Profile -- by Rosalynn Hupkes

"Good morning from the AM 770 CHQR twenty-four hour news centre". You'll hear the same thing Monday through Thursday every hour on the hour from 1am until 5am. It's the voice of Steve Norton, night news announcer at QR77 News, Talk, Sports. When you think of a Radio Announcer, you may first imagine music DJ's like Gerry Forbes from CJ92, or Matt and Eric from Jack 96.9; however, an announcer may hold any number of positions including; talk show host, weather announcer, sportscaster or news broadcaster.

What drew Steve to radio was listening to CKXL 1350 Norm Edwards and Bill Powers' "Window to the World" when he was 12. Even from a young age Steve was always more interested in the announcers then any other aspect of radio. These individuals and the excitement and fun of radio influenced his career path and as a result Steve has been in radio for over 13 years. Steve has worked in different locations throughout British Columbia and Alberta. Middays, weekend mornings, afternoon drive shows, operations and news announcer are some of the positions Steve has held over the years.

The educational background of a DJ is pretty consistent regardless of the exact position a person might have or specialize in. Broadcast and Media Communications ­ Radio, from British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) is the diploma that Steve obtained. He mentioned that "the school is extremely competitive as there are only about 40 positions available". There are numerous schools that offer Broadcasting in either a diploma or a degree program, all of which have different entry level requirements. Steve recommends that when considering a school and program in Broadcasting that you keep in mind it's reputation as this is important and may affect your hiring potential.

Steve is currently a news announcer and producer with QR77 overnights; he has been with the station since 1999. Steve works part-time, which is 5 hours, 4 days a week. The shifts can vary but are generally divided into morning, afternoon, evening and overnight. Depending on a DJ's position their job requirements will change. Although a DJ seems to run the show, they actually have very little control over the program. Normally, everything is formatted before the show even begins. For Steve a typical shift begins at 12:00 am and involves an hour of show preparation in which newspapers are read and websites, designed for DJ's, are viewed. Steve organizes and conducts 4-broadcast news segments that must be exactly 6 minutes long every hour on the hour at 1:00am, 2:00am, 3:00am and 4:00am. "You live and die by the clock", so it's very important that everything is conducted on time. When Steve is not announcing news, QR77 plays old time radio shows, 11pm to 1am, and a talk show that is brought in by satellite called 'AM coast to coast' from 1am until 5am. Steve is also responsible for the operational aspects of the night which includes making sure that these shows broadcast smoothly, and that commercials are arranged, played and documented at the appropriate times.

The news features that Steve covers are generally written earlier in the day. However, if anything of importance or interest occurs during his shift Steve will prepare and write the article for his next broadcast. When choosing news stories he looks for local, national, and then international stories. Finding and arranging the stories quickly takes practice. Steve is capable of putting together a news segment in 10 minutes, when he first began it would take him up to 40 minutes. "When starting in radio things can seem overwhelming as everything usually happens at once, it takes practice".

The operations aspect of the position is the more physical side of being a DJ. Generally this involves answering the phones, taking down phone numbers, lining up callers to potentially go on air, and taking down the information of prizewinners. Organizing and playing commercials is another aspect of this position. Some DJ's have an operations person to work the show with them; this is usually the case with larger radio stations. In smaller communities the DJ will often control their own operational aspects, although some DJ's also prefer to do this. DJ's will often spend 1 hour prepping for every 1 hour spent on air. Material that will be discussed on the show requires research which can involve reading newspapers, talking to sources and checking online DJ sites. Some other duties of a DJ outside of the studio, include meetings with the program director, recording commercials, appearances at community events, conducting on location broadcasting and acting as MC at events.

The best part of the job is the job. "If you like what you do it's not work". The most rewarding aspect of being a radio personality is entertaining someone Steve says. "When they call you to tell you that you've made them laugh" or when you get to make someone's day by giving away prizes, you feel as though you've made a difference. As a news announcer you also have the opportunity to be the first person to inform others when important and dramatic events happen.

Although being a radio announcer can be very rewarding the major drawback to this career would be the income. Radio announcers are not paid very well. Most DJ's make less then $35,000 a year. To quote Steve "The pay sucks!" There are a number of reasons for this; one would simply be that there are too many employable DJ's and simply not enough jobs. The need for DJ's continually decreases as more radio stations rely on computers and satellites, which perpetuates the problem of low salaries.

If a person is interested in becoming a radio DJ, it's a good idea to try and job shadow a DJ in the area you may be interested in. Volunteering is also a great idea, as this gives you a chance to see how a radio station works and allows you to network. CJSW, the University of Calgary Radio Station, is another opportunity to discover if being a DJ is something that you may be cut out for.

Being a radio DJ is more then what you 'hear'. The job of a DJ is vast and extends beyond what we know from just listening to our favorite radio station. Besides music, news, contests, concerts, golf tournaments or interviews, being a DJ is also about the audience. At the end of the day it is the audience that makes or breaks a DJ. "It's about talking to one person", even if there are thousands listening. Being a DJ is about informing people and "making just one more person smile".

Alberta Occupational Profiles (OCCInfo) - Radio Announcer

National Occupational Classification - Radio DJ

Work Futures - Radio Announcer

Job Futures - Announcers and other Performers

Canadian Radio Stations

NAIT - Radio and Television Program

SAIT - Cinema, Television, Stage and Radio Arts

Mount Royal College - Radio and Television Broadcasting

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