American Radio Network

Not a scam. They are what they say. They can be a good start for you if you are trying to get into radio. It may be hard to believe that you can be on air if your application is accepted a week later. But it is true. Can’t wait to see where this takes me next.

STAY AWAY FROM THIS PLACE. My boyfriend and I are running out of this place right now and heading to the Griffith Observatory to enjoy the rest of our day. Thank God for Unilocal reviews. I started reading them while the guy was talking about the «auditions» that everyone would have. I discreetly started looking up reviews because the job application asked PROHIBITED questions like your marital status and for your social security number. DO NOT GIVE THOSE PEOPLE YOUR SOCIAL. I lied on everything on the app and told the moderator/​announcer/​1950s bellman type that we had to feed the meter. We ran. I thought they were going to steal or info and kidnap or kill us. That is the creepy vibe you get in that place. Shame on them for scamming the young kids that were in there that drove for hours to get there.

People actually went? I was turned off at this scam after hearing just the damn automated message! So glad I made sure by reading the reviews though. Gotta watch out, they changed up their name on the auto message, calling themselves «NDS Radio and Television Broadcasting» or something. Same info about the Wednesday-​Saturday audition times though.
What really made me think this was a trap was when the message went on to say that it was in hollywood, and we had to be «discreet» when telling the receptionist why I was in the building! And to tell them that I was there for a «private meeting with a David Goldstein». How much more rapey/​asking to get kidnapped can you get??? What kinda job tells you to be secretive about why you’re coming in? Not a legit one I’ll tell you that much. Be freaking careful! I believe they switched up the names to throw ppl off.

THIS IS A SCAM!!!
The building looks like it’s falling apart and smells like feet. That should be a huge giveaway that this place is shoddy. All you need is for the lights to go out and for monsters to appear. It’s in an old rundown part of… somewhere. It didn’t even feel like LA!
When I got there, some dolly parton wannabe named «Lolly» (… Seriously?) had finished showing someone an apartment.
The presentation was 3 hours. It was boring. I had to use the restroom and they wouldn’t let me. (Whaaat?)
I had to «record an audition» on what looked like outdated equipment. It wasn’t even functioning!!! I had to talk about «a cheap boxed wine like it was the best thing out there.» Paradise Wine. Never heard of it… Googled it. It’s a wine store in NY. Really, guys?
I got a phone call the next day that «my audition had been successful». They wanted $ 90 PLUS… PLUS… the $ 40 for the press pass.
I don’t know how Tony sleeps at night. His Lolly called me back telling me this. (The audition was successful and that I needed to crank out $ 135)
I am now a freelance voice actor and I BEG you. I PLEAD you. I IMPLORE you. STAY AWAY FROM THIS TRAP!!! Go take a workshop Go intern at a real radio show! Please, please… stay away. It’s all fake.

BIG SCAM!!! Oh my God! All these Unilocal reviews, as well as some extremely negative articles I read on the Internet about ANR, helped me make the wise decision to literally walk out of this ridiculous orientation meeting! What a waste of time (and gas)!
The first audition was two hours long and the orientation was 3 hours (during which they repeated the same stuff Over and over but barely mentioned all the fees you have to pay). But thank God I walked out in the middle, and above all, thank God I didn’t lose any money over this whole thing.
What was I thinking?! On an Easter Sunday listening to this guy… It almost felt like a cult! I had big suspicions the minute I walked into this horrible room and building from another era, but still decided to give it a go… Until I finally had the common sense to google this place!
You’re not even allowed to have a bottled water in that room! During 3 hours!!! Seriously?!! Jeez, I can’t get over how much time and energy I’ve lost… Not to mention the disillusion…:((Well at least I didn’t lose any money over it.
God bless Unilocal!!!

After ‘amazingly’ getting picked for the job, I went back for the 3 hour long orientation. I was very skeptical that they made you PAY every time you go on air. Plus they make you find sponsors and commercials to go on your show. Who’s going to listen to am AM radio or just the radio at 2 am? Truckers… if anything. So you will never break even.
Right when I found these horrible Unilocal reviews I ran back to the station 20 minutes after the orientation and they gave me my money back THANK GOD! But time is money so I guess I lost that… Thank you fellow Unilocalers for saving me my monz!

