We tune our ears to the sound world in search of off-beat careers
"who can b'come radio jockey"
If u can talk the talk u can b'come radio jockey
If radio is cool, how much more so its purveyors–the radio jockeys? If you’re smart, can think on your feet, and have a mind to become a leader of popular taste, you could do worse than turn radio jockey. It’s a great way to get your 15 minutes of fame– and daily, if you’re really good.
To be good "company", the RJ needs to be able to choose good music, write an interesting script, and present a show well. Being well-informed, obviously, helps in making intelligent conversation. "A radio jockey should be tuned in to at least two of the three ‘V’s of communication: verbal and vocal," Verbal skills consist, broadly, of eloquence, intonation, and pronunciation; vocal skills relate to voice modulation and tonal quality.The third V stands for visual–but that hardly matters when you’re an RJ.
For all those of you who have a passion for music and desire to pursue a career in a related field, Radio Jockeying could be just the field for you. A radio jockey is basically someone who gets paid for playing his favorite tunes. All of us are well acquainted with Hrishikesh Kannnan whose voice became a household name when the first ever FM radio show came to life on August 15th 1993. The opening up of the air waves to the private sector saw the surge in Radio programs and consequently the need for professional and well trained Radio jockeys.
What does an RJ do?
In simple terms, an RJ guides listeners through a radio programme, entertains them and gives them information.
A radio disc jockey is the voice that is presented to you, the listener, in between songs on a radio station. He or she is the one that brings you information consisting of weather, news, sports, entertainment news, and weird facts of the world.
what should b the quallities of radio jockey?
basically things that r reqiured are as follows
.Have an outgoing personality and a confident manner
.Be an articulate communicator with a clear, attractive speaking voice
.Have a good understanding of the whole production process
.Remain calm under pressure and be able to react quickly and positively in a crisis
.Have good planning and organisation skills
.Have an excellent sense of timing
.Be good at using language and able to read items at sight, clearly and appropriately
.Be able to engage with an audience (if working as a presenter)
.Be a flexible team player, responsive to changing instructions from producers
.Be able to use some technical equipment (if in radio)
.Have an awareness of media law and detailed knowledge of current affairs.
But what experts says about this
Deewana dost Abhijeet of RADIOMIRCHI INDORE says:
Mentioned below are few qualities according to me which is very very necessary:-
a) Voice - Crystal clear voice.
i)Male voice - Attractive/friendly and (bass in voice-Not necessary)
ii)Female - Friendly/Sweet/loving and (seductive-Depends not necessary)
b) Confidence level - should b very high n full of zeal.
c) Language - Good command over language (Hindi/English compulsory) Additional language(Indian/Foreign ) Will always help.
d) Well informed - General knowledge + whatts heppening where ?
f) Good human being - He or she must b a good human being -
g) Madulation of Voice - Should sound interesting (Jiss tarah kahaani mein utaar chadaav zaroori - Aawaz mein bhee chahiye
h) Creativity - Creativity is very important.(Every day Rj sounds same but still than due to his creativity his different approach never let him feel boaring.Rj don't do different thing he do things differently(Shiv khera applicable)
i) Good Sense of Humor and Presence of Mind.
As bumper & charming Charu of RADIOMIRCHI INDORE says :
1) Good command over the languages (hindi and english are most important...knowing other languages will be a value addition)
2) Proper diction and pronounciation.
3) A clear thought process and ability to express that thought process by the use of appropriate words.
4)Spontaneity and presence of mind.
5) Sense of humor :-)
6)Local connect (i.e.you should know your city in and out)
7) Confidence
8)Voice is not that important but ability to learn how to modulate your voice is important
Khoobsoorat Iti of RADIOMIRCHI INDORE says :
Well the qualities it takes to become a good radio-jockey are spontaniety,creativity,that spark in u that makes u stand out in the crowd,a go-getter spirit,a good command of hindi as well as english,a good voice,a good sense of humour...
