A Career in Radio, Video/Film, and Media

Careers In Radio

Announcers, DJs & Air Talent host a radio show or air shift. Depending on the station’s format, the person may serve as a talk show host, disc jockey, sportscaster or news reporter.

Commercial Announcers do voice-overs for commercials, station Ids and narration for special programming.

News Reporters gather, write and report news, traffic and eather. News is the foundation for talk radio while music-based radio may squeeze it into a morning show or some other time during the day.

Program Directors shape a radio station’s overall image, content, and market position by selecting and monitoring air talent and working closely with their staffs.

Music Directors anticipate the musical tastes of their audience to hold and draw in desired listeners.

Promotion Directors promote interaction between the station and its audience through
contests, event sponsorships and live remotes. The aim of promotions is to maximize the station’s visibility within the market to generate new listeners and foster audience loyalty.

Production Directors are the recording artists of the radio industry. Production directors write scripts, direct talent, record voice-overs and finally mix it all together to form a finished product. They also schedule studio time, arrange recording sessions and direct programs.

Board Operators operate the controls in the studio or on location and keep content flowing smoothly between announcers, live feeds, news reports, commercials, music and other pre-recorded material. Recording, editing and archiving also go with the job.

Producers provide air talent with material to use during a particular air shift (morning show), special program (talk show) or news feature. Producers brainstorm ideas, write scripts, research information, make contacts, handle call-ins, set up interviews, and often contribute on-air.

Careers In Video/Film

Producers oversee all elements of a program, news segment or commercial at a TV station or video production facility. Generating ideas, weighing their merit, finding or writing scripts, raising money or acquiring company or client approval, selecting technical and creative personnel, and adhering to a budget are high on this job’s to-do list.

Directors lead a production by orchestrating the creative and technical functions of all personnel to form the finished product. As captain of the team, the director coordinates the players on the set, paying particular attention to the timing and flow of the action.

Technical Directors operate the switcher that determines which incoming video signals are output and provide transitions (cuts, fades, dissolves, etc.) between cameras and other video sources during live or real-time productions. Setting up special effects and testing equipment is also necessary to the job.

Camera Operators set up and operate equipment on the set and in the field with the emphasis on angle, composition, precision, and mobility. In the news studio, camera operators set up shots at the request of the director, while the field allows for more creative license.

Floor Directors communicate a director’s instructions to the talent by using specific hand signals. They also may make adjustments to the set, provide props, assist camera operators and talent and generally act as the director’s “voice” in the studio.

Lighting Directors oversee the set-up, arrangement and selection of lighting on the set with attention to mood, set arrangement and picture quality.

Audio Engineers control the addition and subtraction of audio sources (microphones, music, sound effects, etc.) and sound levels during a production through an audio mixer or board.

Production Assistants provide support to key personnel. Tasks typically include running errands, carrying/setting up equipment, coordinating talent, making phone calls, arranging interviews, and dubbing and delivering tapes.

Editors assemble stories from raw footage, voice-overs, music and sound effects. Due to the nature of reviewing, selecting and re-recording hours of videotape, most editors take direction but work independently.

News Directors determine and assign news stories to be covered each day by anchors and field staff. News Writers gather, research and write news stories to supplement stories written by reporters and anchors.

News Reporters take the show on location to report news and/or feature stories. They may be solo artists -- acting as driver, talent, cameraperson and editor -- or as part of a small crew.

News Anchors deliver news live on-camera from the studio. As regular hosts of the daily news, anchors are the most high profile members of the cast and often attain some celebrity status.

Promotion/Creative Directors maximize the station’s visibility in the market and foster
audience trust and loyalty by co-sponsoring community and charity events.

Careers In Media

Sales Managers hire and motivate a staff of salespeople to attain department goals. Managers assist reps on sales calls, resolve client issues, create specials for advertisers, prepare budgets and utilize employee incentives to promote growth in designated areas.

Account Executives/Managers sell advertising space and maintain rapport with advertisers. Building and presenting proposals, coordinating the production of ads, and providing regular service to clients go with the territory.

Traffic Managers collect data from the sales and programming departments to prepare a minute-by-minute schedule for each broadcast day.

Chief Engineers are responsible for a television or radio station’s technical facilities,
equipment and services.

Editorial provided by Shelly Maki, Director of Marketing for the Specs Howard School of Broadcast Arts.