Scam. Don’t buy into it. do not give them your money. The fact that sold me. there’s no radio antenna on the roof of the this old, worn down building. DON’T GIVE THEM YOUR MONEY or SSN.

ARN is what it is. It is not a broadcasting school, nor are you going to be discovered by someone listening to one of their «stations.» There is value to what you can do there if you use it to your advantage. I hosted a show there 25 yrs ago and, yes, the place was a bit of a dump but appropriate to the seedy Hollywood neighborhood in which its located. My co-​host and I paid our weekly fees realizing that, based on the type of show we were doing, it would result in invitations to events and the opportunity to travel and dine for pennies on the dollar based on what we were paying ARN. We took portable recording equipment and taped shows on location at luxury hotels locally as well as in San Francisco and Puerto Rico — we even taped one show aboard a private schooner on a day trip to Catalina Island and another at a hotel for nudists in Palm Springs. So, although I did later host shows on KIEV 870 and KRLA 1110 in Los Angeles, don’t expect ARN to launch your radio career. Have fun with it and use it to your advantage.

Looking on Craigslist for jobs and came across a «new radio voices» ad. I had a feeling it was a scam but emailed anyways. I was going to give them one star for scamming people but when I read «To all skeptics: The American Radio Network is not a SCAM» I had to give this «company» an extra star for making me laugh (If you click «shows» on the left side, this sentence about the network not being a scam is the first thing the page says).
When you respond to their email, they’ll send an automated response with,
«We are the producers of a radio magazine since 1968 and carry radio programs such as National Lampoon True Facts among other nationally syndicated radio programs. We started in New York and now have offices in the west coast. We currently need radio Announcers/​DJs to host/​produce music, talk, interview radio shows for our radio stations. Many openings are now available. Fantastic benefits. No experience is necessary and these shows can be done in your spare time. Work is available part time or full time. You can work as an independent producer and earn up to $ 200 or more per show or as an employee at $ 15.00/hour. For audition information call (323)468−0082 in LA or (714)991−1966 in Irvine Ca.
Women and minorities are strongly encouraged to apply. All applicants will be considered.
We are an equal opportunity employer.»
Well, I had a nice laugh. Don’t fall for their prank. Good luck to everyone else on their job search.

WASTE OF TIME & MONEY!
Tony is just a slick talker. Don’t even bother with the orientation… this place is run-​down and if you are unlucky, you will be taught by amateur crack-​heads off Sunset blvd.
Leo and Greg are cool though.

SCAM SCAM SCAM.
With the era of podcast and internet radio stations, there’s NO reason for this place to exist anymore. There’s only so many REAL radio stations in LA and this place is akin to those places that say they’ll pay you to be a Mystery Shopper or Stuff Envelopes.
Gross scammers.

This place is a complete scam. I sat through an hour and a half of their «audition» this morning. Basically, you pay them for the privilege of recording a show that so far as I can tell, nobody ever hears. The app asks if you’re married, and for your age, which is utterly illegal for a job app (but then, this isn’t a job)
Oh! And they can’t even spell «kaleidoscope» right on their damn forms. They spell it kaleidascope. This was when I decided to gtfo.

SCAM!
I responded to their ad on craigslist and got an auto-​response e-​mail saying they wanted to interview me. I went to 5287 W Sunset Blvd and was told to fill out a form and wait in a room where they play an old documentary about radio. They ask for your social security number right away and don’t tell you anything about having to pay them until the end.
The audition is a joke and I’m not even sure if the equipment was recording. After the meeting, I found these reviews on
and was so grateful I didn’t give them any money. I did give them my SS #.
I went back the next day after they accepted me for my «audition» and pretended I was still interested. I got through the door and into the back where I kept asking everybody that worked there if I could see my application. They all hesitated and kept saying that I would get a chance later. Before you can even sit down, they wanted their money for orientation. After I kept asking, the fat, older lady finally walked me to a room where they keep all the papers on file, gave me my paper and said, «Have a nice life.»
So glad I got out, thank you to Unilocal and the other reviewers, and beware of American Radio Network!

