Complaint Review: Connecticut School Of Broadcasting

Each year, hundreds of millions of dollars in Federal and State loans and grants are stolen by hundreds of seemingly established and credentialed private and publicly funded colleges, universities, and  schools offering degrees and education in film and television production, sound recording, and video game graphics and animation. Implied and false expectations are promised to students, and slick advertising and false statistics of industry placement of students go virtually unchecked or authenticated. The private colleges universities and school seem to be biggest culprits of this ongoing and unchecked fraudulent scam.



Students spending anywhere from a low of $11,000 to a high of $75,000 for a certificate or degree are being taught by faculty who have NO experience in the real world, professors with tenure who in addition to having NO real world experience or fear of losing their jobs are teaching student courses from the user manuals provided by the software manufacturers or online courses available from the software companies or third party parties such as Lynda.com. 



How do I know this? Because I have personal knowledge and experience at two universities as a visiting professor and Artist In Residence over a six year period where I personally witnessed these misleading, unethical, un-noticed and unchecked practices. Who am I you ask? I am an award winning television and film producer, director, writer, and studio owner who has produced hundreds of television shows I guarantee everyone on this site has watched at some point in there life. 



It's time that the Federal and State governments STOP extending colleges, universities, and schools an unencumbered license to steal both personal as well as taxpayer's money used to fund these institutions, leaving students with big student loans, misleading expectations, no assistance in job placement, and an education that is not relevant in today's job market.



It's easy to identify the major players who are the biggest ripoffs.  Just go to their websites and try to find a list of their faculty members by name.  Chances are the list of faculty teaching the courses and their credentials do not exist. And if they do exist pay close attention to the wording such as "spent 20 years in the film industry", which could translate into they own their own camcorder and has made home movies, or "has written numerous screenplays for a major studio ", or "currently in development". These phrases can go on and on. At least the state funded colleges and universities list their faculty, which still contain vague credits and accomplishment in the real-world, but almost always contain their academic credentials from other institutions..... who cares? 



At the core of the problem is also the government and state accredidation system that has been established which governs who can teach at these schools, colleges and universities. Fact is, if you want to become a medical doctor you are taught by doctors, a lawyer, you are taugh by lawyers, engineers or scientists, the same.  Yet film, television, and related fields are taught by academics with academic credentials..... no real-world experience. Are their exceptions to this rule? Of course there are many universities that offer extremely good and relevant up-to-date curriculum taught by experienced instructors, faculty, and professors who have extensive real-world expience, but they are few and far between.      



I will post other writings on this website about this subject and will name names, but for now let me leave you with this thought.  Under current academic accredidation guidelines set by Federal and State laws, James Cameron could not teach film as a tenured professor at any public or private college or university in the U.S. These laws will probably never change. Why? Because the academic institutions, faculty, and tenured professors would be exposed.

I am currently a radio professional. By that I don't mean that I am a promotions part-timer in a tiny market in the Midwest. I'm an Assistant Program Director and PM Drive personality in a top 50 market. I am also a freelance voiceover talent. I've been in the business for 10 years and have worked with a number of CSB instructors as well as had a number of CSB interns. For the record, I have a BA in Mass Communications from an accredited university.

Here's my issue with CSB - they'll take anyone's money with the promise of getting them into broadcasting. Many people fork over a lot of money with dreams of raking in the dough on TV or on the radio. The problem with this is that if a person doesn't have the natural, raw talent, they're not going to make it no matter how much money they spend or where they take classes. Juiliard makes you audition for a spot at their school, if you're not coming into the school with some level of natural talent that they can refine, they're not going to waste their time or your time and money. However, while CSB purports to put you through an "audition", we've already seen postings here saying that this is simply for show.

As a programmer, seeing CSB on a resume doesn't necessarily put me off immediately, however it does put me on warning slightly. I understand that a 4-year education isn't for everyone, and I am willing to talk to the job candidate. However I am skeptical of those who seem to have gone to broadcasting school as a quick way into the broadcasting industry (i.e. school aged kids who think it would be "cool" to be on the radio, and middle aged adults who are bored with their day to day life). And I am immediately turned off my those who claim to have a leg up on the competition because they went to broadcasting school. (I can't tell you how many times I've heard, "well I went to CSB so I'm already ahead of the other people applying for this job!")

