Business

Innovative Digital Radio Multicasting

December 26, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

Digital radio allows broadcasters to multicast, that is, offer more stations than analog FM radio can over the same bandwith. Digital radio technology allows FM broadcasters more than one program stream on its existing spectrum. As of the end of 2010, there were more than 2,000 digital radio stations across the United States, each offering channels in addition to their analog and main digital channels.

Stations use their HD2 multicast channels to offer new music and news formats, offer programming in additional languages and even promote local artists. In light of the greater range of formatting stations can offer with digital radio, the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) created the NAB HD Radio Multicast Award recognizing stations for their ability to develop innovative programming on multicast channels.

In October, 2010, Wilmington, Delaware’s WSTW-FM radio received NAB’s HD Radio Multicast Award. It received the award for its HD2 side-channel, 93.7-2 Graffiti Radio. NAB cited WSTW-FM for their eclectic programming with exceptional musical entertainment. NAB finds creative side channels to represent HD Radio’s essence.

WSTW-GM’s Graffiti Radio station features a wide variety of genre, including independent rock, funk, synthetic pop and hip-hop. This variety offers a distinct listening experience for audiences in the Wilmington and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania areas. The station also provides an interactive website with message boards and DJ blogs, as well as daily updates on Facebook and Twitter.

This was the fourth Award NAB presented of this kind. Recipients in previous years included KBCO-FM Denver, WRIF-FM Detroit’s and side channel to Howard University’s WHUR-FM.NAB is a leading association for United State’s broadcasters. The advocacy group promotes radio and television interests in legislative and regulatory issues. Through advocacy, education and innovation, NAB helps broadcasters to better serve their communities and grow their stations.

Filed Under: Business Tagged With: FM broadcasting, Trends, United States

Getting a Job in Radio Sales

November 30, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

Radio sales and advertising is a very lucrative job choice for those who are prolific in the broadcasting field and find that it is an enjoyable career to maintain. Advertising is the main source of revenue for a radio station, and finding advertisers to help maintain the business is one of the most important tasks that a radio salesperson must do.

A job in radio sales would likely involve selling advertising spots for the station, whether that is over the airways or through the print media. Outdoor advertising is also another avenue that many radio stations use to secure sponsors. The salesperson’s job is to present a mutually beneficial advertising plan to the client that will give them what they’re looking for in marketing and advertising and provide the radio station with a source of revenue.

Getting a job or starting a career in radio sales will likely be precluded with some type of exposure to sales and marketing in other industries. Although this is not required, it does help the person in a tremendous way if they have previous exposure to an outside sales climate and cold-calling on potential customers.

Approach the radio station’s manager about any available sales positions. Most often, their sales reps are compensated on commission, so you need to be able to show the manager that you have the qualifications and experience necessary to bring the station the client’s they need to operate.

Usually, the experience listed on your resume will be sufficient, but to ensure your chances, take your pitch a step further. Compile a disk that profiles your “radio voice” and either leave it with the manager or mail it back right after your interview. Although you may not need your voice in sales, it shows your enthusiasm for the job and expands your options in case you ever have to multi-task for the station as the DJ.

Filed Under: Business Tagged With: Advertising, Radio broadcasting, Trends

A Fun Career as a Radio DJ

November 27, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

Probably one of the most fun jobs available for the person who loves to talk and be social is that of a radio disc jockey, or a DJ as it is more commonly known. This job has some of the most fun-loving, sociable and out-going people who are at the front of pop culture and trends.

DJ’s are mainly responsible for keeping the listeners engaged and entertained as they work to bring exposure and interest to the radio company that they represent. They are best known for playing the best and the latest music in various genres usually have access to newly released music that may not be available to the public. This sparks the interest of the listeners and keep them tuned in to their favorite DJ’s.

DJ’s are also salespeople of sorts because they are motivators who encourage the listeners to “buy this song” or “patronize this sponsor.” Their salesmanlike approach to their listeners is very customer-driven, therefore many DJ’s are chosen based on how well they interact and engage their listeners and how well they can be convincing and lead the customers to potential revenue opportunities for the station.

Although DJ’s are not required to hold a college degree, their chances for securing a position increases if they have a communications or broadcasting degree or even relevant experience. Until the hopeful DJ can secure a degree or additional experience to pursue a career with a radio station, they can and should work in jobs that will allow them to further hone their craft and keep them in the industry spotlight.

Playing the latest music, meeting people and working at a job that they love are a few perks to working in the radio industry as a DJ. There can be a very secure and lucrative future for the DJ who works hard and places himself in all available opportunities during his career.

Filed Under: Business Tagged With: Disc jockey, Music, Trends

How to Operate a Successful Radio Station

November 16, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

Operating a successful radio station is not that much different than operating any business that is aimed toward being successful. But since a radio station does have other detailed nuances that you’re not likely to find in many other businesses, there are some things that you can do to ensure that you run a successful and profitable radio station business.

