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Radio, a humble means of mass communication has opened out an unconventional career path with the potential to bring fame and money. Though it calls for hard work and unusual working hours, a career as a radio jockey offers a creative way to keep busy productively and also be a household name in the process.

Simran Kohli started her career on the radio with a ten minute slot and now almost a decade later is considered to be one of the best in the industry. She attributes her success to hard work and mentions that, "an on air persona with the ability to come out with strong content goes a long way in carving out a niche in the field. The emergence of the industry has also resulted in a bounty of job opportunities in the arena. Any woman can enter and make a mark provided she has the ability to connect to people.�

Radio Jockeys are entrusted with the responsibility of providing information in quick easy bites along with playing popular songs. An unending capacity to jabber without creating boredom is an essential requisite for the job.

Qualities of an RJ

• This goes without saying but thorough knowledge and a passion for music is the backbone of this profession.
• The career also calls for an outgoing personality and the ability to put across information with confidence. Anyone who can articulate with different but interesting slants will find the doors of the field opening out without difficulty. The ability to think quickly and adapt to changing situations without missing a beat is another great plus point.
• Modulating voice to add a lilting cadence holds and sustains audience interest. Monotones are strictly frowned upon since it can create boredom even if accompanied by a fluent rendition. Peppering the recital with local phrases and a dash of mimicry goes a long way in increasing fan following.
• Humour makes a presentation stand out and regaling audiences with funny anecdotes demarcates a good radio jockey from the mediocre. Giving out information in unusual and fun filled ways helps reach out to a larger number of people. The knack to focus on unusual facts and twist a tale around them is another desirable attribute for the job.

Train to be an RJ

The minimum educational qualification required is 10+2 but some institutions providing training in the field ask for a graduation According to Kohli, training in the field can help open doors faster since every station now prefers to recruit a trained person rather then a fresher.

Courses are conducted in various institutes across the country like the EMDI Encompass Institute of Radio Management, Xaviers Institute of Communication and Film and Television Institute (FTII), Simran Kohlis Academy of Radio Management (ARM) and others.

Anyone with experience in the field can also find work in related arenas, like providing voice overs for ad-films and documentaries, anchor shows on television and live events. Today graduates with good communication and presentation skills have exciting opportunities open to them thanks to the radio.