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THE RADI SAATION . KEITH JOSEPH M. KRAUSE .--`...2.1111111., n7Cetroft'rWheels! k- 6 : WIZARD ciTii%.dit 99 104F7. ' f ye got the POWER) t WORLD CHAMPION AIDERLOS ANGELES 1KRLI1ña-:. MY COUNTRY KS 100 CONNECTION CONTINUOUS COUNTRY MUSIC_. OSI3FRLtZ9P/M 10° %WHY _.. _ 101 - OjIJ FM FM 102-AM 1580 ,-;. 190 WERE DIFFERENT SI A11I1 RI SI hottes) WDEL115 _./11111111_ . y( f) ;@ 3 ASV i, 103 FM c-141 74c 101-FM WGN & nRo11 GGZ% ri n puTeRock ma - . Fox L._ ,z p F Ai .k -. GI 04.5F LITT ROCK & ROLL HANl7N5 FM MEMPHIS _,. aloft 1050 KOMP 9% "IT'S ALL IN THE., FM92 ROCKS LAS VEGAS FMIiI9 www.americanradiohistory.com THE RADIO STATION www.americanradiohistory.com THE RADIO STATION Michael C. Keith Joseph M. Krause Focal press Boston London DISCARD.=:Y Vii1GINIA 22301 www.americanradiohistory.com Focal Press is an imprint of Butterworth Publishers. Copyright © 1986 by Butterworth Publishers. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored by in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Library of Congress Cataloging -in- Publication Data Keith, Michael C., 1945 - The radio station. Includes bibliographies and index. L,1 Radio broadcasting-United-States:- 1,4!Krause, Joseph M. At Title. HD8698.K45 1986 384.54'53'068 86 -2250 ISBN 0- 240 -51747 -4 Butterworth Publishers 80 Montvale Avenue Stoneham, MA 02180 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Printed in the United States of America www.americanradiohistory.com Like the reader and the Poem Radio and the listener Create something always Individual And Become unknowingly One In the experience L. Bonczek www.americanradiohistory.com To my daughter, Mario, and to the mem- ory of my father. M.C.K. To my father, whom I dearly miss, and to my son, Daniel, who has brought so much joy into my life. J.M.K. www.americanradiohistory.com CONTENTS FOREWORD by Rick Sklar Appendix: Code of Federal PREFACE xv Regulations Index 35 Suggested Further Reading 38 1 STATE OF THE FIFTH ESTATE 1 3 PROGRAMMING 40 In the Air -Everywhere 1 A Household Utility 2 Program Formats 40 A Toll on Radio 2 The Programmer 46 Birth of the Networks 4 The Program Director's Duties Conflict in the Air 5 and Responsibilities 47 Radio Prospers During the Elements of Programming 50 Depression 6 The Program Director and the Radio During World War II 6 Audience 54 Television Appears 7 The Program Director and the A New Direction 7 Music 56 Radio Rocks and Roars 7 The Program Director and the FM's Ascent 8 FCC 60 Proliferation and Frag -Out 9 The Program Director and Upper Profits in the Air 10 Management 64 Radio and Government Chapter Highlights 68 Regulations 11 Suggested Further Reading 69 Jobs in Radio 13 Chapter Highlights 14 4 SALES 70 Suggested Further Reading 15 Commercialization: 2 STATION MANAGEMENT 17 A Retrospective 70 Selling Airtime 71 Nature of the Business 17 Becoming an Account Executive 71 The Manager as Chief The Sales Manager 73 Collaborator 18 Radio Sales Tools 76 What Makes a Manager 20 Points of the Pitch 81 The Manager's Duties and Levels of Sales 83 Responsibilities 21 Spec Tapes 87 Organizational Structure 23 Objectives of the Buy 88 Whom Managers Hire 26 Prospecting and List Building 89 The Manager and the Profit Planning the Sales Day 92 Motive 27 Selling With and Without Numbers 93 The Manager and the Community 28 Advertising Agencies 94 The Manager and the Government 29 Rep Companies 95 The Manager and Unions 31 Co -op Sales 96 The Manager and Industry Trade -Outs 97 Associations 34 Chapter Highlights 97 Chapter Highlights 34 Suggested Further Reading 98 ix www.americanradiohistory.com x CONTENTS 5 NEWS 99 Broadcasters Promotion Association 161 Chapter Highlights 161 the Start 99 News from Suggested Further Reading 162 News and Today's Radio 100 100 The Newsroom 8 TRAFFIC AND BILLING 163 The All -News Station 101 The Electronic Newsroom 103 The News Director 104 The Air Supply 163 163 What Makes a Newsperson 105 The Traffic Manager 166 Preparing the News Story 106 The Traffic Manager's Credentials Organizing