ITFT-MEDIA Radio jockey

Being a radio RJ is a hectic job but it can also be a fun and very rewarding career. Unlike many other jobs, it is not hectic in terms of worrisome stress. Rather, a RJ has to be a master of multi-tasking and time management.
There are many tasks to perform and processes to keep in mind while hosting a live show on-air. This guide will introduce you to some of the main responsibilities of a radio RJ during a show.

1. Radio Responsibilities:
Being an On-Air DJ

2. RADIO JOCKEY
•BeingaradioRJisahecticjob
butitcanalsobeafunand
veryrewardingcareer.Unlike
manyotherjobs,itisnot
hecticintermsofworrisome
stress.Rather,aRJhastobea
masterofmulti-taskingand
timemanagement.
•Therearemanytasksto
performandprocessesto
keepinmindwhilehostinga
liveshowon-air.Thisguide
willintroduceyoutosomeof
themainresponsibilitiesofa
radioRJduringashow.

3. Station Identification
•AstationIDisanaudio
snippetthatletslisteners
knowthecallsign,
frequencyandnameofthe
radiostationtheyare
listeningto.AstationID
typicallyusesthefollowing
format:“Hi,thisisBilly
Rockstarandyou’re
listeningtoRKYM,91.4FM,
RockRadioStation.”Thisis
helpfulforpeoplewhoare
justtuninginandalsoasa
waytomakethestation
stickinpeople'sminds

4. RJ Vocal Characteristics
•Listenersrespondwelltoamemorablevoice,
especiallysinceitistheonlymeansof
communicationviaradio.Formenandwomen,
thismeansthattheirvoicesshouldbefreeof
qualitiesthatmightirritatelisteners.
•MostcommercialstationspreferRJswitha
generalnon-regionalaccentsothatlisteners
acrossthecountry(andeveninternationally!)
canunderstandthevoice.Dictionisanother
importantquality.RJsshouldbeabletospeak
well,usingmeasuredtonesandnatural
language.

5. Transitioning Between
Songs
•Whenhostingaliveshow,itwouldsoundvery
choppyandjarringiflistenershadtoheartheend
ofthesongandthenwaitfortheRJtocueupthe
nextone.Toensureasmooth,continuousflow,RJs
haveadoptedthepracticeofcuingupthenextsong
intoasecondplayerwhilethefirstoneisalready
playing.
•Whenthefirstsongcomestoanend,theRJ
graduallyreducesthevolumewhilesimultaneously
raisingthevolumeonthesecondplayer.Thiseffect
isknownascross-fading.
•IfaRJhastospeakafterasong,theysimplyfadeit
outandthenspeak.Tokeepuptheenergylevelsof
theshow,itiscommontohavesomeinstrumental
musicplayinginthebackgroundwhiletheRJspeaks

6. A Rundown of the Playlist
•Duringanyradioshow,listenersneedtoknow
whattheyhavebeenlisteningto.Thereare
severalwaysforRJstosharethatinformation.
On-air,theycanlettheiraudienceknowthe
titlesandartistsofthesongsthatwererecently
playedaswellasthenextfewsongsthatare
comingup.
•Thisalsoensuresthatlistenerslearnaboutnew
tracksreleasedbyrecordlabels.Today,manyRJs
alsoprovideafullplaylistontheradiostation’s
websitesothatanyonecangobacktoitand
learntheartistandtitleofaparticularsong

7. PSAs
•A PSA is an abbreviation forPublic Service
Announcement. A PSA is different from an
advertisement since it is non-commercial in nature.
Typically, PSAs offer short snippets of news, events or
promotions from non-profit groups that may be of
interest to the local community.
•RJs normally receive a list of PSAs in advance so they
are careful to allocate enough time in the show
schedule to incorporate these announcements. PSAs
are normally read out loud by the RJ, but sometimes
they are provided as a pre-recorded audio clip

8. Listener Requests
•Takingrequestsisoneofthe
primaryinteractionsbetween
theRJandlisteners.Ithelps
buildlistenerloyaltyandadds
somespontaneitytothe
show.
•WhileRJstraditionallytake
requestsoverthephone,
todaymanyradiostationsalso
allowfanstochatlivewith
theRJthroughinstant
messagingservicesandsend
requestsonline.Some
stationsalsohavearequest
widgetontheirwebsitefor
listenerstosendrequestsin
advance

9. Qualities of RJ
•RJshouldbeabletocreatebond
withthelistener,shouldbe
friendly,spontaneous,warm,and
haveagoodvoice.
•Hewouldbewellreadand
knowledgeable,
•Shouldbewellacquaintedwith
currenttrendsandfashion,
•Shouldknowcurrentwho'swho,
•Shouldhavecommandover
spokenwordsandabletouse
easy-tograsplanguage/dialect,
•Couldchatwiththeguestinthe
studiooraudienceover
telephone,
•Abletooperatemodern
electronicgadgetslikeediting
consolesandcomputer

10. Out Side Broadcast
•Abroadcastnotmadefromastudio.Radioprogramme
whichisbroadcastfromalocationawayfromthe
normalstudiosetting.Thelocationdoesn'tactually
havetobeout-of-doorsthe"outside"simplymeans
"outsidethestudio".
•EventscommonlycoveredbyOBunitsincludesports,
concerts,ceremonies,etc.OBunitsmayspecializeina
particulararea;forexample,amotorsportsOBunit
wouldcarryspecializedcameraequipmentforin-car
coverageandhavestaffswhichknowthisparticular
sportwell