Looking Back On Things...

At first I didn't think broadcasting was something you could really improve on. I figured you were either good or bad at radio/tv. However, when I take a look back at my old projects I can really notice how much I've improved. I used to film vertically and use the source as my main audio device. I have since improved dramatically and picked up on many skills. I have learned my strengths and weaknesses. What matters the most is that I feel I'm more prepared now than I ever was to pursue a career in broadcasting. Whether it will be radio or tv, time will tell. Nobody is ever perfect, and there is a long road of broadcasting ahead of me but I know that I will try my best along the way and in the end I will succeed. 

5 Reasons To Take Broadcasting In School

Why go to school for broadcasting? I'm going to tell you some of the reasons why you should take broadcasting in school if you have interest in the field. Enjoy!

1. You make contacts - You will meat many people in the field who can give you real-life experience and maybe even help you get a job someday!

2. You have access to equipment - You will get a change to use expensive equipment that you normally wouldn't always get a chance to get hands on with outside of school.

3. You will have a team - Most broadcasting is done with a full crew. Your classmates will be your production team.

4. You can make a demo - The teachers will give you feedback that you can use to better yourself. You can also use any good projects as a demo for an internship or work position. 

5. You learn the industry - There is much more than just pointing a camera or talking over a mic and if you take broadcasting in school you will learn that fast!

These are just 5 reason as to why you should take broadcasting in school if you are interesting in the field. 

Off-Air Exercise

An exercise I was taught in school was to try new things to experiment with your vocal and editing skills. We have done small commercial ads in podcasts before for assignments and this was really where I saw the creativity come out of some people. You get to add fun sound effects and come up with a marketing script. The point is to make it catchy and believable. Just like a real ad! You could invent the product or use a real one. Advertising is LARGELY broadcasting. In order for the stations to survive they need to depend on sponsorship and commercials. Yes many people will change the channel or turn the radio off during commercial breaks. But we are all guilty of liking one or two commercials out there so try your best to sqeeze some upbeat fun into your ads.

Searching For Your On-Air Personality.

On-air personality is something you will find as you practice. I find that many people I know turn into entirely different people when they are on-air. You need to make yourself entertaining, but you don't want it to get to the point where you are fake to both yourself and your viewers. You mainly just want to be clear with everything you say, express your own opinions strongly, and have high energy while you are live. Don't fake it, but push yourself to go over the top a bit! 

What Do I Need To Start?

I'm going to tell you about some equipment that you will need to either practice on or make actual broadcast content with. First of all you will need a computer or an app source to to edit with. I mainly use premiere pro, but there are many other programs out there to find and they are all similar enough to each other. Then you will need something to capture footage. You can use anything from a DSRL to a mobile device such as an iPhone. Whether you are doing video or radio, you are going to need a mic and a quiet place to record. The Blue Yeti mic is an ideal choice as it's high quality, has setting adjustments, and you can even plug in headphones so you can listen to yourself as you record. With a mix of your video, audio, and software you can create almost anything. Just remember to stay in your budget as not all radio/tv has to be done with pricey gear.  

Don't Get Stressed!

Broadcasting can consist of long stress full hours. Often it is either early morning or very late at night that you are under high stress. It can be hard because you have to be on your toes. You have to be willing to adjust your schedule around the work that you are doing. Not only that, you need to be WIDE awake at all times because if you are on-air you cannot bother to slip-up and if you are off-air you need to pay attention to your queues. If you are out in the field you may spend hours setting up just for one small shot that you need. Broadcasting can be hard work, but it is certainly rewarding in the end.  

Broadcasting Is All Around Us.

Broadcasting is all around us. Everywhere you go it is there. These days there are many mobile broadcasting sources such as periscope. This is excellent for independent broadcasters looking to brush up on their skills (such as students), but can be hard for bigger companies. When I first hear about most things on the news, it's often on sites such as Twitter that I come across people stating their opinions on the various new items. Then I could go to the full article or turn on the radio/tv, but I usually can get everything that I need just from the few sentences that the person has explained. There is so much opportunity in broadcasting like this. Not only that, there are topics on just about anything. You could make an interesting story by doing something simple such as a stroll through a park. The opportunities are truly endless!