Radio Announcer

A Radio Announcer is the voice behind all types of radio segments including talk shows, commercials, music programs, and news. Regardless of what you announce, the job characteristics are the same. You chat, rant, or speak politely into a microphone for the world to hear, while listening through a headset so you can hear how you sound.

As a Radio Announcer, your in-studio duties vary, depending on the size of the organization. Smaller radio stations may have you announce the weather, voice commercials, identify station call letters, operate electronic equipment, and introduce music. In larger stations, your talents will be focused on one area. For example, the Radio Announcer may interview political figures for a talk radio program or be the Disc Jockey (DJ) in charge of introducing musical selections.

Whichever field you choose, you work with the Technician and Engineer who run equipment and give you your cues. The cues tell you when you’ve gone to commercial, when to insert a sound effect, or when (horror of horrors) you have dead air.

Although it takes a crew of employees to produce each show, the Radio Announcer is the person whose image represents the station. Your job is to promote that image in everything you do. If you DJ a Top-40 music program, that means sharing tidbits of pop culture about the artists as you introduce them. As Announcer for a rock station with a party atmosphere, you might attend openings for local bars. If you head up a news show, you go to the local fundraiser and relay the event details on location.