Radio Connection
Locations: United States, Canada
Degrees: Certificate of Completion
Programs: Radio DJ, Talk Show Host, Radio Program Directo
Tuition Range: $7,750 - $11,500
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The Radio Connection is a mentor apprentice school that has been turning out DJs, talk show hosts and program directors since the 1980s. Radio Connection began with the idea that the best way to learn radio broadcasting was to be put in a radio station sitting next to an on-air announcer.
The Radio Connection concept is simple: the student follows a structured course curriculum as well as spends a couple of days a week inside a broadcast radio station working side by side with their personal mentor. Like most media jobs, the real knowledge comes from practical experience, not textbooks and this is where the Radio Connection excels.
This approach leads to another advantage for the Radio Connection: its radio DJ, talk show host and radio program director courses are available wherever there is a radio station in the United States or Canada. This means that not only do you enjoy the savings from the Radio Connection’s low tuition costs, but additionally there are no out-of-pocket relocation costs involved. And, if the student has a job they can’t afford to give up while attending radio school, the Radio Connection can usually schedule classes to accommodate their work schedule—after all, radio is 24/7.
By working side-by-side with their mentor in a real broadcast radio station, the student is able to make connections with those in the radio station who do the hiring. Because of this, many Radio Connection graduates transition from graduation straight into a paying job at the radio station where they’ve been apprenticing.
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Student Reviews
The Radio Connection is a mentor apprentice school that has been turning out DJs, talk show hosts and program directors since the 1980s. Radio Connection began with the idea that the best way to learn radio broadcasting was to be put in a radio station sitting next to an on-air announcer. The Radio Connection concept [...]
Review by John S.
January 9, 2012 5Today was a pretty normal session. Ibrahim listened to the assignment about reading sports scores and an extra assignment he made me do about imitating a real sports report (I used one from a WFAN broadcast). He enjoyed both of them, making minor fixes to both. He even wants to use the imitation assignment in one of his shows! That now brings the total to 3 (of one of my segments he’d like to use on his program). I took a few notes down about picking out words that I can play around with to keep them original. Ibrahim calls them “word opportunities.” I will be returning to the station on Jan 1 to be a production assistant for a live music event. It will be from 1pm – 4pm. I will help set up and take down equipment as well as recording some video of the musicians playing. Ibrahim will supply the camera. Looks to be a fun start to 2012!
Debt Accrued: Less than $5,000
Review by John S.
December 23, 2011 5I met my mentor at his apartment due to some heavy protesting on Wall Street. He started by critiquing three assignments I had completed, as well as my report on the tango event my mentor and I went to last week. That went on during the first hour of the session and he was very impressed with my report. My mentor even said it could go on the air!!!!! That was a good feeling. Then for the remainder of the time he showed me some of his own work in photography, songs he recorded with his musical group, and reports he made for this station I am apprenticing for. He did this because he wanted to give me a taste of what could be ahead for me in the future. I could tell he enjoyed showing me his work and I enjoyed looking at it. It was a great session.
Tonight was by far the best session ever with my mentor. I showed my mentor the assignment the Radio Connection assigned me, as well as two extra assignments my mentor had also assigned me. One of the extra assignments was called, “My Story.” It was about how I became infatuated with baseball. He loved it so much that he invited three of his colleagues to listen to it. They were all impressed and even want me to email them the segment so they can provide some feedback. My mentor said that he would like to use it in one of his shows! I was very happy with all the comments. The other extra assignment I showed him was my imitation of a spokesman in a commercial. Basically, I found a commercial on YouTube, listened to how the spokesperson delivered the lines, and then I recorded my best imitation of that same delivery. I picked a Capital One commercial and the actor was Alec Baldwin. My mentor liked my version of Alec. It wasn’t perfect, but it was good enough for my first try. My mentor complemented the tone of my voice and stated that I sounded better than in previous assignments. My mentor is also having me do another extra assignment that has me imitating a sportscaster as he wants me to contact one of the people that works for the station so I can intern with them starting in January on next year. What a night!
Review by Jim K.
