ... you'll be the station Ho for years but it will all pay off :)

[DeargDoom]

mmmmm.......xanax!

[Sam Lowry]

LOL to Dearg's gag about the CEO, shame I was the only one who got it :-)

Seriously although many people will tell you that "it's who you know" in radio that's only a partial truth. Although RF might suggest that it's "through 'A friend of a friend' theory" that's only part of the truth as well.

I don't know a single programmer that I've ever met who would hire a presenter purely on the say so of another BUT knowing someone may get them to pay a bit more attention to your demo. Having a friend inside a station that can say to the PD "I know this guy, he's not bad" may get your tape to the top of the pile.

So perhaps the moral of the story is make friends whereve you go and whatever level of the industry you're in because you never know when one day they may be able to do you a good turn.

As for the original question about getting a job in the legals it's all about climbing the ladder. You're on a pirate now but maybe you're not good enough for Dublin just yet so try the better locals around the country (a lot of us have been there!)

Persistance is good. A tape every 6 months or so to a programmer is good, hassling him with phone calls every day a week after you sent your tape isn't. No means no! Remember that most PD's wouldn't be able to hire you on the spot even if they loved you, but the next time they have a hole in their schedule your demo might be at the top of their callback pile.

There's been very little practical advice to the original question, does anyone who's made it in the lagals have any advice?

[DeargDoom]

do radio outside the pale. For the love of god, Dublin is not the be all and end all! One of the best times in my life (and one of the best learning experiences I ever had) was working for Clive Roylance in South East Radio. What can I say? The air is cleaner, the people friendier, the booze is cheaper, and Tracey Lee does afternoons!