First of all, you will be required to have a college degree to obtain this type of journalism job. A bachelor's degree in communications will be the minimum educational requirement and some radio stations may even require a master's degree. You will also need to have experience working at a broadcast journalism job in a position of management and will definitely need outstanding communication skills. After all, you can't work a journalism job if you don't know how to speak up!
If you feel you are qualified educationally, have experience and are known for being a great communicator, you will also need to know what your responsibilities as a general manager of a public radio station will entail. You will be a leader. Your crew will look to you if they have any questions or problems that occur on the job. It will also be your job to develop programs that will keep your community listening to your station.
You will also be required to represent your station if there happen to be occasional appearances in public at community events. It will also be your responsibility to attend regular meetings with other general managers and regional managers to discuss how best to keep the station running successfully. You may even have the job of managing budget for your station.
Another part of this type of journalism job that you may find quite enjoyable is the possibility of hosting your own gig on the radio. In fact, if only a few people work at your station, you may get to host more than one radio program. This can actually be the icing on the cake of having a job as a general manager of a public radio station. You may be rewarded with high radio ratings for partaking in one or more programs that your listeners truly enjoy.
Having a career at this type of broadcast journalism job can also allow you to earn a comfortable income. Depending upon your education and experience, a general manager of a public radio station can earn over $60,000 per year. This can be a very nice living for doing a job you truly enjoy.
So, if you know you would enjoy working in public radio broadcasting and feel you can handle the responsibility and dedication it takes to be a general manager, this just may be the perfect career for you. If the pros dramatically outweigh the cons of this position, you may be a very nice fit for this line of work. You could have a career you thoroughly enjoy, earn a dependable steady income, and also be known for providing your community with quality listening on the radio.
