One who is interested in this field must keep on observing how the RJ’s handle the calls, interact with the listeners, how they answer tricky and awkward questions and comments from the listeners etc. Prospective candidates must listen to a lot of radio, try and come up with innovative ideas and pack their voice with energy. — Sailaja Suman, Marketing Head, FM Rainbow -AIR
My grandfather starts his day with the early morning ragas from AIR that takes me to a nostalgic trip down the memory lane. Air laden with the sweet incense, chants of devotion clubbed with the bright summer morning… one has every reason to look forward for the day! Radio was the ‘magical mystic’ that charmed its listeners with devotion, entertainment, information et al. It gave you a company, moved with you wherever you went ,like a pocket transistor, stayed in the living room, to give company to your friends and also to keep those uncles and aunts busy, whom you never wanted to entertain! Thanks to this savior who kept all the idlers and workers busy all through We dare not nick name it like we did its counterpart ‘the idiot box’ because RADIO ALWAYS GAVE YOU THE FREEDOM OF CONTINUING TO DO WHAT YOU DID… in spite of working, being busy, you can still listen to it because your eyes are ‘not glued to it’. Can you see this advantage in television? CERTAINLY NOT.
Ask any mother today who is frustrated with her kids tied down to the television day in and day out. Thanks to the scorching heat, kids have a strong reason NOT TO GO OUT AND PLAY! Well I think such ‘anti T.V’ mums should come together and ‘channelise’ their kids towards radio channel which plays entertains and informs without ‘stealing the show’!
Radio made several attempts to regain its listeners. Undoubtedly radio F.M managed to retrieve radio-lovers, who obviously have no time to sit glued to the T.V sets but at the same time seeking for entertainment.
Though the popularity of radio had suffered badly with the arrival of Television and Internet, the opening of the FM radio to private channels has infused a new life to radio. Radio Jockeying is an exciting, promising and challenging career for those who have a passion for music. It is the only profession in which one may be recognized by their voice.
Here’s what a die-hard radio fan has to say:-
Multi Tasking
Radio had served the purpose of several of the common individuals who had to keep doing their tasks without having to pay continuous attention for amusement (Multi Tasking). A barber’s shop with a Radio is the best example these days.
Save your visit to Eye Specialist
Unlike the Idiot Box/Couch Potato (true to its names), eyes can be safe even if you keep staring at the Radio for hours (although you need not :-).Many people argue that more and more children (as small as 4 years old) in India use Spectacles because there is awareness among parents about their child’s care. Do we need to say that’s due to the excessive watching of TV, online Games and not having enough nutritious food?
Time Constraint
In today’s times, when you need to do your daily chores without having to spend time for the loss of keeping oneself updated with the happenings around, Radio comes to your rescue.  Shaving, Cooking, etc can be done while listening to Radio.
Surprise
As I mentioned before, there is nothing more exciting than a pleasant surprise. And with songs on Radio, the old farmaish ones (especially from places like Jhumri Talayya,etc), you just instantly dive into nostalgia.
Affordable
Even in the age of iPod, Walkman, Disc Man, Mp3 drive, Blu Ray,etc Radio is still affordable at the same time dependable. What I mean by dependable is when there is a power outage in the middle of an interesting cricket live telecast on TV, even today am sure most of us switch to Radio. But even otherwise, I can never forget the thrilling expereince I had listening to the commentary of Gavaskar’s 236 not out in West Indies along with my grandfather.
Not seen/heard could be more beautiful.
Radio lets you imagine about an event, incident, song picturisation instead of somebody else’s imagination, not that the other person’s imagination is unwatchable. It gives you freedom to think you WON your way. Also, you can listen to new music/learn about new culture which has never been heard of before. Thanks to Radio.
WHO ARE RADIO JOCKEYS?
Radio Jockeys are those who anchor music programmes on radio. The task of a RJ is to entertain the listeners by playing music or conveying messages in a most attractive and sophisticated way. They play requests from listeners, interview guests, manage contests and also provide information on the music, weather and traffic. This is a profession which requires a lot of hard work and presence of mind. It is the performance of these Radio Jockeys that makes or mars the radio station. Mostly youngsters are preferred in this field as they have new ideas, concepts and are bubbling with enthusiasm.
Every successful Radio Jockey has their own style of communicating. To make an imprint on the listener’s heart, apart from a good voice, the Radio Jockey should be warm, friendly, spontaneous, dynamic and must possess good communication skills.
According to Sailaja Suman, marketing Head, Radio Rainbow it all started in AIR as JAPA 4 programme named after the four exuberant announcers who pioneered the concept of RJ. It was not called ‘RJ’ before but after the advent of DJ and VJ, ‘RJ’ was coined. She feels that even today many aspirants are not aware of the fact that AIR is not a permanent job for announcers/RJ s, it is only when they come for the interview that they realize the job will last for a couple of days or months. Nonetheless some zealous orators prove their mettle in the very beginning itself and establish themselves with hard work and dedication.
One such RJ who took a giant leap from the AIR to the Radio FM is Padmini, a Final Year B.Com graduate who charges her listeners with her action-packed compeering!
Here’s what she has to say about radio Jockeying—
I do strongly believe that Rj’ ing can definitely be taken up as a profession. It not only gives a platform to exhibit one’s capability to reach out to people through their communication skills but also a person can see oneself growing in that creative field somewhere down the line .Who knows the ones having real potential could land up as the creative head of the particular channel they’ve been catering for years. Also, much to the surprise of the people who aren’t quite aware of an RJ’s job in actuality, a Radio Jockey also caters to the channel as a technical support. The listeners, who are on the receiving end might not know that the RJs are not just the ones who are on air for the allotted no. of hours but also spend hours together doing the ground job before they go on air. They have upgraded knowledge in the technical arena and their creativity and support is utilized for the making of the promos (promotional advertisements of the channel), that takes channel places and script preparation and evaluation. So, a lot of effort goes into making one’s show a successful one. A Radio Jockey is the one who must have a great sense of timing, witticism, humor, creativity, intelligence, clarity of expression, articulation and also has to be technically well versed with the software and hardware upgradations or else becomes ‘paralyzed’ in case of unfortunate and much often occurring emergencies of system failures resulting in a haphazardly carried out show! Not all people are gifted with this kind of a talent then why not take it up as a profession and cash the opportunity??? Bottom-line- ‘’Fame + Satisfaction +monitory reward’’!!! So, buddies if you really are filled with zeal n zest & are looking for a job satisfaction provided you have the above mentioned qualities….don’t just give in a second thought you got to be right there…On air!!!
—Padmini-RJ radio big FM

