A Farewell Post

Over the course of this semester, I have been writing about all things college radio. While it’s been fun, I’m also at the point where I want to take some time off and relax for the holidays. I will be back in the future, but for now I leave you with a few things I have learned throughout this experience and my five best posts (in my opinion, anyway).

At the beginning of the semester, I thought blogging about college radio was going to be a breeze, as I already spend a lot of time at my own college radio station. I’ll admit that sometimes it was tough thinking of topics to write about, but overall I really enjoyed reporting on this subject. I definitely improved some writing skills along the way, such as writing SEO headlines and writing in AP style. I also finally learned how to use Soundcloud, Vimeo, and Google Map Maker. As someone who hopes to one day be a professional journalist, these skills I gained could become very useful to me in the future.

Thank you to anyone who has taken the time to read and keep up with my blog. I hope you had fun reading it as much as I did writing it. Happy holidays! See you in 2014.

5 Best Posts:

• Derek Jones, Interim Station Manager at Rowan Radio, Explains The Benefits of Being Involved in College Radio
• Rowan Radio Wins Big at CBI Awards in San Antonio, Texas
• How Joining a College Radio Station Can Help Those Suffering with Social Anxiety Break Out of Their Comfort Zone
• A Photo Gallery of Rowan Radio’s Studio and the Rowan Report
• Ellen Hardy from Rowan Radio Discusses Her Experience Working in College Radio

Job Search is Tough for Upcoming Graduates Entering the Professional Radio Business

Rowan University senior Landon Jones did all the right things while in college to give him experience in his dream field, the radio industry. He has been an active member of Rowan Radio for a few years, and he also completed a summer internship at New Jersey radio station, 100.1 WJRZ. Yet, like many other students struggling to get their “foot in the door”, he is set to graduate college at the end of December without a job.

“The biggest difficulty is that there are so many people trying to get a job in this industry but there aren’t enough places to work,” he says, “Basically, there are tons of people in the swimming pool, but the pool isn’t big enough to hold all of them.”

A huge part of the problem is that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) limits the airwaves, meaning no frequencies can be added or dropped. No new stations will ever be created or built, which in turn causes so many aspiring radio professionals to become discouraged that they will ever make it in the business.

However, it is important to always stay determined even when times are tough. “Do not stop applying,” advises Rowan Radio Interim Station Manager, Derek Jones, “Students, especially recent college graduates, get very discouraged when they don’t get the job that they want. You just have to keep going at it, whether it takes one month or two years.”

This same mindset also applies when trying to land the perfect internship. While an internship may not always guarantee you a job, getting paid or unpaid work experience while still in college can help sharpen your professional skills and give you a leg up on the competition. “I know for me, it opened up so many more doors and the networking side of it is phenomenal,” says Landon Jones.

Luckily, one aspect of radio that is becoming more significant and creating thousands of jobs is multimedia. Media research company BIA/Kelsey even predicts that by 2017, radio’s online revenue growth will reach nearly one billion dollars. “The internet has completely exploded at this point in time,” Derek Jones says, “There are more nontraditional jobs out there now than just basic radio/TV/film stuff, with web design, web content, and online media becoming a massive part of the industry.”

Photo Credit: BIA/Kelsey

Although the business itself might be changing, the only way to get that big break remains the same: it’s all about who know you know. “It’s a small world in radio,” says Landon Jones, “Everyone knows each other amongst companies and separate stations.”

For being as difficult as it is to work in radio, Landon Jones doesn’t forget about what’s most important when choosing a career path, “A lot of people ask if radio pays a lot. It doesn’t,” he says, “It certainly isn’t this glamorous lifestyle as some people make it out to be. But, I’d much rather go to work happy and doing something I love rather than doing something I hate.” His is the kind of optimism one must have to make it in this business.

https://soundcloud.com/gugliu47/interview-with-landon-jones-of

Map of College Radio Stations in New Jersey

On this blog, I mainly talk about Rowan Radio. However, there are twenty other college radio stations in New Jersey alone, ranging everywhere from Princeton to Fairleigh Dickinson University. Check them all out at the link below!

https://mapsengine.google.com/map/embed?mid=z2JvC-bTMocY.k8TSxi8WSh34

Rowan Radio and the Food Bank of South Jersey to Participate in a Holiday Food Drive at the Glassboro ShopRite

In continuation of my last post, here is a video of some Rowan Radio staff preparing for our holiday food drive with the Food Bank of South Jersey.

The event is set to take place on Thursday, December 12th from 3-5PM at the Glassboro ShopRite, so feel free to stop by and donate to a great cause! Hope to see you there!

Rowan Radio Gives Back to the Community by Donating to South Jersey Food Bank

With the holiday’s right around the corner, Rowan Radio is gearing up to make a big donation to the South Jersey Food Bank in Pennsauken, NJ. The station will be making an appearance at the Glassboro ShopRite on December 12^th from 3 to 5 PM, where they will be collecting food items and broadcasting the event. Everyone is welcome to stop by and get involved!

