What Should Be In My "Radio Package" I Send To Employers

The “Basics.”

Your package should always include three things: A one-page resume, a customized cover letter to the Program Director and an absolute killer aircheck. Keep your resume to just one page because the Program Director has his hands full. Use bullet-points to highlight your station history and experience along with the strengths you bring to the table. Make the resume easy to scan, make it stand out and keep it uncluttered. The cover letter should be as personalized as possible. Find out as much as you can about the station and the market, personalizing your skills to the position they have available. It’s takes some footwork, but it’s worth it. If you’re looking for a deejay on-air position the initial aircheck you send should be about three minutes and definitely no longer than five. The

 idea of the aircheck is to present them with an edited version that moves really fast and grabs their attention. Don’t worry, if they like it they’ll ask for more. Your job here is to get their attention and have them put it in the pile on their desk, not file it in the one of the floor. One exception to this “rule” is if you’re looking for a gig as a talk host. Talk programmers want to hear a one hour aircheck with NO edits. The good, the bad and the ugly. Still, as with a deejay aircheck, make it the strongest hour from one of your latest airchecks.

Beyond the basics.

There’s a lot of tricks that jocks have been used over the years to grab the attention of program directors and get them to pay extra attention to their materials. Jocks have done everything from bribery to having their packages (excuse the pun) delivered by strippers. I knew of one guy who would include one third of a cut 100 dollar bill in his package, promising the programmer the rest of the bill when the programmer gave him an interview. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn’t. Is this kind of gorilla marketing a good idea? It depends. Some programmers might be offended or even get a good laugh out of it. Still, being successful on the air has as much to do with marketing as it does with talent. So being clever and creative with your package can pay off. At the very least, find out some info about the programmer and use it to your advantage. If he likes trout fishing, make a reference to it in your cover letter or send him a fly or jar of crickets. Whatever! Being clever and creative will often help more than it hurts.

The bottom line.

The absolute bottom line about your package? A killer aircheck. Because let’s face it, a smart programmer knows that's all that really matters, is what’s on the air.

About the Author:  John Ford. 

John's extensive career in the Broadcasting industry includes roles as a Program Director, Talk Host, DeeJay, Creative Service Director, Producer and Consultant in multiple top 10 markets and on the Network level. John has held positions in management and as a talent at: WIOD-Miami, ABC Radio Networks, WLLZ-Detroit, KZPS and KDGE Dallas, WSHE and WZTA Miami, Greenstone Media and as the VP of New Media for Sabo Media. John also has worked with numerous traditional print and new media clients as a writer and as a consultant overseeing Internet start-ups with Parade Magazine, National Geographic and APB News.com. He currently lives in his hometown of Fort Lauderdale, Florida pursuing his passions as a Production and Programming Consultant, Talent Coach, Writer, On-Air Talent, Webmaster and Songwriter. John can be found on-line at JohnFord.net