The Industry

As we all know this blog started with me chronicling my journey in and through the radio industry. However, if you flip through some of the previous advice here, I’m clearly in the “paying my dues” phase… which doesn’t make for great reading. But what I always like to read/share are other peoples stories on how they got to where they are and I got another one for you… Ceara K from 107.3 Kool FM. 

First off I have to say Kool FM has made the biggest contributions to this blog overall. Three of their announcers have got back to me and I think it just goes to show you how dedicated and passionate as a whole the staff are towards community radio and it’s only reiterated by the crazy impressive numbers they brought in through the last rating period (cleaned house!). Massive congrats goes out to every one at the station. 

Scott McGregor shared his story way back in the day and shortly after he moved on to Lethbridge to get married and take up a job at Rock 106. This is where Ceara comes in. She is the new face of the afternoon drive here in Victoria, but it’s not her first time here in Victoria. Oooh teaser! Without further ado… Ceara’s story:

I started working in radio at 17 as a high school work experience student in Edmonton working at the station I grew up listening to Power 92!  I helped out in the music library filing CD’s and cataloguing music. This was back in ‘97 when there were CD’s and many more people working in a radio station! After a few months of doing free work I was hired on PT as an Operator, I went to NAIT and only completed 1 semester of school before I was hired on Full Time doing overnights. I was a 19 year old punk ass kid who would have done the job for free but felt blessed to be making my weee salary!! By the time I graduated from Power 92, 7 years later I was co-hosting and doing traffic on the morning show, music director and Assistant Program Director! You have no idea how much I learnt and got to do in those 7 years. I was so lucky to have great leadership who let us be creative have fun and execute insanely exciting promotions. At 25 the opportunity I was dying for came up! A new station was launching and it was top 40! (I am a pop freak) So off I went to The Bounce to Co Host Mornings with my (still) BFF Jonny Staub [Now Middays at The Beat 94.5]. We tried really hard to make a go of mornings together but it wasn’t in the cards! We both moved into other positions at the station, I as MD/APD, he as Afternoon Drive Host.

Next up I was offered a job in Vancouver at Z95.3! Which became 95 Crave while I was MD/APD, shortly after that I was offered a position as PD in Victoria at KOOL FM, went on to be PD at VIBE now Virgin in Calgary with Astral and am now back in Victoria on the air playing and having fun! This was my choice, I met a boy here and fell in love with the West Coast. And after years of being in management felt it was time to step back to the fun side (for now) playing on the radio in the most beautiful place on earth!   
No idea what it would be like to have a real job and I hope I never have to find out! Ha

For you Mitch, here’s some advice!

It’s unfortunate that right now there aren’t many places that have an overnight shift, that’s where I fell on my butt a lot but was given the chance to learn. You have to be willing to work hard and sometimes for free! I did so much of that it’s ridiculous but man I learnt more than you can imagine and wouldn’t give that up for anything.

Make sure you know what it is that you as a performer and personality offer that the other guy applying for the same job doesn’t. Who is Mitch as a personality? How does he present the “liner” or contest different from the next person? How does he connect as a performer?

Connect with the community you are in…become so intertwined with it that you become a household name.

Remember that radio is Show-Biz! We are in the business of entertainment, make it entertaining.

Be able to laugh at yourself. If not it will be a sad road in radio for ya!

Don’t be afraid of rejection, there are so many radio on air jobs right now keep applying and ask the PD’s for feedback. There is a need for great talent and if you connect with a great PD who wants to teach you it will be worth it.

Be easy to get along with! Being a team player is so important. Yea, we can be alone a lot but a radio station is a team effort. It’s not just about Mitch’s show, it’s about what’s best for the station as a whole and usually that will be what’s best for your show too.

Best of luck my friend!

C

There is nothing like getting advice from people who know the business. Ceara brings up some really solid points. Radio is show-biz, luckily the kind where you can wear sweatpants and no one will be any the wiser, but show-biz none the less and just like an actor you have to market yourself. How do you get your name out there, show that you are different, worth hiring? I’m trying to use this blog to my advantage what is your spin?
I also think Ceara is bang on with the idea of being a team player. I have met several people in the radio game and outside, that feel that all they have to do is their set job. I would have to agree if you only ever want to do that one task. I said it at the beginning of this post. I’m in the proving myself stage and yes, it’s difficult and sometimes involves waiting in line at Toys R Us for a Justin Bieber doll (more on that later), but trying to get a higher up position without that group mentality will be much more difficult. It takes a crew to make a station work. Sales people, music directors, announcers, writers, producers… the list goes on. Make connections!
I want to thank Ceara again for sharing her story, personally it has come at the right time for me as I continue to think about my next move in the business and she has even offered to do a sound check of my demo for me (networking at it’s finest!). 
If you want to catch Ceara’s skills in action you can listen to her on 107.3 Kool fm in Victoria or 1073kool.fm, Monday-Friday from 3-7pm.
-Mitch