Blog 6: Second Interview

1. How did you first start in radio as a DJ, and what experiences led you to where you are as DJ and Creative Director of Radio Disney?
2. What can you tell me about Radio Disney what aspects of its programming makes it unique compared to other music-based stations that most people are more familiar with?
3. What can you tell me about how Disney uses it's station to promote it's brand even further than television or film?
4. How does your job tie in with the "journalism" aspect of broadcast journalism?
5. How else do people get to know you or find you besides only hearing you on-air?

Working EQ

The Pentagon:

1. I have an idea of what to really expect in my future career, and I found a mentor that will be able to help me throughout the year. Another thing I've gained are connections to other people in radio and other forms of media. In general, I can say I got a personal, one-on-one experience and I've gotten to know the aspects of production, creation, and performance of a live radio show. Thanks to my mentor, I also found more websites that involve coaching and learning to be a DJ from an actual professional who's even in the Texas Radio Hall of Fame.
2. My interview with my mentor really did help me find out what will be helpful to learn when attending college classes. I also learned about what it really takes to be a Radio DJ. I learned that skills like multi-tasking and scheduling are very essential to working in media, specifically radio. I've also learned that social skills and improvisation are important to interacting with listeners who call in on a daily basis. I've also learned that radio is just a small part of all that makes up media, and that I should also try to get into other aspects like TV or internet media.
3. I think that the mentorship has worked the best, because of the personal experience. I believe it's two very different things to just do research alone and to do research along with personal experiences that allow you to understand the research you're gathering. The interview was also very helpful because not only is it a great piece of research, it's also a source of information based on the experiences of real professionals who have been in their careers for a very long time.
4. One thing that hasn't worked are the research checks. The research checks are necessary for the senior project, but sometimes they can be hindering as well because most of my research has provided me with historical and statistical information. Although this information is helpful and needed, it doesn't really help someone understand real life experiences from a professional's point of view. As stated earlier, I found a website used by my mentor to help train DJ's in Radio Disney. I also hope to talk to and shadow more DJ's throughout the year so I can better understand the radio field and find better sources of information besides the internet.
5. (a) How does radio have an impact on today's media?
   How long and hard is the process on becoming a DJ?
   How far can a college education take you in broadcast media?
   Are there higher positions in radio besides being a personality (DJ), if so what are they and what is it like being in such position?
   How does journalism play a role in what a personality does?
   Can internet radio be a good field to get into as well?

(b) One of my main goals is to gain as much experience and connections as I can. I really want to get into broadcast journalism, and one thing I learned from my mentors, is that it's not only about what you know, but it's also about who you know. Broadcast journalism in general is about knowledge, experience, and connections to as many people as you know in the industry. 

Another goal is to find out what exactly I should study and learn after leaving high school so that I can be well prepared for finding a position after leaving college.

(c) One connection I want to try to get in touch with again is with the 95.9 station, also known as "The Fish". I want to learn about how faith-based media can not only interact with viewers, but also support them emotionally, spiritually, and mentally. As a Christian, I believe that stations like 95.9 are very inspiring and motivational, as well as entertaining. What I enjoy about the station is that the programs are based on real-life situations of people and how faith, love, and support can help people through rough times. This to me, is one way journalism is put into action, because they're real events in people's lives that some people don't understand what it's like to be in. I really want to work in broadcast journalism and media that make great changes in peoples' lives, whether it be faith-based, news-based, or music-based. I would really enjoy shadowing some people from that station, along with my mentors in Radio Disney. I'm also interested in sports radio, so I think that talking to Scott McCarthy will be interesting, because it's very different from music-based radio.

Problem Statement

1. Radio Broadcasting
2. One issue facing the radio broadcast field, is that job openings and employment are starting to decrease because of internet radio. Once I solve the problem, I will show this to various stations who only broadcast on radio feeds, so that they may consider modernizing by broadcasting on an internet feed.
3. Another issue that arose was that some stations don't use DJ's and have their stations programmed on autoplay, so listeners weren't as interested or engaged in radio stations. Once I solve this problem, I will go to stations that operate on a computer system to bring back DJ's for quality programming and entertainment.

