CHAPTER TWO

“RADIO PRODUCTION”
INTRODUCTION

• Radio’s beginning in the early part of the last century gave no hint of the role it would

play in today’s world. Early radio experimenters such as Marconi and Fessenden never

envisioned an era when their electronic toy would become a means of providing

entertainment and information to audiences in their cars, in their boats, and in their

homes.
RADIO FORMATS OR PROGRAMMING FORMATS

• Unlike television, which tries to appeal to broader, more general segments of the public

with its programs, radio has developed into a medium that focuses on smaller groups, the

so called “target audience”.

• The competition with television made the advertising revenues decline and the radio

talent left to join the ranks of the new television studios, radio was abandoned and left for

dead.
RADIO FORMATS CONT.

• Also the increased number of radio stations has made radio a highly competitive business.

• Radio stations were forced to serve very specific segments of the overall audience in order to

attract advertisers who wanted to reach these specific people.

• This programming strategy is called specialization, or niche, programming.

• By appealing to one segment of the public (such as people of certain age, gender, or income), a

station can hope to attract advertisers wanting to sell products to people of that group.
RADIO FORMATS CONT.

• Programming simply refers to the selection and arrangement of music, speech, and other

program elements in a way that appeals to the station’s listeners.

• A commercial radio station’s programming goal is to put something on the air that will

attract audiences, which then can be sold to advertisers.

• Public radio stations must use the same fundamental techniques to design programming

that will meet the needs of their audiences.

THE MAJOR RADIO FORMATS

• The Niche programming strategy led to the appearance of the radio formats.
- Adult contemporary - Children’s Radio
- Adult Standards - Country
- News/talk - Contemporary Hits Radio (CHR)
- All news - New Ac/ Smooth Jazz
- All sports - Variety
MAJOR FORMATS CONT.

- Rock - Religious
- Urban - Classical
- Oldies - Spanish
- Classic Rock - Talk / Personality
- Modern Rock - Educational
- Easy Listening
MAJOR RADIO FORMATS CONT.

• Adult Contemporary: declares itself a mix, using mixture of types of songs and eras of songs, and

are usually designed for general listeners rather than those listening strictly for only one genre of

music. This format scores particularly well among women around 30 years old.

• Contemporary Hits Radio (CHR): Also known as Top 40 or current hit radio, where the top 40

songs repeated over and over.

MAJOR RADIO FORMATS CONT.

• News/talk: the combination of call in, live interview and news programming. listeners

engage by calling, texting, tweeting, or emailing their opinions to be a part of the

conversation. 

• All news: devoted completely to the broadcast and discussion of news.

MAJOR RADIO FORMATS CONT.

• All sports: the broadcast devoted to sports news, interviews or telephone-talk, Men Aged

25 and up.

• Children’s Radio: Programming geared towards children often including music and

spoken stories.

• Country: Country music, including contemporary and traditional styles.  

MAJOR RADIO FORMATS CONT.

• Religious: This format is self-explanatory, often spoken-word, sometimes mixed with music

Adults Aged 25 and up

• Classical: This format usually includes orchestral, opera, and occasional show music.

• Oldies: Just what constitutes an oldie is debatable, but to most producers, an oldie is a cut released

at least two or three years ago.

MAJOR RADIO FORMATS CONT.

• Educational: Primarily spoken-word, focused on offering educational programming, Variety of Ages.

• Easy Listening: Primarily instrumental cover versions of popular songs, with more up-tempo

varieties of this format including soft rock originals. Adults Aged 35 and up.

• Variety: Incorporating four or more distinct formats, either block-programmed or airing

simultaneously, Variety of Ages.

WHAT IS AN EFFECT?

• When we refer to the overall mood, impact, and appeal of a radio production, we use the term

effect.

• Modern communication theory points that getting a message across depends more than the

validity of the message. Reaching people with a message also involves pulling their emotional

strings (evoking emotions), creating a mood of excitement, and a feeling of identification.

EFFECT CONT.

• These emotional activators can be turned on and off by means of radio production

techniques.

• The main production elements in radio are timing and pace, music and sound effects and

these elements must be used in a way that supports the theme.

EFFECT CONT.

• Creating Excitement:

Soft-drink commercials depend on the capacity of radio

production to create excitement to make their product appeal to
a market that seeks thrills, activity, and youthful enjoyment of
life. Also, the introduction of sports program will always be up-
tempo, hard-driving music that implied that the program to
follow will be a fast-moving, exciting event.
EFFECT CONT.

• Creating immediate identification:

The sound of a stopwatch ticking conjures in the minds of millions

of Americans the CBS News program 60 Minutes, and that’s exactly
what the producers would like the audience to think as the familiar
stopwatch theme is one element that immediately distinguishes 60
Minutes from its competition and creates a certain amount of loyalty
among listeners. Whatever production element is chosen for the task
of creating immediate identification, it must support the overall
message.
EFFECT CONT.

• Evoking an Emotion:

The sound of automobile horns can evoke blaring and street

noise can evoke the feelings you experienced the last time you
sat, hot and frustrated, in a traffic jam. The producer of a
commercial for Uber can use this factor effectively. Sound
effects are one of the most effective tools for evoking an
emotion. In fact, sometimes a couple of seconds of sound effects
can save several lines of dialogue.
RADIO STUDIO LAYOUT

• Almost all radio production studios

use U-shaped layout or some
variations of it because this allows
the announcer to reach all the
equipment control surfaces since
today most radio work is done
combo; the announcer is also the
equipment operator.
RADIO STUDIO EQUIPMENT

• 1- Microphone and Microphone Arm: A microphone captures sounds from the studio and
turn it into electrical impulses. Studio microphones are often mounted on a special arm
that keeps the microphone at the correct height.
RADIO STUDIO EQUIPMENT CONT.

• 2- Audio Console: At the heart of any studio is the audio console. This is the interface the
radio announcer (or panel operator) uses to control what’s heard on air. Every channel
represents one “input”. The fader (slider) attenuates or amplifies the incoming signal.
RADIO STUDIO EQUIPMENT CONT.

• 3- Computer & Playout Software: The computer system that plays back music, spots (ads,
promos, etc.)
RADIO STUDIO EQUIPMENT CONT.

• 4- Studio Monitor Speakers: Studio Monitor Speakers provide an easy way to hear how
the music sounds without headphones.
RADIO STUDIO EQUIPMENT CONT.

• 5- Headphones: Studio Monitor Speakers are automatically muted whenever a

microphone is turned on. As a result, anyone in a studio needs headphone to hear what is
going to air.
RADIO STUDIO EQUIPMENT CONT.

• 6- Talent Panel: While the main announcer or panel operator can control everything via
the audio console, guests often need their own individual control for headphone levels, a
cough mute and mic on/off.
RADIO STUDIO EQUIPMENT CONT.

• 7- On-Air Light: How do you know a mic in the studio is live? There’s a light especially
for that! This light is automatically turned on/off by the audio console whenever a
microphone channel is turned on.
RADIO STUDIO EQUIPMENT CONT.

• 8- Phone Talkback system: If you want to take a lot of calls on air, you’re going to need a
Phone Talkback/Talkshow System.
THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE SOUND

1. Announcer
2. Program Director
3. Promotions Director
4. Production Director
5. Sales Manager
6. News and Public Affairs Director
7. Traffic Director
8. Business Manager
9. Chief Engineer
10. General Manager