- Have a sales-heavy marketing department. Make sure that you have several capable and experienced individuals making sales calls for the radio station and soliciting advertising spots and sponsorships. This is the life-blood for the company, therefore ensuring that there is a constant stream of income for the business.

- Don’t over-hire in other areas. This means eliminating or not hiring “extras” if you don’t need them. This cuts heavily into your budget and can be a very big money and time waster.

- Be sure to include diverse genres in your advertising and marketing pitches. As long as the sponsors aren’t in direct conflict with the nature of your station’s personality, always try to include a variety of advertising clients. This gives your station the opportunity to reach more audiences and markets.

- Always have a promotion of some sort going. This keeps listeners tuned in and listening (to ads) and also encourages them to “refer a friend.”

- By staying abreast of new developments in various consumer markets, you will be better able to gauge what your audience wants and listens to. This can help you tremendously in designing your marketing campaigns.

Successful radio stations are not always rated by how much glitz and appeal they have, but more on how they affect the radio listening community with their music, news, information, etc. If you keep your station connected to what’s going on around the local community and the nation, you will always have faithful listeners who will tune in to see what you have to say.

Filed Under: Business Tagged With: Business, Radio broadcasting, Trends

The Role of the Radio General Manager

November 14, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

The person who is responsible for everything that goes on in a radio station is the general manager. Most times, people think that the voice that they hear on their radio is the person who makes all of the decisions, music selections, etc., but that’s not the case. There has to be someone else who hires employees, manages the stations and the sales team and makes the selections on ads and the music that you hear.

The general manager has many diverse duties for the station. It’s hard to place just one or two chains of responsibility on them since there is so much to handle. For instance, the general manager must:

- Ensure that the radio station is always in compliance with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). It is important for them to make sure that all of the equipment, hardware and software is what has been approved by use from the governmental agency.

- The general manager is the end responsible person for anything that is broadcast over the airways. Although there is a disclaimer given stating that the radio station “may not agree with the views of the sponsor”, in the end, the listening audience does hold the manager responsible.

- They are responsible for all radio station personalities that the listener hears. This is why it is so important for them to choose those people who can and will adequately represent the views and mission of the station.

In many large cities, the radio station’s general manager is also responsible for making local community networking functions and being a part of many community affairs. More often though, the general manager is usually a background player and very rarely will you hear his name mentioned on air on hear his voice over the airways. If the station is operating successfully, the general manager will rarely be heard or seen.

Filed Under: Business Tagged With: General manager, Radio broadcasting, Trends

Radio Management Licensing

November 12, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

To manage a radio station, it is necessary to have a radio management license in order to be in compliance with the various laws that govern radio stations. For anyone who operates or maintains a radio station, they will need to obtain a commercial radio operator license. This license is issued by the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) and has over 13 different types that can be issued to individuals. Although there are certain requirements that must be fulfilled in order to receive the license, it is relatively easy and first time applicants are usually successful.

Applicants who are pursuing a radio management license must first take and successfully pass an exam that is based on written and telegraphy material. The exam varies according to what type of certificate the applicant is pursuing and can include portions of each type of the material on the test given.

For the exam to be valid, it must be administered by a Commercial Operator License Examination Managers (COLEMs) location. The FCC authorizes these locations to administer the exam, and currently there are nine providers in the United States who are authorized to do so.

Waiting for licensing is likely going to the most lengthiest amount of time that the person will have to honor before they can go into the radio station business 100%. However, radio station personnel can still operate their stations until their applications have been approved for a maximum of 90 days. This is of course after the application has been submitted and the individual is awaiting approval.

After licensing has been granted, there is no need to re-test or to be re-certified for licensing unless something significant has changed within the station like business ownership or transference. All that is required after licensing is to make sure that the station remains in compliance with federal laws and regulations.

Filed Under: Business Tagged With: Federal Communication Commission, Trends, United States

Becoming an Amateur Radio Operator

November 5, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

The job of an amateur radio operator is in no way indicative of the skills set or the level of education that the person must have in order to successfully master their job. An amateur radio operator is simply someone who is licensed differently and uses equipment in an amateur radio station to spark a two-way system of communication.

Amateur radio operators are usually granted licenses by a governmental regulatory authority and are assigned a type of call number or sign that they must use to identify themselves when they are on the air during communication. This requirement is a component of their licenses and is mandatory to be used during the time(s) they are working.

The term “ham” originated from amateur operators who were different from commercial and professional radio operators and stations. It was used to denote the difference in the two and to signify that one was professional (and often compensated), while the other one was someone who was not as experienced or not compensated for their services. Although it was initially meant as a derogatory term, the radio community welcomed the connotation and amateur radio personnel have been called that ever since.

Amateur operators get to enjoy much more flexibility and convenience than the professional operators since many of them are still learning. The radio station is responsible for the jock’s actions and communications, therefore the only thing that the disc jockey must do is have his script pre-approved before he unleashes it on the air.

