TNI Bureau: A radio jockey or RJ is someone whose voice is ingrained in our lives with an indelible impression. They entertain us, inform us, play songs and give us a lively company when we are alone. Do you sometimes wish to be on the other side of the radio? Ever thought of becoming an RJ? Well, on the surface it appears as the best combination of glamour and money as a career option.
What is the Work All About?
To begin with, an RJ does not have a regular 9 to 5 job. There is enough flexibility and the work involves anchoring live shows, writing scripts and talking to listeners. An RJ must have a gift of gab, interests in music and spontaneity. Another thing which an RJ requires is establishing comfort level with sound equipments and computers. An RJ has to deal with sound mixers, faders, CD players, call equipments, microphones and headphones.
Benefits and Perks
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The perks of being an RJ are manifold. The work is exciting, fun and certainly not monotonous as most of the regular 9 to 5 jobs are. Salary offered is attractive and as an RJ you get to network with celebrities from TV, Bollywood and sports. One becomes a page three person instantly and is regularly invited to anchor or attend glamorous parties. Besides, an RJ gets to earn good money by doing ad commercials. RJ’s can earn between Rs 15,000 and Rs 85,000 per month. If you are talented enough, film-makers would invite you to do voice-overs for their films. Another advantage of being an RJ is that people know you and you become a celebrity for thousands of listeners in your city. There is a lot of scope for quick growth in the career. All you need is talent, creativity and confidence.
Training and RJ Institutes
An RJ must have good communication powers and language skills. This is where institutes offering RJ courses come into play. Alternatively, there are many RJ hunts or talent search shows where you can participate. If you are lucky and get a chance, the FM channels provide you a formal training before you debut on their channel. There are few institutes offering training courses in this career stream.
Some of these institutes are EMDI, Encompass Institute of Radio Management, Mumbai; Xavier Institute of Communications, Mumbai; Academy of Radio Management, Delhi; Take One Academy of Broadcasting, Chandigarh; Xavier’s Institute of Communication and Film and Television Institute (FTII), Pune; The British council; National School of Drama, New Delhi; Young Men’s Christian Association. The courses offered by these institutes vary from two-month certificate course to one-year postgraduate programme.