As told by most Popular jockey of India one n only Mr.Ameen sayani
A radio jockey is the public voice of the station. And a mouthpiece has to take the burden of representing the right as well as the dark side of the station. He has to create an atmosphere of warmth to draw in the listeners.
It is very important that a radio jockey should not sound like anybody else; today, all the RJs sound the same. To counter boredom, you must continually keep changing your style. Today all the radio jockeys sound alike, whether they are in RED, Mirchi or City.
As Malishka, a popular RJ with the Rediff Radio told :
1) You must have your own style.
2) It helps if you can do mimicry or have other performance-oriented talent.
3) You must enjoy talking to people.
4) You can't afford to have inhibitions.
5) You should know how to modulate your voice. Speaking in the same monotone is a surefire way of losing your audience. Modulate your voice well and your fan following will increase and open the way to other assignments. If you can sound different on your show, people will enjoy listening to you.
As Dev an RJ at Radio Mirchi points out
"In many other professions, eye contact with the clients is important. But in this line, voice contact is crucial as it keeps the audience hooked to a programme. If voice contact is lost due to excessive commentary or irrelevant talk, a radio jockey will not click."
As Fiza khan Rj with All India Radio (FM) urges :
Be in love with yourself because that is the beginning of a lifelong romance. Unless and until, you are not in love with yourself, you will not be able to make others fall in love with you. Today, if somebody says this, we feel that he is being very pompous and boasting types but that is the bottom line. Whether you are a VJ or a RJ you have to be in love with you and there is one more advantage to it, there are no broken hearts in the end. You should have that knack of judging the people quickly and then offering that part of your personality, which gels with them.
As told by Ulta Pulta Nitin of Radio mirchi delhi
Write scripts and practice reading them.
Master one language – Hindi or English.
Keep your grip on chalta-phirta language (lingo of the man on the street).
Enjoy music.
As says Yuri a popular Rj 
A RJ should be able to connect with people in the city. FM is very localized. When you talk to your neighbor, you talk about something that concerns him, or concerns the neighborhood in general. Similarly, on FM you are interacting with people on a personal level -one-to-one.
Of course, he or she must have a good knowledge of music. Otherwise no matter how much a RJ empathizes with his or her audience, if the music is bad or does not appeal to their palette, the audience will not tune in to the station .
As Point out by Sanjeeb mukhergea popular Rj of Red Fm Kolkata 
Radio is no more just a medium of one-way entertainment. It is different from television or print because of its high degree of interactivity. No other medium can offer such high level of real-time interactivity with the listener. The success of a radio jockey depends on the kind of popularity he can generate by inspiring people to pick up the phone and say hello. And, people would talk to you only when you actually reach out to them. That way, I believe, the must-do for a radio jockey is to maintain a down-to-earth attitude so that listeners can comfortably make calls and speak their hearts out. I think this is the most important asset for a good radio jockey. An RJ has to be one of them. You cannot put on anything – radio doesn’t allow you to go under a garb. The most effective solution, to my belief, is to be what you are in your life.
Next, I think, it is the obvious gift of the gab. One must be fluent and most importantly, have a clarity in whatever he is saying. One needs to have a decent knowledge of music, awareness of happenings in and around the city, across the country and the world at large. Quick thinking, instant decision-making and the ability to act fast and execute – these are again characters that are essential for an RJ.
The Moolah
AIR, per se, does not pay in sync with industry standards, which are otherwise quite high. "It currently offers between Rs 400 and Rs 1,000 per hour, with a ceiling of six shows per RJ a month," says Yuri. Agrees Abbas, who was only paid between Rs 500 and Rs 750 an hour with AIR in 1996-97 even as he got a whopping Rs 7,500 an hour with private radio companies.
Understandably, private radio has many takers among radio jockeys. says Yuri: "What you earn per hour also depends on your popularity, which in turn improves your negotiating position." He adds, "If salaries doled out by private radio companies in the past are any indication, an RJ could easily earn upwards of Rs 75,000 per month once the industry opens up to private players again.
