Carol Ofori shares some of the biggest lessons she's learned during her 20 years on air
As she celebrates two decades on air, Carol shares some of the most important lessons she has learned during her career in radio, in the hopes of inspiring new talent wanting to break into the medium.
Local television and radio personality, Carol Ofori, has had an extensive career on radio. This year, she celebrates two decades on air and, as she looks back, Carol admits that it has been a wild ride.
"Having been in the business for 20 years now and working on commercial radio, retail radio, and community radio, radio has certainly taught me a few things," Carol says.
As she looks to the future, Carol has taken this opportunity to share five lessons that she has learned during her two decades on air for those wanting to kick-start their career in radio.
Resilience Is Your Best Weapon
The radio industry is tough and it may not always seem fair, but stand firm in your truth and in your talent. Do the work so that you put yourself in the right place at the right time to get your big break.
Open Yourself Up To Constructive Criticism
Radio people are so helpful that way. Ask for feedback and you will get it. Constructive criticism is so important in one’s journey because getting perspective from someone else is an important factor in working on your craft and getting better. It’s important to take on this criticism and not be a know it all. Even with 20 years in this business, I still enjoy getting tips and tricks from industry talent because it helps me do better.
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Not Everybody Is Going To Like You – And That’s Okay
You may not be everyone’s cup of tea, so it’s important to come to terms with that. Some people will not enjoy you on radio and they will make sure you know it. Unfortunately, this is part of the game and you have to be okay with this. It’s a bitter pill to swallow at times. What’s most important is that you need to like you - that's all that really matters. When you resonate with that, so will your audience. They will love you for being you.
Stand Up For Yourself
Radio will teach you this real quick. You will be pushed into different directions by different people with different ideas of what they think you are capable of. When you are young in this business, that happens a lot and you have to know what you want and how far you are willing to bend to get it. If it means you break, it’s better to walk away because bad decisions could mean that later opportunities will be few and far between.
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Wait Your Turn And Work Hard To Reach Your Goal
You have to believe that the wheel will turn and your turn will come. I started in this business more than 20 years ago and only over the past year have I found my sweet spot on East Coast Radio. I can finally say that I am living my dream. Of course, I have more dreams I want to see come true and I wanted to give up many times. I doubted myself on many occasions. But something in me always told me not to give up. Parallel to my radio career, I worked on my career as a voice over artist as well as a television presenter. The key is to keep as many balls in the air as possible while you chase your radio dream. That way, you have something else that helps pay the bills.