In general, I am not a fan of the ethics of "take everyone's money regardless of talent and see who makes it". However, considering that many CSB instructors are in the business, I do see the opportunity to network and get a foot in the door for those who have the raw talent that simply needs to be refined (and are willing to put in the work). I would have a much higher opinion if schools like CSB put perspective students through an actual audition process and based admissions on talent and potential.

I worked at ESPN for three years. I know three people who graduated from CSB and got jobs at ESPN fresh out of the school.

I graduated from the Orlando campus in May 2007. I honestly understand both sides of the story.

I went into this knowing full well what my career goals were. I attended University of Florida and majored in Journalism/Broadcasting. Unfortunately, I had a lot of student loans to pay and I ended up not working in the Journalism field so I could support myself. Fast forward 6 years later and I was ready to actually get back in to Broadcasting however, the technology had changed. Learning by doing was an excellent choice for me.

CSB in Orlando runs advertisements on Clear Channel. Several of the Morning show Personalities endorsed them and some of those Personalities are even instructors there such as Dave and Leslye Gayle on Magic 107.7 and Stick on the Radio at 106.7. Jennifer Bresham Cook is a Producer for Channel 13 news. One of the instructor's Rod, was actually the owner of Channel 13 and has an excellent network of referrals in the Orlando area.

Here are some tips for those of you who are considering this.
1. Do not pay $11,000. Let's be honest, it's not worth that price. I didn't pay that amount and know several classmates who did not. Do your homework and know what other broadcasting schools are charging and negotiate. I had a little savings and I paid cash and did not take out any of the loans they were offering. But even if you have to take the loans, again several classmates were still able to negotiate with them. I wrote them a check for $6500.

2. Do your research on the instructors who will be teaching you beforehand. I verified that at least 50% of the instructors who were teaching me were at least radio and tv personalities who are STILL presently working in the field. See the names listed above.

3. Here is the kicker. Request a list of the students they have placed in positions and contact them beforehand to find out how their experience went. I googled ALL of those students listed in their testimonials and tracked down many of them. name is Barb. She's a little wild but she loved her experience at CSB. Here is the link to her profile http://www.gocsb.com/community/2008/08/12/csb-introduces-best-life-barb/
They have another student named Ryan Bonifant whose show is called The Sports Zone. And yes he broadcasts off of his myspace podcast. But, he picked up ESPN as a sponsor. I don't think that's so bad. One poor guy, I called while he was on air working at a Broward County Florida radio station. He flat out told me not to waste my money and said it was the biggest mistake he had made. He said he believes he would have been better off obtaining an internship on his own. His internship did lead to his current position as a radio personality but he did not feel attending CSB helped him. After querying him further, I discovered that he was not that great of a student. But he was very talented and loved radio. He made it work.

I tell this story because in class I noticed that out of my class of 20, there were really only 4 people who were serious students. The rest were there because they wanted to be on TV. They didn't do studio time. They were difficult to work with on projects because they wanted to sit in front of the camera and not learn how to direct, produce, shoot or edit. You are there to learn the whole industry.

4. Have some idea what you are good at and what you want to do BEFOREHAND. This might sound like a no brainer but I was amazed at how many people shelled out money and all they could say was they want to be on TV or they want to be in radio. No, that's not specific enough. If you want to be on TV, how do you look? Be honest. It's the television industry and the instructors will encourage you but there is a hard truth out there. If you are 250 lbs and 5'1, being an on air anchor or reporter may not be for you. If you can't read cold copy very well and sound strange on air, then a radio personality may not even be for you. The good news is there are other positions such as producing, editing, directing etc.

5. Be informed about what other broadcasting schools offer. Firstly, do a google search and contact other broadcasting schools. One of the best ones that I wish I could have attended is Carolina School of Broadcasting. I couldn't afford to relocate but they offer a 1 year long curriculum. There is also an excellent school broadcasting school in Atlanta and several in California. The reason that you are contacting them is to find out what they teach. Familiarize yourself with what these students will learn (after all their students could be your competitors) and make sure that you learn it at any broadcasting school you decide on. CSB Orlando did not have much to offer in terms of film but as a graduate I have requested and have received at least 5 workshops from some of the top leading film instructors.

