How do I become an rj?-RADIO JOCKEY or RJ

RADIO JOCKEY or RJRJ or Radio Jockey has been with us for almost a century, but since the advent of FM channels the Radio Announcer suddenly being referred as Radio Jockey or RJ. These days a RJ not only plays a part of the navigator but his/her main aim is to entertain the listeners and simultaneously provide regular online information. Every successful RJ has its own style of communicating. A sweet, mid to heavy voice is considered suitable for broadcasting but moreover its your own aptitude, your overall confidence, your personality to deliver all of it through your voice. Although Radio Jockeys are required for all channels of Radio, but a Radio Jockey is usually related to FM. But why FM ?. FM channel broadcasts in stereo and has very good sound quality as compared to other short, medium wave channels. FM channels are relatively new medium and has gone through lot of changes since its formation. The style, expression, delivery, and content too has developed. FM Radio is a fast progressing industry with more and more channels opening up in every city of the world. What does an RJ has to do everyday First of all, an RJ does not have a regular 9 to 5 job. He can be called to host or anchor a show anytime of the day or night. An RJ has to be very open to himself. Whatever may be your emotions an RJ is always happy. He should be culturally active. He/She should know his/her city well, the culture and be aware of main events taking place. You should know of the language or further some dialects of other languages also, to punch in whenever necessary. Since Radio cannot survive without Movies, Songs or Bollywood in terms of India, so awareness about them is considered a necessity. An RJ should also be able to write scripts for a show. One thing more if you have written your script yourself, you know of the subject matter and can change or manipulate at your own will.
An RJ has also to anchor Live shows. If speaking is your passion, talking to people comes naturally to you, fun never ends. Your every word is Live. You react to every song or item played. Everything is spontaneous but very relevant and entertaining. In short you may have the following qualities- You enjoy talking to people and have a desire to be aware. You must be original and should have your own style. Your other voice performance or qualities like mimicry, local dialects and comedy or humour items helps to carry on the show. You can't afford to have inhibitions. You should know how to provide variations and modulation in your voice. You should be fluent but not monotonous as this may create boredom in your audience monotone is a surefire way of losing your audience. Modulate your voice well and your fan following will increase and open the way to other assignments. If you can sound different on your show, people will enjoy listening to you. Humans have a tendency to make mistake, if somehow a mistake has been made, either admit it or cover it up diplomatically. This may come up with experience or better listen to experienced RJs how they tackle these issues. Their professionalism, their relationship with listeners, the flow they are speaking, their interactiveness and so on. Also note how they interact live with listeners, how do they tackle some awkward queries or comments from callers. You should be ready to face that and cover up in your style quickly by changing the topic or by taking a break or playing a song. Mostly the telephone callers are briefed before for a minute or so before they come on live, this gets you an idea of the caller. Another thing an RJ is familiarity with the sound equipment and computers. An RJ has to deal with sound mixers, faders, CD players, Call equipment, Computer for his songs and Ads database and microphones & headphones. An RJ has to be with them in his studio, so one has to be computer savvy or have a desire to learn more on that. He should be able to know, if a goof up happens or should switch over to alternate equipment quickly. Never the less there are technical support to help you.
Is formal training required to become an RJ? No. Anchoring or Radio Jockeying depends on how you deliver, your originality, the punch in your content, your style, your personality, how you present your programme and further how you connect with your audience. An RJ should have good communication powers and language skills. Never the less, RJ courses do help to develop your confidence or bring out your personality or inbuilt caliber in hiding but are not a necessity Many of the RJ's today have never gone through any course and have a good name today. RJ hunts or talent search are often conducted by FM channels to bring out original unique talent. Gains There is a lot of scope for quick growth. All you need is talent, confidence and perseverance. As a radio jockey, besides getting contractual good money you earn by doing Ad commercials. As you get famous and your voice is recognized, other Radio Channels tend to attract you with better package. Alternatively RJs are also busy with doing voice-overs for ad films and movies. When they are being connected to their audience RJs also can anchor or compere TV shows or live shows / events. Read other articles on how to improve your voice and hope your journey in this voicing arena continues for long with success.Eligibility: The job of Radio Jockey is of diversifying nature depending on the subject matter of the programme. However, some basic qualifications are needed to enter the field. A person needs to be at least graduates. He should not be more than 35 years of age. However, there are some private radio stations which do take plus-two qualified persons. The person should have a good voice, diction, flare and fluency. Pronunciation must be accurate. For this one can practise various typical words of their respective languages. As such command over the languages is not required, however one must have flow in the language. One should also have presence of mind, have fairly goodgeneral awareness and be willing to learn and grasp rules of the entertainment industry. Unlike in other service jobs where eye contact is vital, in Radio Jockeying it is the voice contact that is most essential.
A good command over language A good diction Extremely good communicative powers Proper voice modulation A good sense of sound and music A good sense of humor.Courses: Since the field is upcoming, not much training institutions have come up. Though there are number of universities and institutes that offer courses in communication and broadcasting, there are hardly any specialised courses in Radio Jockeing field. The courses offered by these institutes vary from two-month certificate course to one-year postgraduate programme. Besides, there are a host of crash courses in voiceovers or mixing run by professional in the field. Scope in India: The booming business of radio industry has just commenced. The domain which was previously dominated by the sate owned AIR is seeing huge investment by private concerns. This factor has gone on to increase job opportunities for radio jockeys. A beginner in this field can earn something between Rs.7,000 and Rs.15,000 per month. Some channels pay on the basis of the number of programs conducted. For beginners, the pay is low and it ranges between Rs.200-Rs.250, but once you have made your mark, the sky is the only limit for you.Scope Abroad: The government has allowed 20% Foreign Direct Investment in the broadcast media. This has cleared the road for big foreign players of the media business. Consequently, opportunities for Radio Jockeys abroad has increased. But, a good grip over the foreign language and an understanding of accents are very important if you aim to be a RJ outside India.