Radio Personalities: You Already Have The Skills To Podcast!

So you’ve been a jock at your local radio station for years and now you’re laid off or furloughed. What’s next?

One of my favorite things to do as a podcast coach is talk to broadcasters about their podcast vision. You radio folks are finely tuned to the ins and outs of podcasting and you don’t even know it!

Radio requires dedication and flexibility, doing crazy shifts like 2–6am, showing up at remotes on a car lot to hob nob with the locals and producing commercials. Radio folks know how to communicate because you know your community inside and out, what content works and what doesn’t. As a trained broadcaster you know the power of audio, the intimacy of the medium, and how it can bring people together.

With radio layoffs, podcasting is the perfect thing to kick off that new creative adventure, the pivot you’ve been looking for while using all the skills you learned in radio.

Punctuality- The cardinal rule of radio is to never be late for your on-air shift.

Speaking- Being able to convey information effectively with a clear speaking voice.

Active Listening- Giving full attention to what other people are saying and not interrupting.

Prep work- Show prep is the same for podcasting as it is in radio, reading, writing, mapping out a script or a bit.

Interviewing- Conducting, recording & editing interviews.

Prerecording- Intros, outros or filler content.

Entertaining- The main task of a radio personality is to entertain an audience during any given time slot.

Production- The many commercials, show-IDs, sweepers, imaging or even public affairs editing you’ve done.

Time Commitment- I never worked so hard as I did when I was in radio. The six hour on-air shift plus the added production work trained me to be a committed 15 year podcasting veteran.

Sound- Audio is an art and a craft; you know good sound.

Deadlines- Having worked within the confines of a station, a program director, and a station clock, you are aware of the discipline a podcast is going to take.

Whatever format you’re used to, the format you know and love can be translated to a podcast. Podcasting, like radio is all about content and entertainment.