Becoming a DJ at KPOV |
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Most of the people in community radio in general—and at KPOV in particular—are dedicated volunteers who want to broaden the kinds of music and conversation available on your radio dial. They are people who have a passion for radio, for music, for community involvement, for politics, and for going local. And many, if not most, have no prior experience in radio—except as listeners—before they got involved in KPOV. In the fall and winter of 2004/2005, KPOV’s program schedule was a blank slate. The Board of Directors knew it wanted a mix of locally produced music and talk shows, with some nationally syndicated programs to round out the mix. As of December 1, 2005, KPOV’s schedule is largely full and will remain that way for the foreseeable future. This means that schedule openings for new shows will be less frequent and that the competition for openings will be more intense. However, there will always be opportunities for qualified individuals to fill-in for DJs who will be gone for some reason and to schedule guest appearances on existing shows so they can test their skills.
Requirements for becoming a KPOV DJ Complete the DJ course People with no background in radio broadcasting can learn about on-air programming by registering for and completing the introductory “Be a DJ” course offered through a partnership between KPOV and Central Oregon Community College. In this hands-on course, you'll learn the fundamentals of radio programming, including running the mixer and mikes, planning for music or talk shows, adhering to FCC regulations, fulfilling the mission of KPOV and community radio, and developing your own style. The next scheduled class will be in April 2010. Sign up through COCC Community Learning by calling 383-7270, or online at http://noncredit.cocc.edu/ Click on Special Interest. Learn the ropes Each aspiring DJ will need to sit-in with a current DJ host to gain practical experience and to learn how a show is produced. You will be expected to produce a 30 minute segment of that show that includes music selections (or talk), announce the selections, read a Public Service Announcement, identify the show and host, play a show promotion, a station ID and a sweeper. By sitting in with different DJs, you can observe different production styles.Now What? Now that you have completed the requirements, you will be able to produce underwriting spots, the community calendar and other announcements. You will be able to help a current DJ to produce his or her show. You will be able to fill in for a current host who takes a week off. Maybe you could share a show. You can do all of these things while waiting for a new opening in the programming schedule. For more information on volunteering, call 541.322.0863 and ask for Pearl or Jill.New Show Proposal If you have an idea for a new show and can commit to a weekly show for at least 6 months, please complete a show proposal form. You can download a Show Proposal Form here, and return it to pearl at kpov.org. You must also submit an 8 – 10 minute program demo with your application. For instructions on how to create a program demo mp3 file, click here.
 Donate to KPOV and help subsidize the cost of training new community DJs! |
A call for program proposals went out to the community and trainings were scheduled. Those people with passion, good ideas and commitment made it through the process to become the founding DJs of KPOV in June 2005. A second round of proposals was accepted and reviewed in late summer and several new shows were added to the schedule in October 2005.