Secondly, by familiarizing myself with what other broadcasting schools were teaching, I knew that it was important for me to learn Final Cut Pro and Avid and Protools and Adobe Audition.

6. Know the equipment and make sure it's modern. I can't say much for the Tampa location but the Orlando location is fairly new. It has 4 radio labs, 2 of which can be used for a talk show. It has one tv broadcasting studio. And 2 cameras which the students are free to check out. They are standard entry level cameras which in case you didn't know they aren't exactly cheap. I just purchased my first camera so that I no longer have to sign the one out from school and it cost me $5,000 to get the digital camera, tripod, carrying case, cords, lights etc. I will also say this, I graduated with the most studio time out of everyone. I lived at that campus. They have free Wifi there so bring your laptop. I paid the money for it and you bet I used the hell out of it. And to this day, I'm still using it.

7. INTERN. Remember that class of 20 that I graduated with. Only 5 of us took the next step and signed up for the Internship. And it gets better. Of the 5 of us, only 2 of us successfully completed their Internship. I'm sorry but how stupid is that? The internship is the best part and the part where you get the experience. I interned at Clear Channel. I'm glad I did. I learned even more.

So where am I today? After my internship, I had to weigh my options. I have an excellent full-time job that pays my bills very well and I'm not willing to give it up to start over in radio especially in this economy. But I felt this was a good position to be in. Why would I want to start from the bottom? I'm in my late 20's and I needed more control over what my future is going to look like. And that was the other problem; Some of these students go the route of producing their own shows because they want to be in control. You will relinquish a degree of control if you aren't calling the shots. So I approached the station about getting airtime for a show that I produce.

Now, I know this has been a long read but I wanted to tell you some other things. I do agree with the people who complained about the audition; it is a joke. They never turn anyone down as long as you can pay. That's a fact. Their presentation is a slick oil used car salesman presentation. So don't fall for it and get all emotional. These people are not here to make your dreams come true, they are here to fill those seats. Be smart. Be an informed consumer and you can instead turn the tables and make them work for you. And the binder, well I don't think it's a joke. I still refer to it from time to time. I am currently using it to build the format of my show.

In terms of podcasting on like a blogtalkradio etc. You certainly could go that route if you know you just want to do a radio talk show and you are more concerned with your subject and don't care about production values, this might work for you. Say you are a real estate agent, or you are a book author specializing in computers or weddings. It's an excellent idea and I know several people who have been very successful going this route. It certainly is cheaper. Or you can order your own radio equipment and learn to use it yourself. There are several companies on the net that specialize in selling equipment so you can podcast or even broadcast out of your home and you can build a studio in your home for less than the price of attending a broadcasting school. Of course you would have to pay an instructor to teach you how to use it but trust me, they come cheaper than you think. They are always looking for ways to make extra money. I've found some that cost as little as $25 per weekend. You can also do the same thing with learning how to use a camera. There are several workshops you can attend that don't nearly cost anywhere near what you may pay to attend a broadcasting school. You can buy your own equipment and hire a shooter to teach you how to use it in a weekend. It's not difficult and it's a great skill to have. I've taught my friends. If you are one of those independent-minded people, check out www.indymogul.com.

So I think it all comes back to really knowing yourself and really knowing what you want to do. That's really the only way that any venture is going to work. One other thing, the Director for the Dallas and Austin studios is the former Director from Orlando at the time I attended. His name is Ray Thomas. He's a decent guy. Remember though, make them including him work for you and not the other way around.

I'm glad RCM made a comment, since I will be attending the Austin location and until I had gotten to his comment I felt my dreams were dashed. I will do some more research because I am a techie at heart and love be a grip so if this isn't the right route for me maybe I should try something "less expensive".

I am a recent graduate of the CSB School of Broadcasting (March 2008). And I have no bad feeling towards the school what so ever. I have read through all the comments left in regards to this report posted by Df. Some good points were made and there were other points I totally disagree with. But everyone is entitled to their own opinion.

I already knew that there were CSB grads who had negative attitudes and/or thoughts towards the school. I experienced it first hand while I was still a student. Negative attitudes towards any educational institution is a given. I'm sure there are students who attended four-year UNIVERSITIES who feel their education was a ripoff.

