I have a uni radio show starting this week

christ, we were cunts. weren't we, alex. alex?

you should make internet cliches non-sequitor for five minutes and GET THE IT LUNIX NERDS SPLOOGING OVER THEIR COIN-SIZED RADIO SETS

you don't have to especially think up reasons to play a song "hit of the week" or "classic track" cliche just say your playing it cause you like it tell them why and something you know about the track that they might not know if they know the track or might want to know if they don't know the track

What about a segment each week where you play a classic cover version of various songs? (How long is your shift?)

stay up all night drinking, do a 6am show with your mate newcastle andy (two posts in a day mentioning him now), listen to him make an ill-advised joke about downhill skiing ("y'knaa, like when yo're wankin' two blurks off, like") at 7.30am following the "ski sunday" theme tune (WHY?), panic, realise you've only got two listeners anyway so what does it matter ... those were the days.

i didn't take it very seriously, as you might be able to tell. i'd like to apologise for that now.

the show is an hour long and we're encouraged to have scripted segments so we don't lose focus and stuff.

This sounds like lots of fun. Do they dictate exactly what you have to play or is there scope for personal taste?

A former roommate of mine played me some tapes of a show he had for two years in college and he had the coveted Friday night spot...his show was "Lover's Rock" or something similar. and he played nothing but music to bump uglies by.

Half the fun of being a live, independent radio DJ is NOT being overscripted. And coming up with playlists for each show. Promote shows you're looking forward to with blocks of their stuff. Get people to email you with suggestions - that way, at least a few more people will listen. And always play at least one hip hop song each show. For the skreets.

Bottom line: Have fun with it. OWN those airwaves, man. OWN.

Googley, you might even try writing an actual five-minute script and reading it, unless you feel your voice will end up too dead. It's hard to make scripts sound alive, but if that's something you'd like to get better at, this is a perfect chance to practice.

There are other ways to script that don't involve actually reading something word for word though. You could just write an outline of the main points to hit, with some key facts in there that might not stick in your brain so well without prompting. That way you can just kind of go with the flow but have the security of that to back you up if you need it.

[i]This sounds like lots of fun. Do they dictate exactly what you have to play or is there scope for personal taste?

-- salexander / sofia (silva11...), November 8th, 2005.[/i]

We can play whatever we like basically. Which is really good. The show is with a girl who likes quite a lot of indie like Postal Service et al so that should free me up to play some quite odd things.

When I work out my show I make sure I have a story/comment/personal remembrance for 1 of every 4 songs and use that during the breaks. IMO scripting takes the life out of the show. Your weekly focus idea seems good, though I'd play more than one song. You can always follow with a few related bands or 'sounds like' bands or 'influenced' bands but with an hour show it's going to go by very quickly.

This is key: remember people might be listening who don't get in jokes between you and your co-presenter (if you've got one). You want your listeners to feel like their in your gang, not alienated. If you can put together a five-minute package for each show, it'll really break things up and give you good practice at things like editing and interviewing. The first few will make you cringe like a bastard when you listen to them in five years time but it really doesn't matter.

Also, good luck!

Even better if it's the (versions of the) same song. Uhuh.

Or you can just play that thirty minute Melvins song like I used to do when the end of my shift was coming up and I had to re-file everything.