Career as a Radio Jockey
With the growing number of radio stations in India, demand for RJs or Radio Jockeys is increasing day by day. The trend started with VJs or Video Jockeys when channel V (music channel) came into existence. After that, radio stations started becoming common and hosts that used to present programmes on radio stations were soon started to being referred as RJs. In this article of mine, I'll list down the career prospects of this career option.
Radio jockey or RJ is a person who hosts radio talk shows. The main job of the RJ is to interact with audiences and play music in between the programme. Radio jockeys usually host shows only for a few hours in a day and get paid accordingly. It is not as easy as it looks. There are certain criteria which needs to be fulfilled if you want to become an RJ. Criterion is listed below.Qualities required to become an RJ
1. Possess good and appealing voice.
2. Excellent communication skills.
3. Good control over voice modulation.
4. Great presence of mind.
5. Ability to talk for long duration of time.
6. Possess good sense of humor.
7. Possess good sense of sound and music.
8. Having general awareness is a must.Qualifications required to become RJ
No formal education is required for getting into this field. To get into government radio channels, you should atleast be a graduate. For getting into private radio channels you can even be a 12th passout. Maximum age limit to get into this field is 35 years.Career Prospects
Earlier this domain was dominated by the state owned AIR but since past 10 years there has been a huge investment by private concerns in this field whcih has led to increase in employment opportunities. RJs can find work in AIR (All India Radio) or private channels like Radio Mirchi, Big FM, Radio City etc. In the very initial stages the earning is between Rs. 7,000 to Rs. 15,000 per month. But as you gain the experience, you can earn a handsome salary. Radio Jockeys can earn more by doing voiceovers, advertisement jingles for radios, television channels and corporate houses. Apart from all this you quickly get the name and fame. Institutes offering trainings
Since it is an upcoming career option, there are not many institutes which offer trainings in this area. Only few of the institutes provide specialized trainings and these institutes have been opened by few off the well known RJs. Formal training is not enough in this field. You need to build up the confidence and start listening to other RJs to get their style.
Few Institutes offer crash courses on radio jockeying. Few others provide courses on the art of talking. The institutes are listed below:
Diploma in Radio Jockeying (DRJ) offered by the EMDI Encompass Institute of Radio Management A course in Announcement, Compeering and Dubbing, provided by Xavier's Institute of Communication and Film and Television Institute (FTII), Pune.
Short-term courses in public speaking, provided by The British council, the National School of Drama
AIR offers a two-month in-house training course to its Radio Jockeys.
The Take One Academy of Broadcasting, Chandigarh, offers trainees a chance to present a show on the local AIR channel once a week.
The Mudra Institute of Communications, Ahmedabad (MICA), which takes in students through CAT (IIM), offers internship with FM radio channels like Radio Mid-Day, Red FM and Radio Mirchi as part of its one-year graduate programme in Broadcasting Management.