Make sure to secure radio time on the same day and time each week or day to help build up a larger listenership of people who can expect to hear your show at a certain time. [1] X Research source If you’re looking to be a radio DJ and play music, contact stations that play the type of music you would want to play, i. e. alternative, country, rock, etc. The same goes for spoken audio shows: you will want to reach out to public talk radio stations about your news or documentary style show. If you’re in high school or college, talk to your school’s radio station about hosting your own show and what’s required for you to do so.
Podcasts are a very popular off-shoot from live radio broadcast, and a great option if you want to produce a radio show but can’t find a source to broadcast it live. Starting a podcast allows you to pre-record and edit a show before releasing it on the internet. [2] X Research source Try free programs like Spreaker, Radionomy, or BlogTalkRadio that can help you to record, edit, and broadcast your own radio show. [3] X Research source
Submit your radio show to a local radio station if they’re holding a contest for amateur radio show hosts, or to a larger network of radio stations like iHeartRadio for even more exposure. [4] X Research source Find support and the potential for an ongoing podcast series with programs like Radiotopia. [5] X Research source
Pay attention to the things that another radio show does that keep you engaged and listening. Does the host give fun facts about the music they’re going to play or just played? Are the interviews interesting and easy to follow? Try emulating these elements in your own show. Also take note of the things in a show that make it drag or make you dislike it. Are there too many pauses? Is the host’s voice too monotone or too fast? Think of how you can avoid these things in your own radio show. [6] X Research source
Name: Consider carefully the name you choose for your show, as it is the only thing that will stay the same in your broadcast. Objective: What do want to accomplish with your show? Is it to inform (informational programs, documentaries), to entertain (musical shows, radio theatre), to do a public service (interviews, reviews, special programs), etc. ? Theme: What will you talk about? Decide on a theme or category for the type of content you produce. [7] X Research source Schedule: Decide on a length of time for each broadcast, how often it will air, and for how many weeks or months. Of course, this will be decided by a radio station if you broadcast through one. Audience: Who’s listening? Consider what age group, location, and other demographic categories you are hoping to have as key listeners. Show elements: What are the features of your broadcast? Are there interviews? Music? Live callers? Special guests? Advertising: If you need or want advertising to support your radio show, you’ll need to seek out sponsors, record advertisements, and decide how and when they’ll be placed within your show.
In general, choose the highest quality studio recording of a song, unless you specify that you’ll be playing a live or unusual version. Remember to find the “clean” edits of songs that omit curse words if you’re broadcasting on live traditional radio. If taping a show that you will edit and put online, you should also record and prepare “wraps,” which are the spoken segments that introduce or recap the music played. You’ll want to edit the music files slightly, with fades or seconds of silence, so the wraps fit in more seamlessly.
Conduct quality interviews by maintaining a casual, conversational style and asking your subject further questions to get more information or simply to find a piece of tape that is memorable or noteworthy for your overall story. [8] X Research source Note that if you’re conducting a live interview, as in one with someone live in the studio or calling in over the phone, you should do a pre-interview. This allows you to pose all the questions you will ask in the real interview so your subject is prepared for them and you know how they will answer. Write out an outline for the entire “story” you’re trying to build to make it easier to get the interviews you need, information you want, and “scenes” you’d like to create. [9] X Research source
Even if your show’s dialogue is meant to be spontaneous or improvised, you should still jot down a general guideline for what to say, points to discuss if you draw a blank, and general lengths for each segment so you don’t talk too much and run over your time. If you’re hoping to have spontaneous dialogue or fill more time, consider having a co-host or accepting live callers. A co-host you can get along with provides easy banter and contributions so the pressure isn’t all on you, and live callers provide an element of unexpected content. [10] X Research source
Ask if you can “shadow” another radio show host to get a better feel for how equipment, signals, and procedures go during a real broadcast to learn each step as they go. Or ask if you can do several “dry runs” or demos before going live yourself. This sort of training is typically required by stations anyway. Make sure you understand how to troubleshoot or solve problems with the equipment you use. Though there may be a technician around to assist you if something goes wrong during a broadcast, it’s always best to know how you can address the issue yourself to fix it right away.
Consult the FCC’s guidelines and your station’s own rules for what words are prohibited live on air. This should also inform what song lyrics you need to edit or not use if playing music. Note that while your intended audience may be adults commuting to work during your morning show, you may have listening children at that hour as well, for whom adult themes wouldn’t be appropriate. The FCC prohibits obscene content on the radio from 6 am to 10 pm. [12] X Trustworthy Source Federal Communications Commission Independent U. S. government agency responsible for regulating radio, television, and satellite, and phone communications Go to source If something goes wrong, like a live caller who’s using inappropriate language or topics, know the procedures in place with your studio and equipment on how to take yourself or a caller off the air and start playing music or another segment.
A radio call sign is the string of four letters that designates the unique transmitting station. The frequency is the number that listeners dial on their radio to get the station’s broadcast. Usually both of these are used to announce and market the station. Consult the staff at your station for their guidelines on how often you should be reiterating the station’s information, as is may vary by station or show. In general, you should introduce the station and your show’s name at the beginning of every wrap portion between music or advertising. Even if you have a pre-recorded show or podcast, you may want to repeat your show’s name after any advertisements you may have included. While you aren’t “marketing” your show or a station as you would with live radio, you can still get the name of your show out there to help get more listeners talking about it on social media, blogs, etc.
If you’re using external equipment, just make sure you can easily sync your recorded material with your computer or whatever device you’ll use for editing. If you’re making a show for music, make sure you have all the music files you want to play available on your computer or other device. You can also choose to record directly within a computer or phone application that let’s you edit the audio as well. Check out popular apps like Spreaker or Audacity to do this.
Find free editing software that’s easy to use by opting for an application like Audacity, Acoustica, or WavePad. [13] X Research source Try out premium editing software like FL Studio, Adobe Audition, or Sound Forge if you’re really into audio editing and need a full suite of controls. [14] X Research source While the editing will depend on your own content and style, some good practices to keep in mind are to edit out unnecessary or very long clips, create space between songs and sections using fades or music, and don’t leave more than a few seconds of empty silence in a recording.
Choose a platform for all sorts of audio by uploading your radio show to a well-known service like YouTube, iTunes, or SoundCloud. These have large audiences for the potential to gain more listeners. Try a platform specifically for hosting radio shows, like Archive. org, Podomatic, and BlogTalkRadio, which may have additional helpful tools to schedule the release of your episodes. [15] X Research source
