Happy National Radio Day! In honor of the holiday, I wanted to share a few lessons that I’ve learned from working in the industry.

For some background, I’ve been working in radio for about two years now! In the summer of 2019, I was an intern at my local radio station. In the fall of 2019, I began working for the station as an on-air announcer. Then in the winter of 2019, I fully transitioned into a producer role.

In each role I’ve had, I’ve been able to sharpen my communication and technical skills. I believe the lessons I’ve learned on-air have helped me grow in my radio job and my day-to-day life.

Here’s what I’ve learned from working in radio:

Forming relationships is key. On the first day of my internship in radio, I was told, “It’s not what you know. It’s who you know.” Getting to know others that worked at the station and learning from them allowed me to get hired. If you want people or a company to invest in you, you have to invest in them.

You must prioritize tasks effectively and efficiently. I learned this lesson when I began producing a live show. As you may imagine, producers handle a lot of moving parts. If tasks are not done correctly or on time during a show, the whole thing could go off the air. This is why prioritization is so vital. You have to understand what’s urgent and what can wait.

Anything can happen. As in life, anything can happen on-air. Technology can be fickle, and so can people. When I’m producing a show, and something goes wrong, I try to simply evaluate and adjust. I have learned to accept the fact that anything can happen (even if it’s a bit disorientating).

There are endless paths to the same result. The way that I run a show and the way that others run a show is different. Yet, to a listener, the on-air product sounds the same. There are various paths to the same result, so do what makes the most sense to you!

How are you celebrating National Radio Day? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments or on Instagram. Let’s chat!