What's the industry like?
It's a very young, new medium and therefore keeps changing.
When FM channels began, we didn't know the 'sound' or 'voice' required. A phase of experimentation -- with the jockeys, the programming, the shows, the songs used -- followed. The situation is comparatively better today, but it is still a volatile, fast-growing industry.
This profession also attracts people from other fields.
This is one profession that provides a lot of scope for quick growth. All you need is talent and perseverence. If your show is doing well, you will get more advertisements. Radio stations, like most other media businesses, work on ad revenue! This is one profession that provides a lot of scope for quick growth. All you need is talent and perseverence. If your show is doing well, you will get more advertisements. Radio stations, like most other media businesses, work on ad revenue!
Remember, though, that RJing is not a typical 9 to 5 job.
How to Get In
" Rj hunt " says Abhijeet,Iti n Charu collectively ."U can drop in your cv also at some radio station n maybe if ur lucky,then they come lookin for u later when they do have any vacany ,but if they find your resume interesting enough",adds Iti n Charu .
You can also approach AIR's Yuv vani there they give chance to fresh ones .you can also apply there for VANI Test n if you would capable enough will selected n after that they will provide u training n then finally u'd b'come Rj of AIR .
The Training
Inspite of being a much sought after career option, there are no institutes providing specific training in voice culture as such. A number of private institutes do hold short-term courses in public speaking where the course content is designed to improve pitch, intonation and modulation of voice. YMCA offers a 40-hour course in public speaking. The most sought after schools of drama like the NSD, where voice training is a part of the total curriculum, provide training in voice modulation.
Rummy has started his own school The Studio Bakers, for training aspiring DJs at Pusa Road and Kailash Colony. He said: "We've various packages such as 30-hour courses three-days-a-week for two months roughly at Rs 15,000 and a 50-hour course for Rs 25,000.
The training is one-to-one. In two years, we have trained 150 people and all have found work as DJs at clubs, private parties, live shows, events, etc. One starts at Rs 10,000 to Rs 12,000 per month and it can go up to a couple of lakhs a month.'' Sunny Sarid started Sound Of Music at Vasant Kunj. The basic course of one month (24 classes of one hour each, three-days-a-week) costs Rs 24,000.
The advanced course for remixing, a two-month course for Rs 50,000 involves hands-on training on all hi-tech equipment. The students learn computer remixing, scratching, stutter effects, remixing, sampling, midi systems and set-ups, multi-track recording, audio and light installations, equalising and limiting, equipment maintenance, etc.
Institutes That Train The Talk
Though a number of universities and institutes, including the Indian Institute of Mass Communication and Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, offer courses in communication or broadcasting, there are hardly any specialised programmes for radio jockeys. Some institutes do offer courses in voice training and public speaking that can be helpful for becoming an RJ.
* AIR offers a two-month in-house training course to its radio jockeys. Besides, AIR, Chandigarh, is conducting a week-long 'Vaani Certificate' course for training its presenters from July 12, 2004.
* The Take One Academy of Broadcasting, Chandigarh, offers trainees a chance to present a show on the local AIR channel once a week.
* The Mudra Institute of Communications, Ahmedabad (MICA), which takes in students through CAT (IIM), offers internship with FM radio channels like Radio Mid Day, Red FM and Radio Mirchi as part of its one-year postgraduate programme in Broadcasting Management (www.mica-india.net).
* A course is conducted by the Xavier Institute of Communications, Mumbai-400001, called ABCD--Announcing, Broadcasting, Compering and Dubbing.
Besides, there are a host of crash courses in voiceovers or mixing run by professionals in the field.
so it was the story of b'hind the rjs. we can't say it was the complete story .b'coz we know that much more is left to inform .so journey is not over we'll back with more details after a short break .Till then u r requested to give us feed back on our approach at our id.