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Radio broadcast assistant

  • Hours

    Variable

  • Starting salary

    £13,000 + per year



The work

Broadcast assistants (often known in the radio industry as 'BAs') support producers and presenters in making radio programmes. As a broadcast assistant, it would be your job to handle the administration, help to plan programmes and provide technical support in the studio. Becoming a BA is a common starting point for a career in radio.

The work can vary widely from one station to the next and even from one programme to the next. The main differences are between speech and music radio, and between live and pre-recorded radio. However, your administrative duties would generally include:

  • typing scripts
  • keeping track of costs
  • researching programmes
  • booking guests, preparing their contracts and arranging payment
  • producing programme logs and running orders
  • archiving programme material
  • arranging and sending out competition prizes
  • booking studio time and equipment
  • updating the programme or station website.

Studio production work can include:

  • managing phone lines for phone-ins and competitions
  • timing shows
  • operating recording, editing and mixing equipment on pre-recorded or live programmes (often known as 'driving the desk')
  • recording and editing programme trailers
  • offering creative input, such as writing links or devising quiz questions.

With experience, you may also take on some of the more high-profile tasks, such as contributing programme ideas, interviewing guests or presenting part of a programme. In speech or news radio, you would often be asked to go out and collect short interviews (known as 'vox pops') from the general public.


Hours

Your hours would depend on the programme you worked on, so may involve evenings, late nights and weekends. You would often need to work overtime to meet deadlines.

You would work in offices and recording studios, usually as part of a small team including a producer, a presenter and possibly a researcher. You may also have to travel locally or nationally as part of an outside broadcast team.


Income

  • Starting salaries are often between £13,000 and £18,000 a year
  • With experience, this could rise to around £25,000 a year.

If you work freelance, you will usually negotiate a fee for each contract. Rates can vary, and there may be gaps between contracts.

Figures are intended as a guideline only.


Entry requirements

The key to becoming a broadcast assistant is to get plenty of practical experience in radio (paid or unpaid), and to prove your initiative, enthusiasm and flexibility to employers.

You can gain useful experience through:

  • community, hospital or student radio – see the Community Media Association website for a list of local stations, and the Hospital Broadcasting Association for a list of hospital stations
  • work placements – for details of possible opportunities, see BBC Work Experience Placements or the RadioCentre (for commercial radio).

Follow the links below for more information.

As your experience grows, it's a good idea to develop a 'demo' or 'showreel' CD or MP3 of productions you have worked on to send to potential employers.

You may also find it helpful to take a course in radio or media production. Look for courses that include practical skills training and work placements. Several colleges, community media schemes and universities offer relevant full-time, part-time and short courses including:

  • ABC Level 3 Awards in Broadcast Media (Talk Radio Broadcast Skills and Radio Production Skills)
  • NCFE Certificates and Diplomas in Radio Production at levels 1 and 2
  • City & Guilds (7501) Diploma in Media Techniques (will be the Level 1, 2 and 3 Award, Certificate and Diploma in Media Techniques (7601) from September 2010)
  • BTEC National Certificate/Diploma in Media Production (BTEC Level 3 Certificate/Diploma in Creative Media Production from September 2010)
  • BTEC HNDs, Foundation Degrees, degrees and postgraduate courses in radio or media production.

Check with course providers for entry requirements.

For news-based and factual radio, you may have an advantage with a background in journalism or research.


Training and development

On-the-job experience is a key part of your training. You may also take short courses in technical areas like operating studio desks or using particular recording and digital editing equipment.

Visit Creative Skillset's website to search for relevant courses (including training for new and experienced radio staff), and for advice about how to fund your training as a media freelance.


Skills and knowledge

  • creativity and ideas
  • excellent administrative and organisational skills
  • good written and spoken communication skills
  • a flexible attitude
  • good team working skills
  • the ability to work on your own initiative
  • a keen interest in radio and music or current affairs
  • technical and computer skills
  • the ability to plan, prioritise and work under pressure.

More information

Creative Skillset (Opens new window)
Focus Point
21 Caledonian Road
London
N1 9GB
www.creativeskillset.org

Creative Skillset Careers (Opens new window)
Tel: 08080 300 900 (England and Northern Ireland)
Tel: 0845 850 2502(Scotland)
Tel: 08000 121 815 (Wales)
www.creativeskillset.org/careers

The RadioCentre (Opens new window)
4th Floor
5 Golden Square
London
W1F 9BS
Tel: 020 3206 7800
www.radiocentre.org

Radio Academy (Opens new window)
2nd Floor
5 Golden Square
London
W1F 9BS
Tel: 020 3174 1180
www.radioacademy.org

Broadcast Journalism Training Council (Opens new window)
18 Miller's Close
Rippingale
near Bourne
Lincolnshire
PE10 0TH
Tel: 01778 440025
www.bjtc.org.uk

Community Media Association (Opens new window)
15 Paternoster Row
Sheffield
S1 2BX
Tel: 0114 279 5219
www.commedia.org.uk

Hospital Broadcasting Association (Opens new window)
www.hbauk.com


Opportunities

Competition for radio work is strong, and many jobs are short-term contracts. Commercial stations tend to recruit experienced presenters, producers or broadcast journalists, but will offer unpaid work for entry-level roles.

Many of the national networks are based in London, but most major towns and cities have local stations. Jobs may be advertised in national newspapers, the trade press and online. You might also find work through networking and contacts.