 On the other hand Mr.Sumanaspathi Reddy, Progamme Executive ,AIR feels RJ is more hype and less scope. When asked about the prospects, he says radio jockeying is certainly not very fetching when compared to television. He also went into the details of acquiring license for private radio stations which has become a Herculean task now a days.
But Mrs.Syamalata Devi again a long time associate of AIR says RJ is undoubtedly the most interesting profession for those with the gift of gab.
Let’s look a little deeper into what skills & scores one must have to become an RJ—-
Eligibility: Radio Jockeying is a talent based field. Even though no formal educational qualification is required it is mandatory to have a degree in any field.
Job Prospects and Career Options: The job of a Radio Jockey is of diversifying nature depending on the subject matter of the programme. 
Remuneration: Radio Jockeys are in much demand with the opening of the air waves to the private sector. 
Institutes: No formal training is required in Radio Jockeying since it is a talent based field. To develop confidence and flare in this field, one needs to have exposure. RJ hunts or talent search are often conducted by FM channels to bring out original unique talent.
Address IES Management College Campus, 4th Floor, Opp. Lilavati Hospital, Bandra Reclamation, Mumbai 400 050
Phone:022- 26550808 / 26427171/ 26401863
Website : www.teachradio.com
Courses : Diploma in Radio Programming and Management (DRPM )
Eligibility : 10+2Duration : 6 month, part time courseSelection Criteria : screening based on an entrance test and an interview. Diploma in Radio Jockeying ( DRJ )Eligibility : 10+2Duration : 6 monthSelection Criteria : screening based on a voice test and interview Post Graduate Diploma in Management
(PGDRM )Duration : 8 Months course for graduatesSelection Criteria : screening based on an Entrance Test and an Interview Certificate in Radio Jockeying
(CRJ )Duration : Three month part time course for undergraduates and graduatesSelection Criteria : screening based on an interview
Institute Name: Xavier Institute of
Communications, Mumbai
Address : St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai - 1
Phone : (022) 2262 1366, 2262 1639
Fax :(022) 2265 8546 
Website :www.xaviercomm.org
Courses :Certificate Course in Radio Jockey & Presentation Skills Workshop Open to All Selection:Through Interviews Certificate Course in Announcing, Broadcasting, Compering and Dubbing (ABCD)Open to All Selection: Through interviews.
Institute Name :Academy of Radio Management, Delhi.
Courses:1 year’s diploma as well as  3 months diploma course on radio jockeying, music management, sales, marketing and production.
Institute Name :Take One Academy of Broadcasting, Chandigarh Courses : Certificate course in professional radio jockeying. 
Radio Jockeying is a talent based field. Even though no formal educational qualification is required, a degree or at least plus two is generally a pre requisite.
The most essential factor for a Radio Jockey is a good voice with the ability to modulate as per the occasion. Apart from that, an RJ should have a clear diction, accurate pronunciation, flare and fluency in the language. They should be able to control the pitches of their voice and learn to use them to the best effect. Another distinguishing characteristic to become a successful radio jockey is the speed of response, good sense of humour, individuality, creativity of mind, spontaneity and an intensive knowledge of music. Successful RJs have the ability to twist and turn their speech according to the situation. 
Staying updated is very important for a radio jockey. An RJ needs to keep track of the happenings in and around the city. People will enjoy listening to an RJ, if they can sound different on the show. So qualities like mimicry, local dialects and comedy or humor items will help the RJ to carry on their shows. 

Personal Skills - Radio Jockeys should be diplomatic in character as they have to interact with people of different nature. They must maintain a down-to-earth and approachable attitude so that listeners can comfortably make calls and speak their hearts out.

AMEEN SAYANI-THE RADIO LEGEND WITH BINACA GEET MALA

‘The show was hosted during its entire run by Ameen Sayani, and was very popular in India, with estimated listenership ranging from 900,000 to 2,000,000’

Ameen’s tryst with radio began when he was seven years old. It was his elder brother and guru, Hamid Sayani (eminent broadcaster in English) who initiated him into the medium through the Bombay radio station of All-India Radio as a casual artiste in its English section. In 1949, Hamid also introduced Ameen to commercial broadcasting (for Radio Ceylon), giving him odd jobs and minor voicing assignments in English.  And then came Ameen’s momentous “break”. Through another producer, Ameen was auditioned for a Hindi commercial announcement for a weekly radio show sponsored by the makers of Ovaltine.
Since it was a “health drink” and Ameen an energetic youth of newly independent India, he read out the commercial with such gusto that the producer had to hold his ears and command Ameen to lower his volume, for God’s sake, and control his enthusiasm. Chastened, Ameen read it out again, managed to pass the audition and got his first Hindi assignment. On condition, of course, that he wouldn’t be paid – he’d just get a small tin of Ovaltine a week! (Ameen says: “That was the basis of my good health in my long innings with commercial radio. And this isn’t a commercial, please.”)
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