It was a standard. No female musicians back-to-back.

Then along came Sheryl, Jewel, Sarah and Fiona.

But unwritten rules pertaining to females still reigned in the radio industry, leaving a one-woman cap on the rosters of most stations.

Then along came Juline, Sophia, Carol and Carrie.

While the female disc jockeys in Central Iowa agree the strong-willed female musicians of recent years have provided inspiration, they say it has yet to cause an increase in the number of women in the business.

“Not many come through the doors,” said Carol Vonn, one of two female disc jockeys at Star 102.5. “I don’t know why, either. It is a great time to be a woman on the radio. The number of female artists is exploding.”

Hot 105.1 disc jockey Carrie Leigh agreed, adding that 1997 really was the year of the woman in the music industry.

“I think more women will probably get into radio,” Leigh said. “They just have to realize that this is a male-dominated industry and they’re going to have to keep their heads up.”

Vonn, a 10-year radio veteran, said the small number of women who apply for disc jockey openings at Star 102.5 may have something to do with the rewards of the job.

“There is not a lot of money in it for such a hard job,” she said. “You have to love it.”

Vonn attended broadcasting school at Iowa Central in Fort Dodge, where she was one of only three females in the program and the only to survive.

“I think more [women] are going to school for broadcasting now, but it’s something they don’t pursue,” she said. “If you look through want ads, there are all kinds of jobs for women in radio. A lot of stations want a woman for the 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. slot.”

Sophia John, one of two female disc jockeys at 107.5 KKDM, has hosted the 3 to 7 p.m. slot since the Dot went on the air over two and a half years ago.

“One of the first calls the station got was someone saying how cool it was to have a woman on during the middle of the day,” John said. “I never realized it was that rare.

“I think there is a definite need for a balance,” she added. “There is not one woman DJ at KGGO — that was one of the first things I noticed when I came here.”

Since John, more women have ventured into rock radio in Central Iowa. Lazer 103.3 has two females spinning a format that is almost 100 percent male musicians.

“Lazer has been a real different thing for me,” said Juline Jordan, the 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. disc jockey at Lazer. “I had never been at such a male-driven station. But we target men and men like listening to a woman as long as they have that edge.”

Jordan, who has been in the radio business for five years, describes herself as more of a leather girl than a lace and pink girl.

“I’ve always had that kind of personality,” Jordan said. “I just had to tone it down with other jobs. But this job has allowed me to blossom on the air.

“I’ve had to learn to live in a hard rock world,” she continued. “I got used to saying ‘that kicks ass.’ It keeps me young.”

Jordan graduated with a broadcasting degree from Iowa State, where she said the ratio of men to women was pretty even.

“The advantages of being a woman on the radio far outweigh the disadvantages,” Jordan said. “The men who call into the Lazerline will talk to me — we get along.”

Leigh, who has been in the radio business for seven years and now works under a woman general manager, said women have a disadvantage in what they can get away with on the air.

“I couldn’t belch on the air,” Leigh said. “It’s just one of those things. There are certain limitations when you are a woman.”

John, an eight-year radio veteran and graduate of Nebraska’s broadcasting program, said listeners are more judgmental about women disc jockeys than they are men.

“If a woman yells, she’s automatically a bitch,” John said. “If a man yells, he’s in a bad mood.

“Typical stereotypes kick in pretty hard when it comes to your voice,” she added. “Higher-pitched voices come off as sounding ditsy and tend to annoy listeners. Baritone voices sound much more intelligent and tend to do well.”

John said intelligence is also important for woman disc jockeys. “If you prove your music knowledge, it will help give you a better persona.”

Jordan has different advice for women trying to break into the radio industry. “Women just need to rock a little,” she said. “You have to have some balls.”

As music director and assistant program director at KKDM, John has built a reputation as being heavily involved in bringing live music to Central Iowa. Like Jordan, John also frequents local music shows.

“It has really changed from 10 years ago,” Vonn said. “There are more women on rock radio, and they sound good. They get to introduce new product and show up at concerts.”

Vonn, who has tabbed Billie Myers as the next big woman in rock, is also the music director at Star 102.5.

“If your major target is women, why not have a woman be in charge of what music gets played?” Vonn said. “Even if I didn’t work here, Star would be the station I would listen to.”

Vonn said the number of women she plays increases every year.

“We play about 50/50 now, whereas five years ago you had to search for a good song by a woman,” she said. “I hope it encourages more woman to get into radio, but I haven’t seen much of it yet.”