Life of a Music Manager

Our new "Life Of A"... series attempts to bring to you snapshots from the lives of media professionals. This is the first of the series, in which we feature a youngster with an FM radio station.


I am Shivani Srivastava

I work with Big FM, New Delhi, as Music Manager.

Radio? Now how did I land here?
By accident. After completing my diploma in advertising and public relations, I had never dreamed that one day I will be in the radio industry without having any prior knowledge about it. It was like a dream for me to work in the medium which is growing so fast.

So what’s a typical day at work like?
Very challenging and hectic. You have to be passionate about your work. Everyday you do the same thing which becomes boring and monotonous after sometime and then it will be a challenge for you to do some things differently from your competition.

My highs and lows
Once you are into this industry, you don’t get much time for your personal life as your professional life takes most of your time. Radio is a passive medium where you are live and have to mark your position in the niche market.

Why I think you should be in radio
Radio connects you to a huge number of people very easily. At the same time you have to be very creative and spontaneous. Radio is an easy platform to fame. You not only touch the hearts of the masses but also you entertain them and give information about their city, culture, music, anything which is in the interest of the listener. So if you think you have that creativity and spontaneity, then you’re are the right person for this job.


Shivani at her workstation. Yes, you get two terminals, not one!

Why I think you should not be in radio
Radio is not a place for those who can’t work 24x7. There will be situations like festivals etc., when you have to be at your workstation performing your duties religiously, while your friends will be enjoying that particular moment.

What nobody will tell you about radio
Nobody can tell you what exactly radio is unless you yourself are part of it.

What do you need to do to get into this industry?
There are many institutes like Indian Institute of Mass communication, Simran’s Academy of Radio Management, Roshan Abbas’s EMDI Encompass Institute of Radio Management, etc where you can get thorough knowledge from the gurus of the radio industry. You can also join the radio stations as intern or trainees and can start your classes by working in the live radio station instead of the dummy classes.

What are your career prospects?
It’s a place where you get the money based on your caliber. After 5 years you can be the head of your department.

Would you like to ask Shivani questions about her job, or about working with a radio station? Mail them to jobsmediablog@gmail.com. The best questions will be handpicked, answered, and published on a later date.

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