How to become a girl DJ for online radio

This alternative job fits the bill for:

• Part time jobs
• Most exciting jobs in the world
• Unusual jobs
• Student jobs – Do it for your CV!
• Jobs that let you have piercings
• Jobs that let you have dyed hair

About a year and a half ago, an internet radio station called Catnip Radio started up and my fiance managed to get in on the act. He started off with his show Rock Avalanche on a Friday evening which later moved onto its current Sunday slot between 7-10pm. In time it also began to get synidcated to an American station based in Burlington, North Carolina called Fox 101.9 FM. The station was slowly starting to attract more listeners and both Mike and Kitty, the girl who started Catnip Radio wanted to get more promotion for Catnip and hopefully one day make full-time careers out of it. My fiance (Mike Fisher as he is known on Catnip) managed to get into a free local newspaper asking for more DJs to get a bit more variety on the station. Four DJs responded and after some umming and ahhing I decided it was time to give djing another go.

My show is called Pigtails and Army Boots and is two hours of female-fronted rock, alternative, indie and metal. It goes out between 12-2pm on Catnip and is also syndicated to Fox 101.9 FM. It has been running a month now and my style has developed hugely since the Grrl Power Hour on Phoenix Rock UK. The listeners have been higher due to recent local promotion in the papers and even BBC Essex Radio have covered Catnip.

I play such bands as L7, the Donnas, Kittie and I even throw in some artists like Nancy Sinatra and Nina Simone from time to time.

The site for Catnip on a Sunday (a day where everything is live from our living room) is www.catnip.roxmitz.info

Female-fronted music has always been a dominant part of my life. I honestly believe my lifelong love of Madonna began when I was in my mother’s womb! When I was a little girl I would listen to Kylie Minogue and Sonya on my record player. I would dress up one of my Barbie dolls in a red dress and knee high black boots just like how Kylie was dressed on the cover of one of my records at the time.

When I reached my teenage years I started to listen to the latest chart music and my main favourite band was the Spice Girls for years. To me, they were the best thing ever – Geri in particular seemed to be the ideal role model for Girl Power. She was sexy and gorgeous but always came across and independent and outspoken.

By the time I reached sixteen, my musical tastes were changing and maturing to a more rock-oriented path. The first female-fronted rock band I remember listening to is Garbage. I got their album Version 2.0 as a birthday present and I think I may have scared my still very poppy friends at my party when I took off the Now that’s what I call Music! generic pop CD playing and put Shirley Manson’s growling vocals on instead…

A few years on I was fully immersed in the rock scene, even going to gigs and festivals. I soon discovered the joys of riot girl bands like L7 and Bikini Kill. I was just gutted that by the time I had found them, they had long since split up and I would never get to see them in their gritty glory onstage.

A few years ago, my now-fiance and I set up an online radio station at www.live365.com called Phoenix Rock UK. I did two shows on there include one of all-femaled music called Grrl Power Hour. Due to lack of funds and lack of interest the station soon came off the air…

But the road always leads onwards, and the future’s always looking up. I believe that female bands and singers are here to say, and in a predominantly male-oriented industry, I’ll always have a good time making sure that everyone knows how much good female music is out there.