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Getting into radio

Posted: Wed May 18, 2011 9:57 pm
by aliceinwonderinc
Hi guys!

Just wondering, does anyone out there know how to get into radio? Because I think radio might be a really good starting point for me, because I'm a good public speaker type person, and now that I've hit 18 there are just too many other girls out there who are much prettier, or more interesting looking or more talented than me, so I just think tv and film is too hard to break into at this age, plus I think radio could be really fun.

So does anyone know how you get into it? I'm talking about either drama or sort of spoken essay type things rather than dj - radio 4 sort of stuff. Are there agents that deal mainly with radio? Or is it more a working your way up from being a coffee maker sort of thing?

Anyway if anyone has any knowledge about how to get into radio then I'd be really grateful, thanks! :D

Re: Getting into radio

Posted: Wed May 18, 2011 10:22 pm
by paulears
In the same way as joining an amateur group to find out if you like it/are any good at it, then the route into radio for many people is hospital radio. There's one in most General Hospitals, and they're always looking for new people. They often have members more keen than talented (apologies to those excellent ones - and I know many), but there are often some real hopeless people who do it because they're short of people who are good. There are some excellent degree courses that deal with radio journalism if you fancy that. BBC local radio is also a good place to try - they do sometimes take on intern-style people who might get a chance to do some news or sport at busy times. Sending in a CD is always a good way to get yourself heard. For radio, certain voices work well. In my own area, where the real Alan Partridge is still on air, the BBC are very hot on local accents - but local accents with clear speech - not a common thing. Give it a go?

Re: Getting into radio

Posted: Wed May 18, 2011 10:52 pm
by pg
In terms of radio drama, it's really not any easier than getting any other acting job!

What you can do is produce a good demo cd and send it in to radio producers, but to be honest, they're not terribly likely to take much notice of it because they get a lot of them! You will often hear quite well known actors doing radio drama, because it can be done quite quickly (not too much time out of a busy schedule).

It's not a bad thing to aim for though. There is a lot of radio drama being produced - so the work is out there. It would be worth looking out for short courses at the Actors Centre on radio drama or you could try writing to radio producers (listen to Radio 4 and get a few names) and asking for their advice.

Unfortunately, I think it's very rare for a career ladder (starting by making the coffee sort of thing) to work for actors. It's so very different to most other jobs. In many jobs, you can prove your worth by being hard-working and patient and showing intiative etc. This doesn't really work for an actor if you think about it: if they need an "Irish Granny" or a "Jamaican Professor" for the next job, they won't give it to the reliable "Lancashire Student" (for example) who has been patiently making tea and waiting for a chance. It definitely helps if you prove yourself to be hard-working and reliable once you get a job of course. Then you can be remembered for the right reasons. You still have to wait for the next "Lancashire Student" opportunity to come along though...

Re: Getting into radio

Posted: Wed May 18, 2011 11:27 pm
by tikka
Ds has had a live radio show on our local radio station for the last 18 months. he justs chats and plays music with one of his friends for an hour each week. They contacted the local radio station who were happy to train them how to use the equipment, then they had to wait till a regular slot came up.

I guess play music and chatting might not be what you had in mind when you said about getting into radio, but its a brilliant starting point, and once you save some experience its so much easier to move into other areas of radio.

I'd comtact your local stations and see if they can point you in the right direction.