First of all, Df said he attended CSB back in the early 90s. That was like 15 years ago! A lot has changed since then. People make the continuing argument that CSB doesn't have updated equipment when they say they do. I was pretty satisfied with the equipment that I had (and continue to have) use of at the Austin, Texas campus that I attended. And, yes, sometimes the equipment had issues. But that happens everywhere.

I also noticed that there was more than one comment towards the handouts or photocopies that students were given as part of their coursework. You're going to base your argument over photocopies vs. a workbook?? I was given photocopies as part of MY coursework as a student at CSB. I didn't care! You have to remember that the curriculum at CSB is not based on textbooks and written exams! I still have all my handouts and photocopies from my classes. And I refer back to them sometimes. If it makes you happy, CSB now has a workbook that they give to all of their students. And you don't have to shell out $60 or $80 for it like you do with textbooks at local college's and universities.

I also disagreed with all the comments made about employers not calling you if you had CSB listed as part of your education on your resume. I cannot tell you HOW MANY TIMES I have heard people make comments about such things as people with PhD's and them being incompetent..."This person doesn't know anything! I can't believe they earned a PhD!" I know you've heard it before. You may even know somebody like that. My point is, where you get in life is not all about how many college degrees you have or what school you went to!!

If I was an employer, and I had to make the decision of hiring someone, I would look at their education. But I would also look at their work experience. And I know Michael made the comment about employers being hesitant about hiring someone with an eight-week crash course in "play radio." I can see why he would say that. But wouldn't you want to at least interview the person and see what their ATTITUDE was like?

Everyone who attends CSB has their own story - obvious point, I know! What I'm trying to say is that each one of these people is at a different point in their life and has different goals. Some people may have big time goals like working for a major broadcasting company such as CNN. Other people may have goals of becoming a voice-over talent - like myself. And there are some who may just want to make a change in their life and aren't 100% sure what they want to do at the moment.

I can bet you that most of the people who go to college to get a four-year degree do it because they feel it's what they "half to do" to get ahead in life. Then some of them don't even end up practicing what they get their degree in and they spend YEARS paying off a college loan. You all argue that CSB is a ripoff because it doesn't get you where you want to go. Maybe people who go to these four-year schools feel the same way.

I don't feel that I'm wasting my money with CSB. And I feel for Jane and Cupler2 who said they were not happy with their administrative staff at the Orlando and Tampa campuses. I don't know what that feels like because I'm very happy with the administrative staff at the Austin campus. I stop by there all the time just to say hello to them. I consider them my friends and I enjoy their company. One of the things that I love most about CSB is the people I have met. I have received SO MUCH guidance and SO MUCH encouragement from these people!

I have a B.A. from a major university. I did the whole college experience and I don't regret it one bit. But what I have experienced at CSB with the curriculum and the people is so different then what I experienced from when I was in college. I don't keep in touch with hardly any of my college professors. And I don't remember many of them willing to help me out like some of the instructors at CSB have. And to argue the point that you NEED a B.A. to really make it for yourself in broadcasting...I have a B.A. and I don't feel I have gotten very far in my professional life - something not to brag about, I know! And I have been out in the working world for about five years now. WHERE YOU GET IN LIFE IS NOT ABOUT A FREAKIN PIECE OF PAPER!! It's about practice, preparation, determination, focus, persistence, the people you surround yourself with and, most of all, attitude. Go CSB!

Hello again,

The reviews posted by Cupler and Mike are true. CSB does not do much to help with job placement assistance. Near graduation, the director called me in for a private meeting to tell me he wanted me to send a demo tape to one of his friends, who owned a couple of stations in a small town about 90 minutes away. He made it seem that this was special opportunity he was letting me in on, but I found out I was the third person he had approached! The other people were not interested in making a 90 minute drive to make $10 an hour (considering the cost of gas). I figured I'd at least send a demo, and worked hard on it.

However, it was never good enough. "Good, but needs work" is what I heard from him, and other radio "instructors". Finally I gave up.
Most of my classmates are doing their own projects and broadcasting on MySpace.
After I turned down the job "lead", the director NEVER (to this day) offered me another.

I'm sorry to hear the Tampa school is as bad as Orlando. I was planning to drive all the way to Tampa to go there but then they opened the one here.

