A radio personality (American English) or radio presenter (British English) is a person who has an on-air position in
radio broadcasting
Radio broadcasting is transmission of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based radio ...
. A radio personality who hosts a
radio show is also known as a radio host, and in
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...
and
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
as a radio jockey. Radio personalities who introduce and play individual selections of recorded music are known as
disc jockey
A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at a nightclub or music festival), mobil ...
s or "DJs" for short. Broadcast radio personalities may include
talk radio
Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues and consisting entirely or almost entirely of original spoken word content rather than outside music. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often featu ...
hosts, AM/FM radio show hosts, and
satellite radio
Satellite radio is defined by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU)'s ITU Radio Regulations (RR) as a '' broadcasting-satellite service''. The satellite's signals are broadcast nationwide, across a much wider geographical area than t ...
program hosts.
Description
A radio personality can be someone who introduces and discusses genres of music; hosts a
talk radio
Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues and consisting entirely or almost entirely of original spoken word content rather than outside music. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often featu ...
show that may take calls from listeners; interviews celebrities or guests; or gives news, weather, sports, or traffic information. The radio personality may broadcast live or use
voice-tracking techniques. Increasingly in the 2010s, radio personalities are expected to supplement their on-air work by posting information online, such as on a blog or on another web forum. This may be either to generate additional revenue or connect with listeners. With the exception of small or rural radio stations, much of music radio broadcasting is done by
broadcast automation
Broadcast automation incorporates the use of broadcast programming technology to automate broadcasting operations. Used either at a broadcast network, radio station or a television station, it can run a facility in the absence of a human op ...
, a computer-controlled playlist airing
MP3 audio files which contain the entire program consisting of music, commercials, and a radio announcer's pre-recorded comments.
History
In the past, the term "
disc jockey
A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at a nightclub or music festival), mobil ...
" (or "DJ") was exclusively used to describe on-air radio personalities who played recorded music and hosted radio shows that featured popular music.
Unlike the modern club DJ who uses
beatmatching
Beatmatching or pitch cue is a disc jockey technique of pitch shifting or timestretching an upcoming track to match its tempo to that of the currently playing track, and to adjust them such that the beats (and, usually, the bars) are synchron ...
to mix transitions between songs to create continuous play, radio DJs played individual
songs or
music tracks while voicing announcements, introductions, comments, jokes, and commercials in between each song or short series of songs.
During the 1950s, '60s and '70s, radio DJs exerted considerable influence on popular music, especially during the
Top 40 radio era, because of their ability to introduce new music to the radio audience and promote or control which songs would be given airplay.
Although radio personalities who specialized in news or talk programs such as
Dorothy Kilgallen and
Walter Winchell
Walter Winchell (April 7, 1897 – February 20, 1972) was a syndicated American newspaper gossip columnist and radio news commentator. Originally a vaudeville performer, Winchell began his newspaper career as a Broadway reporter, critic and ...
have existed since the early days of radio, exclusive talk radio formats emerged and multiplied in the 1960s, as telephone call in shows, interviews, news, and public affairs became more popular. In New York,
WINS (AM)
WINS (1010 kHz) is a commercial AM radio station licensed to New York, New York, owned by Audacy, Inc. It features an all-news format known as 1010 WINS, with the call sign phonetically pronounced as "wins". WINS's studios are located in ...
switched to a talk format in 1965, and
WCBS (AM) followed two years later. Early talk radio personalities included
Bruce Williams and
Sally Jesse Raphael.
The growth of sports talk radio began in the 1960s, and resulted in the first all-sports station in the US,
WFAN (AM) that would go on to feature many sports radio personalities such as
Marv Albert and
Howie Rose.
Types of radio personalities
*FM/AM radio –
AM/
FM personalities play music, talk, or both.
Some examples are
Rick Dees,
Elvis Duran,
Big Boy,
Kidd Kraddick
David Peter Cradick (August 22, 1959 – July 27, 2013) was an American radio host and television personality, known as Kidd Kraddick. His nationally syndicated morning radio show, '' The Kidd Kraddick Morning Show'', is based in Irving ...
,
John Boy and Billy,
The Bob and Tom Show,
The Breakfast Club, and
Rickey Smiley.
