How To Become Radio Jockey: Career as RJ, Roles, Responsibilities, Skills, Famous RJs & Salary

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Associate Senior Executive

Updated on Jan 24, 2025 15:28 IST

Radio jockeying has emerged as one of the most popular career options. The popularity of this field can be gauged from the fact that popular radio jockeys enjoy celebrity status in our society. Check out everything about radio jockeying as a career option in this article.

Career as Radio Jockey - With the advent of various radio channels, the career of Radio Jockey has become an exciting career option for the youth. The profession of Radio Jockey attracts people from all walks of life as this field is very dynamic and creative. Growth and success in this field require talent as well as perseverance. A Radio Jockey should have the passion to connect and interact with people and have a unique style of conversation to give a 'face to face' feel to the listeners. The beauty of this profession is that people recognize you not by your name or face but by your voice. If your voice is accepted by the masses you automatically become a household name. With time Radio Jockeys are re-inventing themselves as content influencers on social media. If you are willing to make a career as a Radio Jockey read the article below.

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Types of Radio Jockey

Radio Jockeying is a fantastic job choice for those who enjoy talking, creating, and expressing themselves. Listed below are the popular job types that one can opt for with a degree in Radio Jockeying:

Announcer: This is one of the most basic radio station's positions. An announcer is someone who reads commercials and is in charge of introducing stuff on the radio. This is the first position one holds before being promoted to higher levels.

FM/AM Radio Jockeys: FM/AM Radio Jockeys interact with listeners via playing music, talking, or both. Normally, they work for public radio stations.

Talk Radio Jockeys: Talk Radio Jockeys' only job is to talk for the duration of the show and to address various social and political problems. They also interact with the show's audience and viewers.

Sports Talk Radio Jockeys: They have to communicate with listeners and discuss various sports news and events. These jockeys are usually former athletes, television anchors, or columnists. He/she sometimes also provides commentary for live matches.

Music Director: They are purely responsible to manage and deal with how a radio station's music library is kept and how music is played when it is requested during a show. This individual is in charge of the music we hear on the radio.

Other than the above-mentioned roles, other job roles that an RJ can go for are News Reader, On-air Personalities, Production Director, Station Manager, and many more.

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Radio Jockeying Roles & Responsibilities

The role of an RJ is to inform and entertain the listeners. In addition, their responsibilities include presenting a variety of music programs and interviewing artists and celebrities. A Radio Jockey provides music-related commentary and also handles audience requests. The main responsibilities of a Radio Jockey is given below:

Target Audience: A Radio Jockey has to work with the creative producer and writer of the show. Shows are always planned keeping in mind the target audience. He/she selects the program timings, script, and other related things according to the decided theme.

Program planning: A Radio Jockey plans the show well in advance so that there is no scope for any confusion or errors at the last moment. These plans are especially followed for live programs.

Practice: A Radio Jockey proofreads the script before recording the show, especially for programs presenting current affairs or news.

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Radio Jockeying Popular Recruiters

There are two sectors in which a Radio Jockey can pursue their career:

Government Sector: AIR (All India Radio), Radio Mid-day and State radio stations

Private Sector: Big FM 92.7, Radio Mirchi 98.3, Radio Mango 91.9, Red FM 93.5, 104 Fever, and several other independent radio channels.

Radio Jockeying Skills

As radio is all about voice and words, a Radio Jockey must have a charming, lively, and engaging personality. Aside from that, there are a few more skill sets needed to be a competent Radio Jockey, which are listed below:

Radio Jockeying Skills
Voice Modulation	Keep oneself updated	Spontaneity
Good Sense of Humour	Clarity of Speech	Correct Pronunciation
Being Expressive	Creativity	Technical knowledge of equipment

How To Become a Radio Jockey?

Candidates can pursue various courses offered at certificate and diploma level in radio jockeying. The duration of these courses is as short as six months and can go up to one year. The eligibility criteria for these courses are listed below:

For Diploma: Passed class 12th exam from a recognised board/university.

For PG Diploma: A minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in any subject from a recognised institute/university.

For Certificate: Passed 12th exam or equivalent in any stream from a recognised board/university.

Note: Those who hold some media internships stand a better chance of securing an entry-level Radio Jockey position.

Given below are the popular courses in Radio Jockeying:

Radio Jockeying Certificate Course	Radio Jockeying Diploma Courses
Certificate in Announcing, Broadcasting, Compering and Dubbing	Diploma in Electronic Media (RJ/VJ)
Certificate Course in Radio Jockeying	PG Diploma in Television and Radio Journalism/ Production
Certificate in Community Radio	Diploma in Professional RJ & Radio Management
Certificate in Radio Jockeying Essentials	Diploma in Radio Programming & Broadcast Management
(-)	Diploma in Radio Production & Radio Jockeying

Radio Jockey Remuneration

Some Radio Jockeys become very popular with a single show and some take years to achieve success. Usually, the earning of radio jockeys largely depends on their popularity. The more popular you are, the higher your pay scale can be. However, in the initial stages of the career, a fresher gets around INR 10,000 – 20,000 per month. After 3-5 years of experience, the average monthly earning of a Radio Jockey ranges from around INR 50,000 - 1,10,000. The monthly salary at the executive level usually ranges between INR 1,50,000 - 3,00,000, depending on the size of the radio channel/company. Besides, the income of a Programming Head in a radio channel is up to INR 5,00,000.

Famous RJs in India

Every city in the country has their own radio jockeys that connect with the locals better than any other entertainer does. There must be hundreds and thousands of radio jockeys in the country but some stand out among them. These names not only have won over their cities but the entire country through their work. They are -

Neelesh Misra
RJ Naved
RJ Sarthak
RJ Malishka
RJ Archana Pania
RJ Anurag Pandey
RJ Salil Acharya
RJ Mir
RJ Nilam
RJ Neil

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About the Author

Aayushi Madavi

Associate Senior Executive

Aayushi is a BAJMC graduate and an ardent consumer of content with a keen passion for film, TV and books. She specialises in Mass Communication and Humanities related exams, entrances and courses.