Question: Is there anything I can do to become better at reading the news?
Answer: Yes, continue to read it. Reading is a skill you can improve. Read out loud at home and practice. Listen to Radio or TV news anchors and how they pronounce words, use cadence, and improve enunciation. Then, record yourself using your computer or any recording device and be critical when evaluating your playback.
Question: Is there something you do to make your voice seem any deeper or different over the air than in person?
Answer: Microphones sometimes change your voice. Don't worry too much about that. Having a deep voice or a "Radio" voice is not as important today as it used to be. Listeners are very comfortable with real people and real voices. Of course, the exception is if you have a very annoying voice which is squeaky, sharp, or difficult to listen to. This might pose a problem and you would definitely need to retrain yourself to speak in a more acceptable way. There are ways to learn how to manipulate your voice to make it more presentable.
Question: Do you ever get nervous before a show? If so, how do you get over it? How do you sound more confident?
Answer: After years on-the-air, even I sometimes even get nervous before individual "breaks" during my show. Each time the mike turns on, you're on a stage and it might be the only time someone hears you that day. So, a performer always wants to make every each interaction with a listener the best he/she can. Just muster up your courage and go for it.
Question: How far is the mike from your mouth while on air?
Answer: Our microphones have to be "worked" very closely because they are very directional. The moment we get "off mike", the sound gets hollow. With practice (and a wind screen) you can learn how to speak directly into a microphone while avoiding extraneous mouth and breath noises like "popped Ps" and "saliva clicks".
Question: How can I write good news copy?
Answer: Write the way you speak, not the way you read. These are two different things. When you write for a reader, he or she doesn’t have to take breaths during long sentences. When you write for on-air, you need to breathe - and you want to sound natural. Use shorter sentences and words you would use in normal conversation.
Question: Is there really a difference in Radio from city to city?
Answer: I personally believe every city has it's own "Radio" personality. Some cities are great Radio towns - where the medium is very important to the pulse of the city. The personalities are bigger-than-life and treated like celebrities. In other places, Radio and local DJs and talk hosts are not always appreciated as much. C'est la vie!
Question: Is the radio a good career to pursue - I'd like to own a house one day with some land, but I'm not certain I can do that in radio.
Answer: Expect to move around if you want to pursue a Radio career. There are fewer jobs than ever which means you cannot limit yourself to one city or even one geographical area.