*Talk radio –
Talk radio
Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues and consisting entirely or almost entirely of original spoken word content rather than outside music. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often featu ...
personalities often discuss social and political issues from a particular political point of view.
Some examples are
Rush Limbaugh,
Art Bell
Arthur William Bell III (June 17, 1945 – April 13, 2018) was an American broadcaster and author. He was the founder and the original host of the paranormal-themed radio program ''Coast to Coast AM'', which is syndicated on hundreds of ...
,
George Noory,
Brian Lehrer, and
Don Geronimo.
*Sports talk radio –
Sports talk radio personalities are often former athletes, sports writers, or television anchors and discuss sports news.
Some examples are
Dan Patrick,
Tony Kornheiser
Anthony Irwin Kornheiser (; born July 13, 1948) is an American television sports talk show host and former sportswriter and columnist. Kornheiser is best known for his endeavors in three forms of media: as a writer for ''The Washington Post'' f ...
,
Dan Sileo,
Colin Cowherd
Colin Murray Cowherd (born January 6, 1964) is an American sports media personality. Cowherd began his broadcasting career as sports director of Las Vegas television station KVBC and as a sports anchor on several other stations before joining ...
, and
Mike Francesa.
*Satellite radio –
Satellite radio
Satellite radio is defined by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU)'s ITU Radio Regulations (RR) as a '' broadcasting-satellite service''. The satellite's signals are broadcast nationwide, across a much wider geographical area than t ...
personalities are subject to fewer government broadcast regulations and may be allowed to play explicit music.
Howard Stern,
Opie and Anthony,
Dr. Laura, and
Chris "Mad Dog" Russo are some of the notable personalities who have successfully made the move from terrestrial radio to satellite radio.
*Internet radio -
Internet radio personalities appear on internet radio stations that offer news, sports, talk, and various genres of music that are carried by
streaming media
Streaming media is multimedia that is delivered and consumed in a continuous manner from a source, with little or no intermediate storage in network elements. ''Streaming'' refers to the delivery method of content, rather than the content i ...
outlets such as
AccuRadio AccuRadio is an independent, multichannel Internet radio property founded in 2000, and based in Chicago, Illinois. It currently offers over a thousand pre-developed 'music channels'. Some channels also highlight music from different locations around ...
,
Pandora Radio,
Slacker Radio and
Jango.
Notable radio personalities
Notable radio personalities include
pop music
Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom. The terms ''popular music'' and ''pop music'' are often used interchangeably, although the former descri ...
radio hosts
Wolfman Jack,
Jim Pewter,
Dick Clark
Richard Wagstaff Clark (November 30, 1929April 18, 2012) was an American radio and television personality, television producer and film actor, as well as a cultural icon who remains best known for hosting '' American Bandstand'' from 1956 to 19 ...
,
Casey Kasem,
John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey (DJ) and radio presenter. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly fr ...
,
Charlie Gillett,
Walt Love
Walt is a masculine given name, generally a short form of Walter, and occasionally a surname. Notable people with the name include:
People Given name
* Walt Arfons (1916-2013), American drag racer and competition land speed record racer
* Walt Be ...
,
Alan Freed, and
Charlie Tuna; sports talk hosts such as
Mike Francesa;
shock jocks and political talk hosts such as
Don Imus,
Howard Stern and
Rush Limbaugh.
Career
Education
Many radio personalities do not have a post-high school education, but some do hold degrees in
audio engineering
Audio most commonly refers to sound, as it is transmitted in signal form. It may also refer to:
Sound
*Audio signal, an electrical representation of sound
*Audio frequency, a frequency in the audio spectrum
* Digital audio, representation of sou ...
.
If a radio personality has a degree it's typically a bachelor's degree level qualification in radio-television-film, mass communications, journalism, or English.
Training
Universities offer classes in
radio broadcasting
Radio broadcasting is transmission of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based radio ...
and often have a
college radio station, where students can obtain on-the-job training and
course credit.
Prospective radio personalities can also intern at radio stations for hands-on training from professionals. Training courses are also available online.
