Radio Broadcasting Schools in California

Discover how to choose the best radio broadcasting school for you in California

If you dream of a radio career in California, you’ve got lots of job possibilities to make it come true. The state has more than 1,000 stations that could hire you, broadcasting in all the popular formats at which you may be hired as a DJ, sports or newscaster, or talk show host.

The Two Things You Need to Succeed in California Radio

With so many stations in which to kick off your radio career, the opportunities are there. But you aren’t likely to be able to make use of them without these two critical factors in your background:

Radio Skills. These include proper vocalization and presentation, and familiarity with radio procedures and equipment.

Insider Contacts: These are professionals already in radio who know you and are willing to recommend or hire you when there’s a job opening.

Two Resources to Get the Skills You Need

There are two kinds of programs to learn the radio skills you need in California:

1) Brick and mortar broadcasting schools. These operate in stand-alone buildings, sometimes on a college campus and they teach as colleges do. You attend classes, listen to lectures, and take notes and tests. You practice broadcasting, but usually in a simulated studio, and perhaps on older equipment donated by a radio station that no longer needs it.

These schools are heavily advertised and not hard to get into — if you can pay the cost. That can range up to $50,000, when part of a college degree program. Also be aware that such schools are usually in large cities like Los Angeles or San Francisco, so you may have to travel or move to attend. And since class and semester schedules are fixed, you may need to quit a present job or otherwise change your life to fit the school’s routines.

2) Radio apprenticeship programs, like those offered by Broadcasters Mentoring Group (BMG). Apprenticeship is a classic way to learn a job, by being paired with a working professional who teaches you right in the workplace. BMG has adapted this model for broadcaster training.

Here’s a brief look at how BMG’s program works:

• When you apply, you are linked with a working broadcaster (your mentor) in a radio station right in your area. (No need to travel or relocate.)
• The broadcaster is in your chosen specialty: DJ, sportscaster, newscaster, or talk show host.
• You meet with your mentor weekly, on a schedule that fits your availability. No need to quit a present job while you learn. And you can start whenever you wish. There are no set semesters.
• Your meetings are right in the real radio station, and you practice on the same equipment the broadcasters there use every day.
• You follow a carefully thought-out curriculum, including producing and hosting your own radio show.
• Over time, with your mentor’s feedback and encouragement, your skills grow and grow.
• You can choose either a three-month or six-month program. At completion, BMG certifies you as being ready to go on-air. And we include a lifetime job placement program to help you keep your dream going long after training is completed.

The Make or Break Factor for Breaking In: Contacts

Like you, many think of radio as a dream job. After all, you get paid to spin music or talk sports or other favorite subjects. That’s led to many applicants for every job opening. Why should the hiring manager pick you?

Often it’s because someone already in the business, an influential insider contact, recommends you. In fact, an industry study shows that more than six of every 10 new radio hires happen through contacts

Apprenticeship Training Builds Contacts Automatically

As you train, you’re side-by-side with the other professionals at the station. You and they get to know each other, but more importantly, they get to watch you develop. Do well in your training and they become willing to recommend you when they hear of a job opening, often from their own contacts.

So it’s no wonder California radio host Jona Denz Hamilton recommends the apprenticeship route. “Mentoring will put you on the fast track into radio,” she says. She could have added that it’s also the inside track.

Best Program, Lowest Cost

But none of this happens until you get on that track. BMG has made that easier to do. Because we don’t pay the high costs of brick and mortar schools, we can pass big savings to you. BMG programs can cost up to 20 times less than those of college courses and traditional broadcasting schools.

Help in Deciding … for Free

Need more help in deciding? Read the rest of the BMG website and especially the FAQ page, Or even easier, click on the radio specialty that interests you below or fill out the contact form on this page. Or simply call BMG at (818) 879-0858. Any of these actions will connect you with one of our counselors who can tell you more and provide a free career consultation. There’s never a cost or obligation to find out more about our program.

Start making your California dream of a broadcasting career happen. Contact BMG today!