This book is dedicated to:
DJ Richie Huber for teaching me the ropes
DJ Suzy Fresh for reminding me there is more to life than just being a DJ
DJ Joseph Montalvo for his eternal optimism and dedication
DJ Kokopeli Dan for showing me that Karaoke is sort of fun
DJ Post Modern Pam for her lifelong friendship and explaining how radio really works
Pat Jr., Bobby, and the boys at Pat's Music in Philly for putting up with all my stupid questions over the years
And Rockin' Ron Capps, Jammin' Julie Grove, Tony "White Lightning" Deremer, Ronny Fresh, Robby Fresh, Def
Masta Homey Fresh (Chris Bennett), Stew Shocka, Digital DJ Louie, Eddie Jordan, Lisa G, Mike Staff, Bob Palio,
"Spring Water", and all the thousands of customers, managers, and DJs I've worked with over the years for their
support and for making it fun.
About the Author
Chuck Fresh has 20 years' experience as a private party, nightclub and bar, and radio DJ and currently works as a
nightclub consultant. Fresh has been featured in numerous DJ and nightclub magazines, including Nightclub and
Bar Magazine, and he is the author of Make Some Noise, Wild Party Contests, and A DJ's Guide to Latin Music.
Fresh now resides in Melbourne, Florida, and is a nationally recognized voiceover talent. He also runs Bar
Marketing, LLC and The DJ Resource, providing party games and promotional services to nightclubs, bars, and DJs
all over the world.

Contents at a Glance
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xv
Chapter 1 Becoming a Radio DJ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Chapter 2 Becoming a Nightclub or Bar DJ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Chapter 3 Becoming a Mobile DJ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Chapter 4 Mobile and Club DJ Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Chapter 5 All About The Music . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Chapter 6 Performance DJs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
Chapter 7 The MC. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Chapter 8 DJ Resources. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
Chapter 9 The Digital Domain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259
Chapter 10 Planning for the Future . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295

Contents
1 Becoming a Radio DJ 1
What's Involved . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
The Challenges of Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Skills Needed. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
The Ratings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Types of Radio Jobs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Music DJs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Talk Show DJs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Sports Announcers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Sports Reporters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Traffic Reporters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Newscasters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
News Reporters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Other Radio Jobs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Talking the Talk: Radio Terminology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11