Have you seen their website??? Total fucking joke…

wow thank God for all these reviews. I went in for an «audition» today. I am radio broadcast graduate i went to a ligitimate school. Ive interned, trained with the best, and have been on air and on the internet in my hometown of Detroit. SOmething to me was fishy about thi program. So i decided to research and saw all of the reviews… i already thought paying them was weird as hell. So i will not be going to their freaking 3 hour long thing thanks to everyone who posted reviews… u guys are helping a lot of people

What these other reviews here say is correctt: It IS a scam. However, I felt the need to clarify because a few of them are so poorly written, I’m afraid credibility is compromised. (Please, people, learn to write complete sentences, at least.)
What they sell is «brokered time»: you, the hopeful young talent, pay a fee to be «on the radio», if indeed they are being broadcast anywhere to begin with. I haven’t found out how much that fee is — in addition to the $ 40 for your «press pass» (?) — but I’ve been told that such things usually run in the hundred$ (per hour). I, for one, am totally broke right now, so they couldn’t squeeze blood out of this stone (not even the $ 40, boo-f**king-hoo.)
Anyway, apparently «brokered time» is not unlike that ‘80s rock & roll band’s bete noir known as «pay-​to-​play”*. In the case of ARN, you have to sell advertising to make back the $$$ you shell out for the show, and then any profits. If I were any good at selling ads, I could go out for a SALARIED FULL-​TIME JOB doing it for a legitimate business.
Meanwhile, they have a nice little hoard of shills doing their work for them, while also giving them money. Some «job»!
Again even that is only if said shows are indeed being aired anywhere. According to the other reviewers on this page, this is dubious. I intend to find out more about this.
*Pay-​to-​play: the venue would force your band to buy a bunch of tickets to the show, usually about 150 or so, for ½ of the door price (around $ 10), and sell them to your fans — full door price if you wanted to make any money…). Granted, it prevented bands from exaggerating their «following»: «Sure, we have a following of 300, at least…» «Okay, then I guess you won’t mind buying 200 tickets and selling them to your fans to break even/​make a profit…». Some bands did manage to make $ this way (especially if they got their groupies to do all the work) — but only a very few (this was before the internet).With the onus of promo now on the band, the venue could slack on their end. Anyway. I hear some places still do that but I’ve retired from playing — in no small part because of garbage like this,

This place sounds like a complete scam! I have a brother and cousin that fell for this and came to me excited that they got this gig that will get them somewhere with radio and its gotten them nothing but a empty pocket.
Don’t fall for this. Take your time and research on how you can get your own internet radio station done from your own home and own computer. you will save money and have a better chance on making something out of it then this place.
Had to put a star, but it should receive a star minus

Any employer that makes a claim like «$ 25 to $ 20/​hr» and «$ 200/show»…is too good to be true. If you want real training for the radio, go to a legitimate college (like I did) or intern at a real radio station. I almost fell for the scam myself (it’s located near a 99 cent store!!), but after doing a little bit of research, I came to the conclusion that ARN is a total fraud because of the many «horror» stories there. Their «radio stations» don’t exist, and it’s difficult to verify who is working there.

This place is a total scam.
«Tony Lewis /​ARN „sells“ radio careers — they advertise for radio talent on Craigslist, then try to sell them a package to produce their own „radio show“ — actually a recording on a regular cassette and a „press pass“ from their organization.
They claim to own or be affiliated with 6 radio stations: reportedly the call letters don’t match, there’s no broadcast at the reported frequencies and the FCC has never heard of them.»
They totally try to take money for fake training. They make you watch a history of media arts VHS that I already had to sit through freshman year of college… and the audition process was unbelievable. They make you stand in a room and read copy to a piece of a equipment from 1985 that ISN’T EVEN RECORDING.
They are trying to take advantage of inexperienced LA newcomers. I really don’t know how they haven’t already been shut down. Please don’t fall for this.