First off, I have NO dog in this hunt as I didn't attend the Connecticut School of Broadcasting and have no personal beef with them. I'm offering this review of the Connecticut School of Broadcasting (CSB) simply because I own a job website that pertains to Tv and Radio jobs, and I stumbled upon this thread while looking for something else.

Owning my job website provides me a unique opportunity to interact with various employers, as well as frustrated Connecticut School of Broadcasting 'graduates.'

By the time they get to me, they're {grads} typically frustrated beyond belief, and extremely angry. The most common complaint I hear is they feel duped by the CSB claims of 'job placement assistance', and after they graduate, the school offers the most cursory of assistance. In other words...after the check has been cashed, don't expect ANY more than the bare minimum assistance, which technically keeps them out of jail.

Another thing I hear quite often, and know this to be true from being in the business until 2003, is most employers dont think highly of broadcasting school graduates, and CSB is especially NOT well thought of in the industry.

Think about it...if YOU were an employer, would YOU have confidence in hiring someone completely inexperienced, who has spent just 8 weeks learning broadcasting in a 'play radio' environment, when you have others to choose from?

Once again, I'm not going to send you to some other company, so my message doesn't become minimized or disregarded. I have children, and always think about having them saddled with astronomical debt like the CSB will leave a person with, and don't wish that upon someone elses children or even adults, considering the tough economic times we're in.

I went to the Tampa, FL campus and it is a total fraud! All of the equipment is from at least 10 years ago and half of the time it does not work. The "Book" they give you is an unorganized POS and they rarely refer back to the "book" in lectures. Granted there are a few great teachers at the school, the majority of them are useless! Also, I love the "auditon" they have to determine if you are able to attend.

This is just a ploy to get you excited when they say "You are accepted". There was one moron in my class that had absolutely NO business being there. One good thing I can say is that their administration is so horrible that I never paid a dime for the course as they lost my paperwork in the process!

Well, I don't feel too bad cause there were about 20 other people in my class, so they got a cool $220,000 by regurgetating the same crap they do 4 times per year. CSB SUCKS! I am going into podcasting as CSB is a joke to real people in the industry as I know a nationally syndicated broadcaster, too bad I got to talking to him too late and I was past the refund point. Either way it doesn't matter cause I slipped through the cracks. So really all I wasted was 4 months of my life!

I went to the Tampa, FL campus and it is a total fraud! All of the equipment is from at least 10 years ago and half of the time it does not work. The "Book" they give you is an unorganized POS and they rarely refer back to the "book" in lectures. Granted there are a few great teachers at the school, the majority of them are useless! Also, I love the "auditon" they have to determine if you are able to attend.

This is just a ploy to get you excited when they say "You are accepted". There was one moron in my class that had absolutely NO business being there. One good thing I can say is that their administration is so horrible that I never paid a dime for the course as they lost my paperwork in the process!

Well, I don't feel too bad cause there were about 20 other people in my class, so they got a cool $220,000 by regurgetating the same crap they do 4 times per year. CSB SUCKS! I am going into podcasting as CSB is a joke to real people in the industry as I know a nationally syndicated broadcaster, too bad I got to talking to him too late and I was past the refund point. Either way it doesn't matter cause I slipped through the cracks. So really all I wasted was 4 months of my life!

I went to the Tampa, FL campus and it is a total fraud! All of the equipment is from at least 10 years ago and half of the time it does not work. The "Book" they give you is an unorganized POS and they rarely refer back to the "book" in lectures. Granted there are a few great teachers at the school, the majority of them are useless! Also, I love the "auditon" they have to determine if you are able to attend.

This is just a ploy to get you excited when they say "You are accepted". There was one moron in my class that had absolutely NO business being there. One good thing I can say is that their administration is so horrible that I never paid a dime for the course as they lost my paperwork in the process!

Well, I don't feel too bad cause there were about 20 other people in my class, so they got a cool $220,000 by regurgetating the same crap they do 4 times per year. CSB SUCKS! I am going into podcasting as CSB is a joke to real people in the industry as I know a nationally syndicated broadcaster, too bad I got to talking to him too late and I was past the refund point. Either way it doesn't matter cause I slipped through the cracks. So really all I wasted was 4 months of my life!