The downside to this freedom is that the amateur jock may not be compensated, or receive very little in comparison to his professionally-paid counterpart, often in the same genre. If money is a factor for the amateur, he may want to consider that before going into the industry. Deciding between compensation and freedom to be creative can be perplexing for some radio personalities.

Filed Under: Business Tagged With: Amateur radio, Amateur radio operator, Trends

Radiotelegraph Operator’s Certificates

October 22, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

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In addition to other types of commercial radio operator licenses, the Federal Communication Commission offers three different types of Radiotelegraph Operator’s Certificates. Each of these licenses has their own requirements and written exams that must be passed by the individual. They are called the First Class Radiotelegraph Operator’s Certificate, the Second Class Radiotelegraph Operator’s Certificate, and the Third Class Radiotelegraph Operator’s Certificate.

A First Class Radiotelegraph Operator’s Certificate is a certificate that is required for anyone who is acting as the chief radio operator on a passenger ship in the United States. To qualify, the individual must be 21 years old, must be an US citizen, must have one year of radio transmitting experience and must pass the written and telegraphy exams. The license is valid for five years and can be renewed within ninety days before the expiration date. If the license expires, the individual will be required to retake the written and telegraphy exams again.

A Second Class Radiotelegraph Operator’s Certificate allows a person to operate and repair stations on ship and coast radiotelegraph equipment. Like the First Class license, it is valid for five years and has to be renewed before it expires. The individual is required to take three sections of the written exam and two sections of the telegraphy exam. The written exam covers basic radio laws, the procedures regarding radiotelegraph and advanced radiotelegraph information.

The last type of radiotelegraph operator’s certificate is the Third Class Radiotelegraph Operator’s Certificate. This certificate allows a person to operate specific coast radiography stations. To apply for this certificate, an individual must be an US citizen and able to understand English. In addition to these requirements, they must pass two sections of the written exam and two of the telegraphy exam. The telegraphy exam requires the individual to demonstrate their ability to send and receive radio telegraphy.

Filed Under: Business Tagged With: Education, Federal Communication Commission, License, Professional Exams, Test (assessment), Test Preparation, Trends, United States

Job Duties of a Radio Intern

October 21, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

: Image by The National Guard via Flickr

If a person is interested in having a career in radio, getting a radio internship is an excellent way to gain on the job experience. A radio station may offer several different types of internships, which allows the individual to gain experience in
different areas of the radio industry. In many cases, the intern is able to obtain an entry-level position with the radio station after completing the internship. Some of the duties an intern may have are research, development and production.

Research is often one of the main job duties for a radio intern. He or she may
work with the news or production department in the radio station to help research current news stories and show topics. The research may require the intern to use the Internet, making phones calls, and conduct interviews to gather the basic information needed. Managers often look for individuals that have good research, communication, and writing skills to hire for this type of position.

Another job duty for a radio intern is development. In an effort to gain more listeners for the radio station, an intern may work in the marketing department to help develop ways to increase the popularity of the station and its shows. This goal can be done by creating press releases, flyers, and commercial advertisement. A background in marketing and communication would be ideal for an intern looking for work in this department.

An intern may have the option to work with an executive producer of a show and help with producing of the show. This job may require conducting staff meetings, keeping
deadlines, and writing the entire program of show. Individuals who have good writing and leadership skills would be good candidate for this job. Managers also look for individuals have management experience and a degree in broadcasting or journalism.

Filed Under: Business Tagged With: Arts, Canada, Employment, Formats, Intern, Radio broadcasting, Trends, Tributes

Tips for Becoming a Great Radio Sportscaster

October 16, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

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It is a dream for many sports fans to become a famous radio sportscaster. Radio sportscasters are considered to be eyes for the radio listeners who are not able to view the game. Therefore, it is important that they provided correct and detailed play-by-play information to keep the public up to date. In addition to providing live details on the game, they are also considered to be experts on the sports they are broadcasting about so they have to know the game well.

To become a radio sportscaster, it is recommended that an individual attends college to obtain a degree in journalism or broadcasting. This degree program should give him or her the skills needed to work in the radio industry writing and assisting with the production of their show. Research is also another important skill that sportscasters are required to do as well in order to provide current sports news to their listeners.

In order to be good at their job, a radio sportscaster should have a natural love for sports. By having a true love for sports, their listeners are able to hear the passion in their voice for the game. An individual who want to become a sportscaster should definitely know the game, the rules, the history, and the current players of the team. Reading sport books, magazines, and listening to sport broadcasts are an excellent way to stay informed about the games.

Because it takes time and practice to becoming a great sportscaster, it is important to learn and practice broadcasting at all times. Many radio sportscasters start with local high schools or college games. It is important to use these games as a learning experience to work on doing play-by-play calls and improving broadcasting skills. Keeping a small tape recorder handy to play back later is a great way to learn as well.

Filed Under: Business Tagged With: Arts, Broadcasting, Game, Recreation, Sport, Sports commentator, Trends, Video Games