ABSTRACT

Many people in the media and in television in particular have spent at least some of the earlier parts of their careers in radio. So, in some ways, working in radio can quite properly be seen as a training ground and starting point for a career in television or other sectors of the media. My own early experience in local radio gave me a professional grounding, skills and experience which were invaluable throughout the rest of my working life. To be frank, it’s not a bad way to learn your craft. Working in a small radio station away from the glare of too much publicity has distinct advantages. There, you can experience triumphs and disasters without doing yourself, or more importantly anybody else, too much harm! One of the great benefits of work in radio is that, whatever you do, you are likely to be involved in a wide range of activities from planning and presentation to editing and recording live speech, music and maybe even largescale outside broadcast events. The precise nature of the experience will naturally depend on the genre of radio station. But before the roars of disapproval become too loud, I should make one or two strong reservations about encouraging anyone to see radio as a mere training ground for greater things. To do so would be a travesty and a grave disservice both to radio as a medium and to those who work in it.