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RADIO ANNOUNCING Broadcasting Schools

School of Broadcasting - are they worth the money? I ran the Jack Ellery School of Broadcasting for four years. It was one of only two accredited radio schools in the State of New Jersey. So, I know what I am talking about when it comes to Schools of Broadcasting. At the end of this discussion I will tell you why I closed the school. The State of New Jersey begged me not to. Read on! We set up an entire radio station in a building I rented. This was going to be the best Broadcasting school in America. We used to joke that if we had a transmitter, we could have gone on the air. I had a staff of teachers from WCTC Radio in NJ. The News Director, our Copy chief, Program Direcetor and several on-air personalities helped me teach. Two of our graduates reached the real big time, both made it to New York City. So, trust me, I know about this subject. Ask me if it's worth going to a school of broadcasting. I am going to give you ten different answers, because there is no real answer.

What Broadcasting Schools Offer As with everything else, there are good things to say, and bad things to say about Broadcasting Schools. It depends what you are looking for, and what the school has to offer. If you think the average person can come out of high school, go to a school of broadcasting, and end up in New York, Boston or L.A., that is a pipe dream. That might happen for the movies, but radio is different. In Holywood someone writes a script for you. All you have to do is be able to act. In radio, no one gives you the words. You are the writer, producer and director. You either know your stuff or you don't. Unfortunately, there are no erasers at the end of a microphone. If you say something stupid, it's out there. Here's an example of where no broadcasting school in the world can help you. Let's make believe you are at an oldies station and the next song scheduled is Madonna's "Don't Cry for Me, Argentina". You play the song, and say something like, "That song is about Eva Peron. Is she still around?" Well, old pal, you just put yout career in reverse, big time. You see, Eva Peron died of cancer a the age of 33. A Broadcasting school can teach you how to use the equipment, can teach you timing, can teach you how to read a commercial, but it won't make you educated. That's not their job. So, you have a decision to make. Are you ready for employment? Will going to a Broacasting school enable you to handle an on-air job in radio? If not, you are wasting your money Why do we mention this? Listen to the guys or women who make the big time. These are not dummies. These people may sound like beer swiggin, lady kissing, football loving banditos, but that's just the act. They are educated and they are smart. It makes no difference what format you go into. If you end up playing AC, Alternative, smooth jazz or any other format, just knowing how to do the basic things will get you nowhere. Conversely, just being smart isn't enough. You have to have whatever it is that makes people stars. You have to be glib, funny, entertaining and in most cases, loved by your audience. And, you just can't learn that at a college radio station or in some school of Broadcasting. So what do they offer? The teach you how to do the job. They put you at a mike, they show you how the job is done, they teach you what a radio shift is all about. You learn to do a show. You learn about formats, timing, segues, how not to pop "p's", and all the little things that happen every day. But, radio is not like being a plumber. In plumbing, a pipe is a pipe and a wrench is a wrench. A plumber doesn't have to know how steel is made, he just has to know how to fix a pipe. In radio, knowing how to run a board will get you nowhere if you can't communicate intelligently. That's why radio stars get applause, and plumbers do not. THE PROBLEMS We, at the Jack Ellery School of Broadcasting faced a moral dilemma. Some of our students were African Americans. Many of them had language problems. Their English was terrible by white standards. Sure, we could teach them everything, but they stood no chance of getting a job in mainstream radio. They would be limited to Black format, or urban, stations. My dilemma? Did I tell them or did I just take the money? I told them ... and several asked for their money back. But, it wasn't just blacks. We had students with Jersey accents. In every state, there are people with regional accents. And that is annoying, to say the least. So, we went through the whole scene all over again. We gave back the money. I just couldn't see me taking money under false pretenses. Who in New York or Philly or LA would hire someone with a drawl or a twang or whatever you want to call any accent? Any school that takes anyone is just not being honest. Guess what? Most schools just take anyone. The way they see it, their job is to make money, not set moral standards Well, that's not the way I do things. So, we turned folks down. Without their money, we had to close the doors. My suggestions before you enroll in a radio school are: Go to your high school English teacher and ask her if you speak well. Raise a red flag if the school accepts you without meeting you. That means they take anyone. Ask the Radio School if they will refund some part of your money if you drop out. Ask for the resumes of their instructors So there is your problem as you ponder a school of broadcasting. Will you land a job or are you just chasing a dream with the school's participation in a sham? If you understand that, you get the situation. College Communication majors at least get a well rounded education. They get something on which they can fall back. That's the difference there. And that basically sums it all up. So, if you are off to a broadcasting school, if you really want to learn how to be a radio announcer or newsperson, or whatever, do your homework before you get there.