With experience, you could progress to become a radio producer, a music programmer or a technical studio manager. Some people later choose to move into television research or production.

You may find the following useful for job vacancies and general reading (links open in new window):

Job profiles are based on the latest information supplied to us by industry bodies, such as Sector Skills Councils. Please be aware that with the introduction of the Qualifications and Credit Framework (Opens in a new window) there has been, and will continue to be, changes to vocational qualifications. For more information, please check with industry bodies directly.

We do not accept responsibility for the content of external sites.


Related industry information

Industry summary

The radio industry is part of the creative industries, which is represented by Creative Skillset. This includes: advertising; animation; computer games; corporate and commercial production; fashion and textiles; film; interactive media; photo imaging; publishing; radio; and television.

Defining what is meant by the ‘radio industry’ is becoming challenging as audio content can be distributed through a range of platforms as media and telecommunications are converging across the board.

Independent stations and other companies are shared broadly among four sub‐sectors, including: BBC Radio (which is publicly funded); around 120 commercial radio groups and independent stations; around 180 community radio stations; and up to 50 independent radio production companies. The industry is characterised by a small number of large radio groups and a large number of smaller groups and independent stations. The BBC, Global Radio and Bauer dominate the landscape of larger businesses and between them account for a high proportion of the radio workforce.

Key facts:

  • 22,800 people are employed in the radio industry, which is estimated to be 5% of the entire Creative industries workforce.
  • The industry comprises around 350 organisations, of which 23% employ between 2 and 4 people, 35% between 5 and 10, and 17% between 11 and 20 people.
  • 25% of companies have more than 20 people working for them, which includes just 2% with a workforce of 250 or more.
  • Radio has a highly skilled and well qualified workforce of which almost two thirds are graduates.
  • About a quarter of the workforce is freelance or employed on contracts of less than a year.
  • 58% of freelancers working in the industry hold a graduate qualification, compared with 66% of employees in the industry.

Jobs in the industry include: Presenter/DJ, Producer, Broadcast Assistant, Station Manager, Programme Controller, Editor, Journalist, Sales Executive, Marketing Manager, Broadcast Engineer, Support roles: finance, HR, training & development and administration.


National and regional data

Although the majority of the workforce is based in London, the nature of local and community radio services means that the radio workforce is more widely dispersed throughout the UK than other creative industries. The largest number of employees in the radio industry is located in:

  • London
  • South East
  • North West
  • Scotland

In the East Midlands, Nottingham has the highest number of stations including Heart 106, Classic Gold, Saga and Trent FM owned by GCap/Global. The Lincoln‐based, Lincs FM Group, owns a number of stations in the region and across the country. Sabras Sound in Leicester caters for a predominantly Asian audience, whilst Ofcom have granted community licenses to seven stations. BBC Radio has stations in Lincoln, Nottingham, Leicester, Derby and Northampton and the BBC's Asian Network is also based in Leicester. Around 800 people work in the industry in the region.

In the East of England, there are over 1,200 individuals working in the industry. BBC Radio has stations across the region and over 27 commercial stations broadcast across AM, FM and DAB. A further 10 stations have community licences.

In London, there are approximately 8,800 individuals working in publicly funded, commercial, community and voluntary radio, which is 38% of the industry.

There are eight commercial radio stations in the North East, including four owned by Emap and two by Radio Investments. The BBC has two local radio stations (Newcastle and Cleveland). Radio Tyneside is run by volunteers and provides hospital broadcasting for Newcastle and Gateshead. There are two Restricted Service Licences in the region. Around 500 people work in the industry.

There is a large radio industry in the North West, with a workforce of 2,600. The region has four BBC local stations and approximately 30 broadcast commercial radio companies.

The South East accounts for a significant proportion of the radio industry with a workforce of 2,400. There are 43 commercial radio franchises in the region, including 10 community radio stations (e.g. Unity 101FM, Radio Reverb), plus 28 Restricted Service Licences radio operators, whose services include hospital radio, sports information and campus radio. The BBC is represented by five local radio stations. The region accounts for one of the greatest concentrations of commercial radio employees.

There are approximately 1,300 people working in the industry in the South West.

There is a good geographic spread of radio stations across the West Midlands, but the largest concentration of stations is in Birmingham. There are 30 commercial stations, dominated by the larger radio groups, such as G‐Cap plc, Global and GMG. However, there are some strong performing specialist stations including rock station Kerrang! and Radio XL providing music and news for the West Midlands Asian community. The BBC has five local stations and there are a growing number of community radio stations. Around 1,000 people work in the industry.

In Yorkshire and the Humber, there are five BBC local radio stations in the region and approximately 20 commercial radio stations of which Galaxy is the largest. Community broadcasting is also present in the region including Bradford Community Broadcasting (BCB), one of only 15 radio stations throughout the UK broadcasting a full‐time ‘access radio' station licensed by the Radio Authority. There are around 700 people working in the industry in the region.

In Northern Ireland, the radio workforce is around 600.

In Scotland, 1,780 individuals work in radio. Scotland's radio enterprises range from very large corporations such as the BBC to small, not‐for‐profit community radio stations.

Wales has the highest levels of radio listening in the UK, with radio audiences in Wales averaging 24.4 hours of listening per week. The radio industry employs around 1,000 people across Wales in enterprises which range from very large corporations (such as the BBC) to small, not‐for‐profit community radio stations.


Career paths


Further sources


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