Radio Broadcasting Schools In Maryland

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

If you want to work in radio in Maryland, you’ve got plenty of opportunity. The state has 139 stations that could hire you. But the days of being hired “off the street” are long gone. Here’s what you need to be hired today:

Two Things You Need to Succeed in Maryland Radio

Whatever station you choose to break into in Maryland radio will likely look for two things in your background:

1. Radio skills, including vocal and presentation skills, and knowledge of studio procedures and equipment.
2. Insider contacts, people in the industry who know you and your abilities and who are willing to recommend you for the job.

Two Ways to Learn the Skills You Need

There are two key sources for radio skills training in Maryland:

1) Brick and mortar broadcasting schools. These stand alone buildings are sometimes part of a college campus, and they teach as colleges do. You attend classes, listen to lectures, often given by a retired broadcaster or former radio executive, and take notes and tests. You also practice broadcasting, though it’s likely in a simulated station not actually on the air. It may also be on older equipment donated by a local radio station that no longer needs it.

Be aware also that brick and mortar schools are usually in large cities like Baltimore, Philadelphia, or Washington, D.C., so if you’re not, you’ll need to travel or move. And since class schedules are rigid, you may have to quit a present job to attend.

Brick and mortar schools can do a good job teaching skills, and they’re usually easy to get into, but they can be expensive. The cost of buildings and staff can jack up the price of broadcasting training to $50,000 or more, if part of a college degree program.

2) Radio apprenticeship training programs, like those offered in Maryland by Broadcasters Mentoring Group (BMG). Apprenticeships are a classic way to learn a trade. You work under a professional who teaches you, one-to-one, right in the actual workplace. BMG has adapted this idea to broadcasting 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 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 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 operate a lifetime job placement program to help you keep your dream going, long after training is completed.

The advantages over brick and mortar schools are obvious:

• Training right in your area means you don’t have to relocate.
• Flexible schedules mean you can keep a present job.
• One-on-one training means you get all the instructor’s attention
• You’re learning in a real working station, not at an isolated campus.

Contracts: The Make or Break Factor for Breaking In

Training in a working station brings another advantage and it’s major: Insider contacts.

Because you’re working side-by-side with the professionals at the training station, you and they get to know each other. More importantly, they see your skills develop. If you’ve trained well, they become willing to recommend you when there’s a job opening, or even to hire you themselves.

How often does this happen? An industry study reported that more than six of every 10 new broadcasting hires happened because of contacts.

Separated as they are from day to day working radio, brick and mortar schools can’t hope to create current contacts for you in the same way.

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.

Apprenticeship Works Best, Costs Less

There’s more good news about BMG apprenticeship training: Because we don’t have to pay the costs brick and mortar schools do, we can pass big savings to you. BMG programs can cost up to 20 times less than a typical brick and mortar school does, if part of a college degree program.

So the most effective broadcasting training program in Maryland is likely also the most affordable one.

Start Now … For Free

You now know that Maryland has broadcasting opportunities, and how to get effective, affordable training at a radio station right in your area, and on a schedule you set.

The next step is easy, and it won’t cost a dime.

Just read the rest of this 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.

Either action will connect you with one of our counselors who will provide more information and answer all your questions. There’s no cost or obligation to find out more.

Start becoming one of Maryland’s best broadcasters by contacting BMG today!