Group programme director, Radioworks

My Job

Group programme director, Radioworks

Name: Jana Rangooni

Age: 37

Role: Group programme director, RadioWorks (owners of the Edge, the Rock, More FM, the Breeze, Channel Z, Solid Gold)

Working hours: 50 hours a week, can spend three months of a year travelling

Qualifications: Bachelor of Business Studies


Q: Describe how you got this job?

A: I was talent coach for the company then they decided they wanted to create the position of a group programme director and I was appointed.

Q: Describe what you do?

A: Essentially I am responsible for the development and execution of the company's programming strategy for our music radio stations.

Q: What have you had to do to succeed?

A: I think it is probably similar to a general manager role in another industry. You need the ability to think strategically but also be able to understand the business you are in and ensure the day-to-day operations are doing what they should. You need to be able to look at the big picture of the business and make sure the company is on course, but at the same time you do need to understand radio.

Q: What sort of training or experience do you need?

A: This isn't a role that a general manager at another company could easily walk in to. In terms of experience the point about radio is that as a programme director you are not like a general manager, you are more like a very senior marketing and production person. You are actually responsible for the creation and development of the product so you need some understanding of the radio business.

Q: What skills and qualities do you need?

A: You have to understand finance, accounting, marketing and the normal aspects of any business. I think being a strong coach and leader is important.

You have to be able to develop the best in people but at the same time lead the team where they need to be going. A lot of patience is needed. In our industry, like so many others, people don't give things time to work. Plus you are dealing with a lot of very creative, talented people. It is not a very calm business environment. There are a lot of ideas, people work at high speed, they are independent self-starters, there are a lot of temperaments and a lot of egos, which is all good fun, but you do have to have a degree of patience to survive.

Q: Best part of the job?

A: Working with creative and interesting people.

Q: Most challenging part?

A: When you are on the road and you end up in a not-so-charming hotel in rural New Zealand and being away from my little boy. Or flying into Wellington in stormy weather.

Q: How do you define success?

A: Successful ratings for our radio stations. Great-sounding radio stations. Seeing the development of the managers and talent working for you. Being able to balance my work and personal life.

Q: What are your career hopes for future?

A: Not to progress to CEO level. I would like to go back to talent coaching for the radio industry fulltime, working six months of the year, living in Queenstown, skiing and writing my book.


Q: If I wanted a job like yours how would I go about it, and what qualifications would I need?

A: There is no one path to get to this job.

You could progress through management in another industry and move into radio in a general management position and then, with a degree of radio experience and a strong understanding of listeners and programming, you may get the opportunity to move in.

You could start as a marketing person in the company and progress, or start as an on-air person and move up to being a programme director.

Qualifications would help in terms of some of the experience you can get in business and some of the media courses available.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: It is mainly the people who appeal to me the most. And when we do research and you hear listeners saying great things about our radio station and the roles they have in their lives.

Q: What advice would you have for someone contemplating a career like yours?

A: Don't be afraid to take steps backwards and sideways to further your career.

That comes from the fact that I have seen so many talented people take the job with the best money without considering the talent of the people you are working with and the experience you are going to get along the way.