Interview Preparation

1. I plan on interviewing Ernest Martinez. He's the DJ known as Ernie D on Radio Disney. I want to interview him because he's been in radio broadcasting ever since he was 19. He's been with Radio Disney from the very beginning of it, and before he used to DJ at a Spanish station in Texas. He's had lots of experience and time in radio to know how it works. I also wanted to interview one of my other mentors, which was Candice. She's also worked in Radio Disney for quite a while and prior to Radio Disney, she did radio and television work when she was working in Texas.
2. I really want to ask, "How do you feel radio contributes to society?", "How has your career impacted you in life?", "Why did you go with radio broadcasting? Why not TV or internet broadcasting?"
   

Topic Choice

What is your topic and why?

 

My topic is radio broadcast because I've grown up listening to radio shows, and I also enjoy the journalism behind radio broadcasting. I've learned that radio from my summer mentorship, that in order to be a DJ, you have to be up to date in current events and trends in music. You also have to be very interactive and creative when entertaining an audience, especially when a program is audio only. I feel that I would enjoy this as my topic because it involves a lot of creative thinking and input from more than one person, which is great because I always enjoyed group work. I also keep up to date on current events frequently, especially in music and entertainment. Being a DJ also involves advertising, and I enjoy the radio aspect of broadcasting because it involves working with sound. It's because I'm an auditory learner, that I feel like I would fit in and work really well in a studio that has a lot to do with audio editing and sound mixing.

What do you hope to accomplish this year with this topic? (Connecting your answer with each of the 4 ESLR's)

I-Poly Citizen: With my job shadowing, I hope to not only learn about a DJ's job description, but to also learn about the social aspect of radio broadcasting. During the summer, I learned that being punctual is very important to being a DJ. Radio stations have to keep a very tight and accurate schedule for the shows they play everyday. Companies pay stations like Radio Disney a lot of money to play ads and to make sure they don't interfere with the show, but rather flow along with it. There are also interviews, celebrity takeovers (where celebrities come and take over radio shows, with the DJ's supervising, of course.), debut songs and artists, along with on-air contests every hour. Major stations like Radio Disney have no other option, but to keep a tight schedule, in order to raise popularity and money from ads. Besides being on time, radio DJ's also have a very high expectation of being polite, respectful, and fun. Radio DJ's cannot be rude, impatient, or explicit in language. They are held to a high standard of conduct, because radio shows are to provide quality entertainment without using explicit language or offending listeners and callers in any way possible. This is also to protect young listeners from hearing anything that they're not supposed without parental consent. I think that by using these I-Poly citizen traits, I will be able to provide a really good radio program with the return of Radio Broadcast club. I will also learn to be punctual academically, professionally, and even in more casual situations like family events.

Effective User of Technology: As an "On-Air Talent", I would be expected to familiarize myself with various audio editing software and equipment. The various forms of audio technology vary by station, but what is expected for me to know how to use is a soundboard for fading out songs and cutting to commercial breaks. They're also used to interact with listeners who call to win contests or to be featured on the radio that day. Soundboards control the audio that goes on in radio shows. Various stations also use editing programs like Vox Pro and Pro Tools for radio shows. These programs edit audio taken by recorded conversations with callers and make the "Top 30 Countdown" played in weekends. This will help me a lot when I start working with the sound equipment in the ROP room for broadcast club.

Effective Communicator: One important aspect of being a DJ in the radio business is being a great communicator. You have to be able to get your ideas across in order to produce a good show. You also have to be open minded and listen to others, so that people don't feel left out during the production of a show. Having a voice is also important in order to communicate with listeners and entertain them at the same time.

Effective Learner: Ever since I started looking for places to shadow for my topic, I've had to take immediate responsibility for my project and my education. I spent a lot of time calling and researching for my mentorship. I also managed to make my topic about something I've been doing at school for the past 2 years, which is playing music for radio club.