Radio Broadcasting Schools in Dallas

Here are your two primary options to begin your career in radio

If you’re seeking a radio career in Dallas, Texas, and the broadcasting school to make it happen, you’ve got a big chance of success on both accounts. That’s because the Dallas/Ft. Worth Metroplex, often called “Big D,” is served by 81 stations. It’s the fifth largest radio market in the nation.

Two Things You Need to Succeed in Dallas Radio

Any Dallas area station would be a great place to start your career as a DJ, sportscaster, newscaster or talk show host, but it’s unlikely any would hire you unless you have these two things going for you:

1. Broadcasting Skills. These include vocal presentation abilities and understanding of station procedures, rules and equipment.
2. Insider Contacts. These are people already in radio who you know and who know you and are willing to recommend you for a job opening.

Two Broadcasting Training Programs to Learn the Skills You Need

There are two kinds of resources in Dallas that can teach you radio skills:

1) Brick and mortar broadcasting schools. These are stand-alone buildings, often part of a college campus. They are traditional in how they teach. That means you attend classes, listen to lectures, and take notes and tests. Your teachers are often retired broadcasters. Your broadcasting practice is often in simulated studios that aren’t actually on the air, and may be on older equipment donated by area radio stations that no longer need it.

These schools are usually located in big cities like Dallas or Houston, so if you’re not, you may have to commute or relocate. Classes are also on rigid schedules which may conflict with a present job you have or other daily routines. And because brick and mortar schools have to pay for buildings and full-time staff, they can be expensive, costing up to $50,000, if part of a college degree program.

2) Radio apprenticeship programs, such as those offered by Broadcasters Mentoring Group. BMG has taken a classic learning model, in which a newcomer is taught one-on-one by a working professional, in an actual workplace, and adapted it to training for on-air radio.

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

• When you apply, you are paired with a working broadcaster (your mentor) in a radio station you select 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 needs. No need to quit a present job while you learn. And you start whenever you wish. There are no set semesters.
• Your meetings are right in the actual 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 or six month program. At completion, BMG certifies you as ready to go on-air. And we operate a lifetime job placement program to help you keep your dream going long after training is completed.

Insider Contacts: The Make or Break Factor in Breaking In

We said above that you need more than just radio skills to effectively break into radio. You also need insider contacts, people already in the business who know you and will recommend you for a job, or even hire you themselves. How important is this factor?

In a word, very! In fact, an industry study said it’s often the make or break factor for breaking in. The study showed that more than six of every 10 new broadcasting hires happen through contacts.

Apprenticeships Build Contacts Automatically

As you train in an actual radio station, you’re side-by-side with the professionals there. They watch you develop your skills, and if you do well in your training, they start to see you as ready for an on-air career. Then when they hear of an opening, they alert you to it and recommend you for it. Then, when a Texas-sized stampede of radio wannabes who don’t have insider contacts seeks the same opening you want, who has the advantage in getting the job?

You do.

No wonder California radio host Jona Denz Hamilton recommends going 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.

The Most Affordable Program in Dallas Broadcaster Training

Here’s more good news: Since BMG doesn’t pay the costs of brick and mortar schools, we can pass on big savings for training in Big D. Our programs cost up to 20 times less in tuition and fees than that charged by brick and mortar schools, when they are part of a college degree program.

So the most effective program to kick start your career is likely to also be the most affordable one.

How to Make the Big Move into Big D Radio

But nothing happens until you make your move. And it won’t cost you a cent to do it.

Read the rest of this website for more detail, 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.  Either action will connect you to one of our counselors who will provide more information and a free career consultation. There’s no cost or obligation of any kind to do so, of course.

Start making that big career move in Big D. Contact BMG today!