I went to the Tampa, FL campus and it is a total fraud! All of the equipment is from at least 10 years ago and half of the time it does not work. The "Book" they give you is an unorganized POS and they rarely refer back to the "book" in lectures. Granted there are a few great teachers at the school, the majority of them are useless! Also, I love the "auditon" they have to determine if you are able to attend.

This is just a ploy to get you excited when they say "You are accepted". There was one moron in my class that had absolutely NO business being there. One good thing I can say is that their administration is so horrible that I never paid a dime for the course as they lost my paperwork in the process!

Well, I don't feel too bad cause there were about 20 other people in my class, so they got a cool $220,000 by regurgetating the same crap they do 4 times per year. CSB SUCKS! I am going into podcasting as CSB is a joke to real people in the industry as I know a nationally syndicated broadcaster, too bad I got to talking to him too late and I was past the refund point. Either way it doesn't matter cause I slipped through the cracks. So really all I wasted was 4 months of my life!

Hello all.

Just an update- a former classmate of mine landed an internship, and applied for an entry-level position at the station. This person believed they had the skills necessary to do the job. However, this person was not even interviewed, due to a "lack of experience." Other grads are doing their own radio shows, broadcasting on MySpace. Others are working on TV projects to be broadcast on local cable access channels. In other words, seems to me they could have done all this w/o wasting money on the school. They are not getting jobs at radio or TV stations as they do not have the experience. Waste of time? You decide...

Why don't you ask my hubby who is 10 years younger than me if he thinks I am over the hill. I probably make MORE MONEY THAN YOU, AFTER ALL YOU LIVE IN THE MOST EXPENSIVE EARTH SHAKING AREA IN THE US!!
YOU ONLY WISH YOU HAD A WOMAN LIKE ME!!
WAKE UP you little jerk. I am happy with my career. And I won't be working for any paltry wage of 7.00 an hour either. I have a duel career, REMEMBER?? I am in radio for FUN, my full time gig is where the real money is!!

Why don't you ask my hubby who is 10 years younger than me if he thinks I am over the hill. I probably make MORE MONEY THAN YOU, AFTER ALL YOU LIVE IN THE MOST EXPENSIVE EARTH SHAKING AREA IN THE US!!
YOU ONLY WISH YOU HAD A WOMAN LIKE ME!!
WAKE UP you little jerk. I am happy with my career. And I won't be working for any paltry wage of 7.00 an hour either. I have a duel career, REMEMBER?? I am in radio for FUN, my full time gig is where the real money is!!

Why don't you ask my hubby who is 10 years younger than me if he thinks I am over the hill. I probably make MORE MONEY THAN YOU, AFTER ALL YOU LIVE IN THE MOST EXPENSIVE EARTH SHAKING AREA IN THE US!!
YOU ONLY WISH YOU HAD A WOMAN LIKE ME!!
WAKE UP you little jerk. I am happy with my career. And I won't be working for any paltry wage of 7.00 an hour either. I have a duel career, REMEMBER?? I am in radio for FUN, my full time gig is where the real money is!!

Why don't you ask my hubby who is 10 years younger than me if he thinks I am over the hill. I probably make MORE MONEY THAN YOU, AFTER ALL YOU LIVE IN THE MOST EXPENSIVE EARTH SHAKING AREA IN THE US!!
YOU ONLY WISH YOU HAD A WOMAN LIKE ME!!
WAKE UP you little jerk. I am happy with my career. And I won't be working for any paltry wage of 7.00 an hour either. I have a duel career, REMEMBER?? I am in radio for FUN, my full time gig is where the real money is!!

So you're an over-the-hill, $7 an hour news jockey? LOL! Big deal. So you live in Texas, that's YOUR problem. I told people the truth and I can live with that. I enjoy working for one of the largest media companies in the world and making a great living while you're toiling in Texas giving the latest cow pie statistics. LOL!
I'll tell you that you will NEVER make a living off your radio "career" and your contacts are laughing at you right now.

Go tout your $7 an hour, slave wage earning gig in Nowheresville, Texas. No one cares. CSB is still a joke and so is your career.

So you're an over-the-hill, $7 an hour news jockey? LOL! Big deal. So you live in Texas, that's YOUR problem. I told people the truth and I can live with that. I enjoy working for one of the largest media companies in the world and making a great living while you're toiling in Texas giving the latest cow pie statistics. LOL!
I'll tell you that you will NEVER make a living off your radio "career" and your contacts are laughing at you right now.

