{"id":4985,"date":"2024-07-13T15:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-07-13T09:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mindler.com\/blog\/?p=4985"},"modified":"2024-07-12T17:10:30","modified_gmt":"2024-07-12T11:40:30","slug":"how-to-become-a-rj-in-india","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mindler.com\/blog\/how-to-become-a-rj-in-india\/","title":{"rendered":"Career As A Radio Jockey: Experiential Interview with RJ Rahul Makin"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ayushmann Khurrana, Manish Paul, Nikhil Chinappa, Abish Mathew, Malishka Mendonsa. <\/em><\/p>\n

These are the names we are used to listening to. They aren\u2019t just celebrities, anchors or comedians, but also former Radio Jockeys. They have charmed us with their voices and now continue to do so with their respective talents.<\/span><\/p>\n

Isn\u2019t it fascinating how with just the touch of a button, the room is full of joyful banter and melodies? That\u2019s what a radio is, and has been over the ages. Initially, when radio was introduced in the early 1930s, it was solely a news source and gradually developed itself in the spheres of cricket commentary, music, entertainment shows, and advertising.<\/span><\/p>\n

Radio is an integral part of our lives, even if we may not always realise it. Be it long hours of traffic,\u00a0 a jog or maybe just day-to-day chores, just switching on the radio adds life to mundane routines.<\/span><\/p>\n

But have you ever stopped to realise what\u2019s the element that adds so much joy? It\u2019s a Radio Jockey. In simple words, they are the magicians behind those loudspeakers that amuse us with their funny antics, anecdotes and playlists.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you are reading this article, you must have been fascinated by the work of a Radio Jockey at some point or another, and may have landed here too wondering if it could indeed be your life\u2019s calling.<\/span><\/p>\n

For your benefit, we interviewed RJ Rahul Makin<\/strong> of Fever 104 FM<\/strong> to get his take on what it\u2019s like to be a Radio Jockey in India.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Scroll down to the end of this article to watch the full video interview<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Who is a Radio Jockey?<\/h4>\n

A radio jockey is a person who hosts shows for specific durations of time. She\/he manages playlists, and advertisements, entertains listeners and often indulges in conversations with listeners regarding concerned topics.<\/span><\/p>\n

A radio jockey is given a period of 3-4 hours of fixed time every day or during weekends, to entertain listeners. The show s\/he hosts has a certain theme (just like television shows). It can be a talk show where the host solves issues of the listener of a certain kind, a storytelling show where the host narrates stories, a news bulletin and or even a comedy show where the host mimics and pranks people for hilarity.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe best part is that you get money for speaking, for giving advice to people. There are not a lot of choices of professions where you get such a privilege.\u201d \u2013 Rahul Makin<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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Recommended Read:<\/strong>\u00a0A Career in Content Writing: 5 Easy Steps to Get Started<\/a><\/p>\n

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What are the Skills Required to Be a Radio Jockey?<\/h4>\n

Being a radio jockey may seem like a very easy thing to do \u2013 all you need to do is talk, right? Well, it is not as easy as it seems.<\/span><\/p>\n

Being a Radio Jockey, like any profession, requires a lot of hard work, dedication, and the right aptitude to be successful. Below are a few necessary skills which can help you figure out if you have it in yourself to become a radio jockey.<\/span><\/p>\n

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1. Ability to Modulate Voice:<\/strong> Voice modulation is the art of adding expression to your voice, being aware of when the voice should be loud, what phrases should be emphasised, etc. Nobody on their radio sets would want to hear someone talking in a monotone for hours. It is important that your voice is pleasing and engaging for the audience.<\/span><\/p>\n

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2. Being Up to Date with Trends:<\/strong> Rahul Makin states in his interview that it is very important for an RJ to read a lot of newspapers, trivia and be updated about current issues, news, films and latest movie releases, etc. as people really look up to radio jockeys for that information.<\/span><\/p>\n

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3. Sense of Humour and Spontaneity:<\/strong>\u00a0As a radio jockey, you will always be live because nothing as such is scripted. There may be times when the situation or a program goes unplanned, you should be spontaneous enough to handle it and witty enough to tackle it.<\/span><\/p>\n

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4. Content Writing Skills: <\/strong>It can be tough to entertain an audience every day, you should be able to create new content on a day-to-day basis so that you don\u2019t end up boring your audience.<\/span><\/p>\n

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5. Clarity of Speech and Correct Pronunciation: <\/strong>As a radio jockey, when you speak, you won\u2019t want to seem inapprehensible or difficult to be understood. At the same time you wouldn\u2019t want people to be mocking you or young impressionable minds to be catching the wrong pronunciations.<\/span><\/p>\n

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6. Being Expressive and Creative:<\/strong>\u00a0There will always be chunks of information that\u00a0 would be boring for people to hear but you should be able to create and express it in a nonchalant funny way to get through the listeners without boring them.<\/span><\/p>\n

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7. The \u2018X\u2019 Factor:<\/strong>\u00a0Listeners have a plethora of radio channels to listen to. But to add them to your listenership permanently, you need to attach an identity to yourself for them to hang on to. For example, a certain sort of mimicry, or a lingo, anything quirky out of the box yet entertaining for them to come back to you always.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Rahul Makin<\/strong> mentions that he is only comfortable doing night shows as it matches with his tempo, mood and vibe. He won\u2019t be as comfortable hosting a day show as he cannot match the energy needed. Hence we know our favourite RJ\u2019s X factor \u2013 his calm, composed and soothing demeanour.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Recommended Read:<\/strong>\u00a07 Promising Career Options to Satisfy the Creative Streak in You<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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How to Become a Radio Jockey (RJ) in India<\/h4>\n

You can enter this field through any stream in your high school. However, aspirants commonly opt for humanities. After you pass school, you should select an undergraduate program in mass communication, media studies, or journalism to get into radio jockeying.<\/span><\/p>\n

During and after your graduation, you should intern with radio stations to hone your skills and get an on-ground experience of the job. With such experience in your bag, you\u2019ll be ready much faster to hit the mic.<\/span><\/p>\n

An alternative route can be to pursue a PG diploma or certification in Radio Jockeying\/Video Jockeying\/Anchoring or Mass Communication after your graduation in any field. These PG Diploma courses last for 1-2 years.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Some top institutions for mass communication, journalism and radio <\/strong>in India are:<\/p>\n