November 10, 2011 5During my session today with my mentor, I got the opportunity to get into the recording booth and record some commercials I had been practicing. I recorded five different commercials twice, and after I finished recording, my mentor and I sat down so that my mentor could give me his feedback. The encouraging thing was hearing that I was at a pretty decent level, even though I had no prior recording experience. My mentor gave me a lot of confidence, as he was quite pleased, and felt I had a good foundation with lots of potential for growth. This was a very interesting session and I enjoyed being in the booth and hearing my voice upon completing the recordings
Review by Orin B.
November 5, 2011 5Today, at my mentors’ studio, one of the board operators for the station had me cover the board for him. At the top of the three o’clock hour I mistakenly played a national commercial in addition to our local break. I talked to my mentor about it and he said to just do a two minute, instead of a three minute, break later in the hour to get back on time. I did that and also faded out the final few seconds of the show and then, I got the show back on time. So, it went fairly well. The good news is, after making a few rookie mistakes, I feel I have a strong grasp on how to run the board now without problems. I now even have an strong sense of how to correct mistakes in the future
Review by Jennifer S.
November 4, 2011 5I had my first week today with my mentor in the Radio Connection and I learned a lot about the history and legalities of working at a radio station. We covered the history of it, as well as the general rules and FCC regulations. I received some handouts on the rules and contest regulations as well so I have for my files. We practiced a mock interview and a traffic accident news story and it was interesting to see how much you need to keep in mind and the importance of note taking. Moreover, I learned how to take readings of the equipment and record them, as well as learned about the omnidirectional signals. In addition, we covered a couple of voice exercises. Lastly, I got to see the public file drawers and how important it is to keep them in order and have them in case someone asks to see them. The day was really interesting and I can’t wait for the next lesson already. In addition to all I learned, it was fun!
Review by Tim N.
October 21, 2011 5I am a graduate of The University of Montana and I have a Bachelors Degree in Social Work. I have been employed in this field for over 20 years. I always have held a passion for music and spent many hours daily listening to the radio during my teen years and still through to this present day. I collected 45’s during the 80’s and I have a collection of over 400 records. I religiously listened to American Top 40 with Kasey Kasum every Sunday during my junior-high and high-school years. I always had dreamed about having my own radio show. In late 2009, I learned that you could volunteer Disc Jockey on KBGA College Radio at The University Of Montana. I applied and completed orientation and training. I chose NERO an old high-school nickname as my DJ personality. I instantly knew that I wanted to pursue this career path professionally, then deciding to become familiar and contacted the Radio Connection.
I’ve been enrolled in the Radio Connection program and have been working with my mentor since May of 2011. During this time, I have been able to learn many new skills in announcing and have improved on the skills of voice and writing as they relate to effective delivery. My mentor has provided me with helpful and constructive feedback on assignments. My mentor excels in the role-modeling of announcing and editing techniques, and as a mentor, has 15 years experience as a Disc-Jockey. I have been able to expand upon and improve my current radio show with the guidance received from my Radio Connection mentor. Being directly connected to a real radio station has provided me with vast knowledge of today’s broadcasting market trends and exposure to the experience of how a Radio Station / Media Company operates.
The Radio Connection has already enhanced my future possibilities for a successful broadcasting career. I now host a regular show on Friday Nights on College Radio. My apprenticeship through the Radio Connection has provided me with training to enhance my skills in announcing and formatting. My dream is to expand upon and eventually syndicate my current radio show. The Radio Connection staff, as well as my mentor, have already began an active role in facilitating this process.
Review by Brian D.
September 24, 2011 5The level of experience that I get from doing this is incredible. It’s nothing that any college could teach me. I gained so much ground here faster than even my level of expectations and after I paid money for the course I expected quite a bit. And for me it actually surpassed my level of expectations was really something that I had never done to reach my goal that quickly. Within less than a year, well working may be 10 months it was actually may be 3 months from the time that I had started the course from the time I can call my mother and say hey mom like turn the radio. Guess what I am on the air.
Review by Dottie S.
September 13, 2011 5This business is a tough one to get into and I couldn’t have done it without Connections, Radio Connection and it’s a great concept. It really is. You have people in the job, on the job, working with you one on one taking you with what I might add great enthusiasm. The job that I do they choose to participate in this program along with Jim Pettula and they choose to take on and their students if they want to and it’s someone who loves their job training you to do what they do.
