P1 - Describe different radio industry operations
P2 - Describe the focus of a chosen radio station.
There are 8 main types of Radio these are predominately determined by how or whether the station makes money as well as their catchment range.
- Non-Profit
- Commercial
- Public
- Internet
- National
- Regional
- Local
- Community
PUBLIC STATION
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COMMERCIAL
Heart Hertfordshire Heart London Heart North East Heart North Wales Heart North West Heart Scotland Heart South Heart South Wales Heart West Heart West Midlands Heart Yorkshire |
Differences between the two stations:
The main, or most notable difference between the two stations is of course the fact that one exists to make money, and the other exists as part of a governmental decision to provide everyone with easy access to such things as the news and entertainment.
BBC Radio 4 also has much less of a music focus and instead focuses mainly on talk shows and news programmes. It is often considered to be more of a highbrow station as referenced in its ABC1 target audience.
Furthermore the BBC has a lot of rules and regulations, for example the PSB remit that it must follow however Heart can pretty much do what they want within the constrains of OFCOM law.
The main, or most notable difference between the two stations is of course the fact that one exists to make money, and the other exists as part of a governmental decision to provide everyone with easy access to such things as the news and entertainment.
BBC Radio 4 also has much less of a music focus and instead focuses mainly on talk shows and news programmes. It is often considered to be more of a highbrow station as referenced in its ABC1 target audience.
Furthermore the BBC has a lot of rules and regulations, for example the PSB remit that it must follow however Heart can pretty much do what they want within the constrains of OFCOM law.
Here I have researched a few of the key job roles within a radio station operation, so that I can use this to plan what I am going to have to consider when I produce a radio show.
Presenters: The presenters are the people "behind the Mic". They are the people that you can hear when you listen to a radio show and they have a very difficult job in keeping talking and making sure that contributors say what they want to hear as well as making sure that they do not talk for too long.
Producers: Producers oversee all radio content as well as make sure that nothing goes wrong in the studio. Often they will have an audio link with the presenters and will tell them if something goes wrong or if they like a certain thing. They are pretty much in charge of all technical operations at a radio station.
Sound engineers: Sound engineers are experts in making sure that the audio thy receive sounds perfect. They will match levels as well as be in charge of making sure that everything is connected and recording / broadcasting correctly.
Broadcast assistants: Broadcast Assistants have the most amount of jobs in the station. They are in charge of making sure that everything is prepared and ready for a radio show. They will research, order equipment, organise contributors, managing phone ins, e.t.c.
Whilst those are generic job roles that will be present at any radio station there are more focussed jobs that are more particular to certain stations in particular. For example at Heart you might find:
Commercials Manager :
A commercial station will often make some of its money by having time set aside to run commercials. Numerous companies will bid for a slot and those that bid the most will be get their advert or jingle played through the station. A commercial manager takes these adverts and lays them up to be played. They will also make a note of what has been bid and makes sure that there is no missed opportunity to make some more money off of an advert.
Promo Editor:
A promo editor takes the sponsors and other people who have rang in to promote their product, and they will make sure that each product gets fair representation on the air, they will also make sure that the product is promoted with justification to exactly what the product is.
Sales Team:
A sales team at somewhere like heart will manage all of the potential sponsors and others who wish to advertise on the air. Their job is primarily to take calls and to constantly liaise with various companies to try and get the best deals.
Presenters: The presenters are the people "behind the Mic". They are the people that you can hear when you listen to a radio show and they have a very difficult job in keeping talking and making sure that contributors say what they want to hear as well as making sure that they do not talk for too long.
Producers: Producers oversee all radio content as well as make sure that nothing goes wrong in the studio. Often they will have an audio link with the presenters and will tell them if something goes wrong or if they like a certain thing. They are pretty much in charge of all technical operations at a radio station.
Sound engineers: Sound engineers are experts in making sure that the audio thy receive sounds perfect. They will match levels as well as be in charge of making sure that everything is connected and recording / broadcasting correctly.
Broadcast assistants: Broadcast Assistants have the most amount of jobs in the station. They are in charge of making sure that everything is prepared and ready for a radio show. They will research, order equipment, organise contributors, managing phone ins, e.t.c.
Whilst those are generic job roles that will be present at any radio station there are more focussed jobs that are more particular to certain stations in particular. For example at Heart you might find:
Commercials Manager :
A commercial station will often make some of its money by having time set aside to run commercials. Numerous companies will bid for a slot and those that bid the most will be get their advert or jingle played through the station. A commercial manager takes these adverts and lays them up to be played. They will also make a note of what has been bid and makes sure that there is no missed opportunity to make some more money off of an advert.
Promo Editor:
A promo editor takes the sponsors and other people who have rang in to promote their product, and they will make sure that each product gets fair representation on the air, they will also make sure that the product is promoted with justification to exactly what the product is.
Sales Team:
A sales team at somewhere like heart will manage all of the potential sponsors and others who wish to advertise on the air. Their job is primarily to take calls and to constantly liaise with various companies to try and get the best deals.