In the next few days, I will also be posting a video detailing all of the preparations for the event, as well as interviews with Daytime Director, Alyssa Sansone and Assistant Promotions Director, Erica Milbourne. Stay tuned!

Catch Alyssa Sansone on the Wednesday Night Microgroove Tonight from 6-9PM!

Hi all,

Tonight I will be joining Rowan Radio DJ Alyssa Sansone on the Wednesday night Microgroove from 6-9PM, a show which plays R&B and pop hits. I will be liveblogging from my Coveritlive account during the show, so feel free to send me or tweet the Rowan Radio account any song requests you may have! You can also tune in at 89.7FM, online, or on the mobile app. See you all there!

Wednesday Night Microgroove

Rowan Radio Wins Big at CBI Awards in San Antonio, Texas

The annual CBI (College Broadcasters, Inc.) convention was nothing short of a success for Rowan Radio. The event, which was held from October 31st to November 2nd in San Antonio, Texas, draws media students from around the country hoping to be awarded for their hard work.

This year, Rowan Radio was nominated in three categories: Best Regularly Scheduled Program (“Saturday Night at the Oldies”, hosted by Rowan alum Matt Kazin), Best DJ (alum Allie Volpe, for her work on “The Indie Fix), and Best Documentary (“Heroin High”, produced by Allie Volpe, Joe Mineo, and Robert Zettlemoyer). 

Winning in the latter category, the radio documentary about drug culture in South Jersey high schools beat out finalist entries from the Savannah College of Art & Design, Columbia College, and The American University in Cairo.

Besides “Heroin High”, Volpe and Kazin also made national finalists for their individual work.

Some other big winners at the convention included University of Southern Indiana’s “The Edge” for Best Promo, Ithaca College’s 92 WICB for Best News Reporting, and Illinois State University’s 103.3 WZND Fused Radio for Best PSA.

There were over 700 entries in this year’s competition.

You can check out “Heroin High” below:

Derek Jones, Interim Station Manager at Rowan Radio, Explains The Benefits of Being Involved in College Radio

Derek Jones has served as Interim Station Manager at Rowan Radio since December 2012.

Photo Credit: twitter.com/DerekJones79

Permission to use image.

Derek Jones, Interim Station Manager at Rowan Radio, has been in the business for over a decade. He began his career in radio after joining Rowan Radio in his freshman year of college. After graduating with a Radio/TV/Film degree from Rowan in 2001, he served as Assistant Station Manager at Rowan Radio for over ten years. He eventually worked his way up to his current position where he handles all the business aspects of the station. In the clip below, he talks about the technological changes and the importance of diversity in the media industry.

A Photo Gallery of Rowan Radio’s Studio and The Rowan Report

Hi everyone,

The photos below were taken at Rowan University‘s own, Rowan Radio. As you probably already know, I spend quite a lot of time there and witness many things that take place inside the station. Most of the pictures are things one would see on a daily basis. However, I took these photos on a Tuesday, which is when the staff makes preparations for the weekly news show The Rowan Report. Tuesdays see plenty of people coming in and out of the station, and I tried to capture some of them hard at work. Enjoy!

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How Joining a College Radio Station Can Help Those Suffering with Social Anxiety Break Out of Their Comfort Zone

I briefly mentioned before on this blog that at times, I was very anxious when it came to hosting my own radio show. What I didn’t say is that I have actually struggled with diagnosed social anxiety disorder for most of my life. So naturally, joining a radio station with thousands of listeners who would eventually be hearing my voice seemed quite terrifying. However, I have always had an interest in college radio and I was not about to let my inhibitions hold me back.

The point I hope to get across with this entry is that if you also have SAD or are just a shy person in general, putting yourself out there with things like college radio can actually help you break out of your shell. Here are some ways in which I think college radio can help in communicating with people and being a little more extroverted (not that there’s anything wrong with introverts, though!):

1. Public speaking

As daunting of a task as it is to get up and speak in front of your peers, most of us will either have to take a public speaking course or make a presentation at some point in our academic careers. College radio can help you get a leg up in that department because it already forces you to speak more clearly and eloquently. Personally, I feel like I do way better in any presentation that I have to make now compared to pre-Rowan Radio. I also feel less nervous about them because I’ve gotten better at speaking to an audience, whether they can physically see me or not.

2. Talking on the phone

For some reason, hearing a stranger’s voice on the other end of a telephone is something that scares a huge amount of people. But if you join college radio, this is a challenge you might be faced with. Sometimes listeners will call during your show asking if you take song requests or sometimes you might be the one having to make the phone calls for arranging interviews and ticket giveaways. Either way, college radio helps with phone etiquette. You always have to feel confident in what you are discussing while presenting yourself in a professional manner.

3. Networking

You will meet many great and talented people in college radio who you can also learn a lot from. You can’t let your fears keep you from attending a station get-together or getting to know everyone on a more personal level. The relationships you make here will help you grow, professionally and personally.

4. Meeting new people outside of the station

College radio can be a major help with confidence when meeting new people. Being able to say that you DJ a radio show can also serve as a good conversation starter, as long as you don’t blow your own horn too much. Know the difference between confidence and arrogance.