Requirements
A radio personality position generally has the following requirements:
* Good clear voice with excellent tone and modulation
* Great communication skills and creativity to interact with listeners
* Knowledgeable on current affairs, news issues and social trends
* Creative thinking, to be able to think of new ideas or topics for show
* Able to improvise and think "on the spot"
* Ability to develop their own personal style
* A good sense of humor
Opportunities
Due to radio personalities' vocal training, opportunities to expand their careers often exist. Over time a radio personality could be paid to do
voice-over
Voice-over (also known as off-camera or off-stage commentary) is a production technique where a voice—that is not part of the narrative (non- diegetic)—is used in a radio, television production, filmmaking, theatre, or other presentation ...
s for commercials, television shows, and movies.
Salary in the US
Radio personality salaries are influenced by years of experience and education. In 2013, the median salary of a radio personality in the US was $28,400.
* 1–4 years: $15,200–39,400,
* 5–9 years: $20,600–41,700,
* 10–19 years: $23,200–51,200,
* 20 or more years: $26,300–73,000.
A radio personality with a bachelor's degree had a salary range of $19,600–60,400.
The salary of a local radio personality will differ from a national radio personality. National personality pay can be in the millions because of the increased audience size and corporate sponsorship. For example, Rush Limbaugh was reportedly paid $38 million annually as part of the eight-year $400 million contract he signed with Clear Channel Communications.
Gallery
File:Radio personality.jpg, Jessica Letshwiti, ICE100 Radio, Botswana
Botswana (, ), officially the Republic of Botswana ( tn, Lefatshe la Botswana, label= Setswana, ), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory being the Kal ...
, Southern Africa
Southern Africa is the southernmost subregion of the African continent, south of the Congo and Tanzania. The physical location is the large part of Africa to the south of the extensive Congo River basin. Southern Africa is home to a number o ...
File:%D8%AA%D9%82%D8%AF%D9%8A%D9%85_%D8%A8%D8%B1%D9%86%D8%A7%D9%85%D8%AC%D9%87_%D9%81%D9%8A_%D8%A5%D8%B0%D8%A7%D8%B9%D8%A9_%D8%AF%D8%A8%D9%8A.JPG, Ibrahim Astady, Dubai
Dubai (, ; ar, wikt:دبي, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the List of cities in the United Arab Emirates#Major cities, most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 ...
93 FM, United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (Middle East, The Middle East). It is ...
File:Luis_L%C3%B3pez_durante_el_programa_World_Dance_Music..png, Luis López, director and presenter of the World Dance Music radio program at Los 40 studios in Valencia
Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the autonomous community of Valencia and the third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is also the capital of the province of the same name. The wider urban area al ...
File:Norman_B_in_Studio.jpeg, Norman Batley, WMNF, Tampa, FL, 2013
File:Radio Commonwealth (22294437619).jpg, Kevin Joseph O'Donnell, Australian Army
The Australian Army is the principal land warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army (CA), who ...
station "Radio Commonwealth", Korea 1955
File:Aunt_Daisy.JPG, Maud Ruby Bashsam aka " Aunt Daisy" on station 2ZB, Wellington, New Zealand, 1959
File:Mauricio Lomonte.jpg, Mauricio Lomonte on station Radio Reloj, Cuba
Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribb ...
File:ITaukei Radio Talk back show (13589354753).jpg, Talk radio host and guests, Radio Fiji One
Radio Fiji One (NA DOMOIVITI) is an iTaukei (Fijian) language - public service broadcaster in Fiji. The station broadcasts on the 93megahertz and 558 kilohertz to the cities of Suva, Navua, Nausori, Labasa, Savusavu, Nadi, Denarau, Mamanuca and La ...
, Fiji Broadcasting Corporation
See also
*
Sports commentator
In sports broadcasting, a sports commentator (also known as sports announcer or sportscaster) provides a real-time commentary of a game or event, usually during a live broadcast, traditionally delivered in the historical present tense. Radio was ...
*
Sports radio
Sports radio (or sports talk radio) is a radio format devoted entirely to discussion and broadcasting of sporting events. A widespread programming genre that has a narrow audience appeal, sports radio is characterized by an often- boisterous on ...
*
Presenter (disambiguation)
A presenter is a person or organization responsible for the running of a public event, or someone who conveys information on media via a broadcasting outlet. Presenter may refer to:
People
* News presenter, person who presents news during a new ...
References
{{Authority control
Radio personalities
Telecommunications-related introductions in 1909