Go tout your $7 an hour, slave wage earning gig in Nowheresville, Texas. No one cares. CSB is still a joke and so is your career.

So you're an over-the-hill, $7 an hour news jockey? LOL! Big deal. So you live in Texas, that's YOUR problem. I told people the truth and I can live with that. I enjoy working for one of the largest media companies in the world and making a great living while you're toiling in Texas giving the latest cow pie statistics. LOL!
I'll tell you that you will NEVER make a living off your radio "career" and your contacts are laughing at you right now.

Go tout your $7 an hour, slave wage earning gig in Nowheresville, Texas. No one cares. CSB is still a joke and so is your career.

TO DF in California,
I already have a position lined up FYI, and its not for any poverty wage of 6.00 an hour. I also did not pay 11,000 for tuition because I found a way to get around that. At 40 I have been in the working world for 22 years and I already have 51 hours of college credit. I will be returning in 08 to complete my degree in Radio Broadcasting!!!! I also have no desire to be a Rick Dees (makes me want to throw up) or a Howard Stern. My main area is traffic and voice overs.

My full time career is in corporate inventory control. My side career is radio, if it takes off, so be it, if it does not I get the chance to do what I really enjoy on the side and that is what really counts.

If a person utilizes this school the way I have and makes some industry contacts, they will get a job. I worked in radio in high school back in 1984 and learned back then that broadcasting is an unstable business anyway, so its always best to have a backup career. I look around at my fellow students, most just out of high school and very green. Most of them have not even bothered to attend the weekend workshops with local reporters, or even sit around the school studio practicing. I have and perhaps that is why I have a job and they do not.

If YOU got nothing from the school, I would say that you probably did not apply yourself. BIG WHOOP that you are working for a large media company. Remember you are in California where the movie industry is, I am in Texas. BIG DIFFERENCE!!!

You may perhaps be able to toot your horn if you were in New York City also.
Have a nice life!!!

I currently work at one of the largest media companies in the world. I stopped chasing the broadcasting career after about a year and a half. I ended up in the media industry anyway with a more lucrative career. FYI, CSB is not on my resume.

CSB is a joke and no major broadcasting company will ever hire a CSB grad. You may be able to get a graveyard shift at a local station for $6 an hour but don't believe for a second that you're the next Howard Stern or Rick Dees. I'm telling you the truth so if that crushes your dream, then so be it. It's better that you learn a lesson now than waste $11000 later.

If you really want to find out if broadcasting is in your future, then sign up for broadcasting class at your local college. It's cheaper and you'll learn more about broadcasting.

To D.L. from East Brunswick:

Hey! I grew up in E.B. and graduated from EBHS, class of 96. I attended an Open House at the CSB in Hasbrouck in 2000. I was impressed by their slick sales presentation. I got accepted but could not afford to attend at that time.

Fast forward to the present. I foolishly retracted my original report as I was afraid the school director or staff would stumble upon this site and deduce that I had posted a negative report on the school.

I'm sorry to hear you got ripped off too. Our class materials also consisted of photocopied handouts. We never even had a textbook. My binder is now collecting dust in the closet.

Please do your part and warn people of this scam. I wish I could give you my contact info but they will probably remove it.

Take care and good luck to you.

So if you think CSB was a total rip off, tell us, since you completed the education are you even working in broadcasting?
CSB, Like American School of Broadcasting and Columbia School of Broadcasting is a very specialized school. The reason I know, I am attending now. Oh and by the way I worked in radio in high school 20 years ago, and did not need an advanced degree to get on the air at 17. I was raised in a small area where I had no access to such schools and the local college had no broadcasting courses to offer. I ended up going a different career path. 20 years later I remembered what I missed so I decided to attend the school so I can work in the industry once more on the side.
This is also a vary different field, if you do not have a good voice, diction and the ability to write decent news stories and commercial copy you won't make it! If one utilizes the education, makes contacts, does not burn any bridges in the industry, you can get a job.
I have not found my campus to have bad equipment, and we have instructors that work in the industry. Both local TV and radio stations. the only complaint I have is that the director and I do not see eye to eye.