Becoming a DJ at KPOV

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. 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.

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.

Given that background, if you want to become a DJ of your own show on KPOV there are three basic things you need to do (and not necessarily in this order).

1) Get trained.

People with no background in radio broadcasting can learn about on-air programming by registering for 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 of 2008. You can learn more about this class and register for it by visiting COCC’s Community Learning Website and then clicking on the "Special Interest" link.  Sign up as soon as you can since it fills up fast!

2) Volunteer at KPOV

The best way to learn how community radio works is to volunteer at KPOV.  Stop by the station and ask about how you can volunteer and begin to learn the programming ropes.  We may need help producing underwriting spots and other announcements.  Or a current DJ might need help producing their show.  Or maybe a DJ needs a competent, trained and experienced volunteer to fill-in for her while she takes a week off.  Those are just a few ways that you might be able to get your feet wet in programming at KPOV and prepare yourself for an opening in the schedule.  For more information on volunteering, call 322-0863 and ask for Pearl.

3) Develop Your Show Idea

We have guidelines you can use to help you develop a show proposal.  Once you feel you have a good proposal, ask for some feedback from other DJs and the programming committee.  They will let you know if they feel you need to further develop the idea, if you need to get some additional programming experience, and/or if there is an opportunity for you to test your idea on the air. Get Show Proposal Form here.

Those are the bare essentials for getting your own show at KPOV.  Beyond that, there are no promises.  There is no formal process for creating openings in the schedule for new shows and selecting from competing proposals.  The best way to get a show of your own is to c’mon down to the station and get involved.