Review by J. O'Leary
August 12, 2011 5The Radio Connection program is continuing to proceed with complete excellence. I have been exceeding in so many areas involving radio and broadcasting through this experience, it is truly hard to put into words how remarkable it has been to work with my mentors’. I have been recording my very own show on HD2 101 WJRR Channel X. I do this every day, except Sundays. My self-titled show is called “Getting XIFIED With Jenni O”. It is awesome practice and a lot of fun. I also put an entire short clip video which I produced and created entirely for one of the DJ’s at the studio radio station I am apprenticing for. There is never a dull moment that I am not learning something or creating something or studying something. I am absorbing more then I could ever dream of. It’s become such a family there and they truly care about teaching me!!!
Review by M. Levinson
August 3, 2011 5After working with my mentor, Sam Greenfield, I graduated from the Radio Connection. It wasn’t long before I got hired at not one, but two radio stations! On weekends, I am doing a gig at an Amagansett radio station WHEM, and during the weekdays I’m a traffic reporter in the Metro New York area for Bloomberg 1130 as well as Serius Satellite Radio.
I can’t thank my mentor enough for the job he did in preparing me. During “class” he would critique what I was working on: news reporting, traffic announcing and just different announcing styles and he always gave me a good critique of how to pronounce certain words or just a general demeanor about approaching a subject.
My mentor has been instrumental in introducing me to a woman he worked with at Metro Shadow traffic and she was able to get me into the door. There’s a reason for the Connection in Radio Connection. They connect you and it does work.
Review by Mark D.
July 1, 2011 5What I liked about Radio Connection was that again I wasn’t going to be spending time in another classroom with 40 people. I graduated from traditional College before attending and I learnt a lot in college but when I got into the real world it’s a whole different story. Because while you are in college you are not really thrown into real world situations. You are just learning stuff out of a book or in my case you are just learning how to produce things because you have a design major. So you are just learning how to produce things basically for yourself not for other people. So it helped me to learn the craft and the other skills but it didn’t teach me how to deal with people as far as creating stuff for them. But Radio Connection really just puts you in a hands-on situation where you will learn to deal with people, deal with the business side of radio and the technical side of radio at the same time and just doing that at the same time makes you learn even faster and it will propel your career even faster. It’s just learning stuff at the drop of a hat.
Review by Sal T.
January 21, 2011 5My mentor and I listened to my sportscast and he said I read it well. He gave me some great advice and suggested I listen to some of my favorite sportscasters and try to duplicate their styles. I practiced a little sample of the sportscast with him, and he said it was a great improvement from my original recording. I enjoyed my first real lesson with my mentor greatly. I definitely love his style of teaching, and the way he goes about explaining things. I feel the rest of this program will be great thanks to him and the Radio Connection
Review by Geo L.
February 17, 2010 5I’ve been unemployed for about a year now, and have always thought if I could work at anything in the world it would be as a talk show host. My friends have always told me I have a great voice for radio. To make a long story short, I signed up for Radio Connection in December of 2009 and started my course at a local radio station in town the first week in January. My mentor was great. Unfortunately, after just four lessons with him, I realized I didn’t have what it takes to be a talk show host. I couldn’t overcome my nervousness, the stress was too much for me to take. Frankly, I thought I was hosed. Especially after seeing several complaints about how Entertainment Connection doesn’t return calls, much less refund monies. But we were talking a lot of money here and I was determined to get some kind of refund for dropping out of school. While I realize this decision in no way reflected on the radio connection program which was everything it claimed to be, I still felt entitled to getting at least some of my money back. So I called up the main 800 number for Entertainment Connection and explained my situation to the person who answered the phone. She transferred my call to a Mr. Brian Kraft who asked me to go over what had happened and why I wanted to drop out. He said he understood and asked what I thought was fair. I said I wasn’t sure of their refund policy, but felt I should get back some of my money. Mr. Kraft agreed immediately and stated their policy was pretty simple, refunds were paid on a pro rated basis. He gave me the dollar figure for what he said he would refund to me and it was better than I thought. He said my refund check would go out the following week. After I hung up, I started to worry again…you know, the whole “check is in the mail” thing. But I have to tell you, in today’s mail I received my refund check in exactly the amount Mr. Kraft had specified. I only wish that I had what it takes to have made use of their fine program.