the Newscast 108 Computerized Traffic 170 173 The Wire Services 108 Billing 175 Radio Network News 109 The FCC and Traffic 175 Radio Sportscasts 110 The FCC and Billing 178 Radio News and the FCC 111 Chapter Highlights 178 News Ethics 112 Suggested Further Reading Traffic Reports 114 179 News in Music Radio 114 9 PRODUCTION Chapter Highlights 115 Suggested Further Reading 115 A Spot Retrospective 179 Formatted Spots 180 117 6 RESEARCH The Production Room 184 The Studios 186 193 Who Is Listening 117 Editing 194 The Ratings Services 118 Copywriting Qualitative and Quantitative Data 129 Announcing Tips 196 202 In -House Research Techniques 129 The Sound Library 203 Research Deficits 135 Chapter Highlights How Agencies Buy Radio 136 Suggested Further Reading 204 in Research 137 Careers 206 The Future of Research in Radio 137 10 ENGINEERING Chapter Highlights 138 Appendix 6A: RAB's Glossary of Pioneer Engineers 206 Research Terms 139 Radio Technology 206 Appendix 6B: Arbitron's Glossary AM /FM 207 of Research Terms 143 Becoming an Engineer 211 Suggested Further Reading 147 The Engineer's Duties 212 Station Log 214 148 7 PROMOTION The Emergency Broadcast System 216 218 Past and Purpose 148 Automation 219 Promotions Practical and Bizarre 149 Posting Licenses and Permits The Promotion Director's Job 150 Chapter Highlights 220 Whom Promotion Directors Hire 151 Appendix 10A: SBE Canons of 222 Types of Promotion 152 Ethics 223 Sales Promotion 157 Appendix 10B: SBE Application Research and Planning 158 Appendix 10C: NARTE Budgeting Promotions 159 Application 225 229 Promotions and the FCC 160 Suggested Further Reading www.americanradiohistory.com CONTENTS xi 11 CONSULTANTS AND Hardware Requirements 239 SYNDICATORS 230 Syndicator Fidelity 241 Chapter Highlights 241 Radio Aid 230 Appendix: Station Critique 241 Suggested Further Reading 243 Consultant Services 231 Consultant Qualifications 234 GLOSSARY 244 Consultants: Pros and Cons 234 Program Suppliers 236 INDEX Syndicator Services 236 249 www.americanradiohistory.com FOREWORD by Rick Sklar One of the world's preeminent broadcasters, cessful professionals working under intense Rick Sklar refined the contemporary hit music pressure to produce the ratings and a profit format into its ultimate form at radio station are one way to help equip the radio students WABC in New York, which during his decade of today to be the radio professionals of to- as programmer was the highest rated radio morrow. station in America. Mr. Sklar was a network Regardless of the area in radio you are con- vice president for twelve years and has served sidering for your career, I would advise you as an adjunct professor at St. John's Univer- to read every chapter of this book thoroughly. sity. He currently heads his own radio con- I make this suggestion not only because you sultancy firm, Sklar Communications. His are quite likely to change career directions work at WABC is the subject of his book more than once, after you actually begin Rocking America -How the All Hit Radio working in radio, but because of the inter- Stations Took Over. dependent nature of the modern radio sta- tion. Each department depends on the cooperation of the other departments for the The radio industry has just undergone a pe- station's goals to be achieved. For example, riod of rapid expansion. Since the govern- both the programming and the audiences that ment decree in the mid -sixties requiring the programs have to produce for the adver- separate FM programming in larger markets, tiser can be affected if poor engineering re- the radio station population has doubled to sults in a weak signal or shrunken coverage ten thousand outlets. Like most other spe- area. Engineering errors also can result in cialized businesses, stations need skilled poor-sounding music or an awkward equip- professionals to enable them to operate suc- ment configuration in the studio. A disc jockey cessfully. But because the industry has grown who has to concentrate too much on making so fast, it has been unable to provide the time the equipment work cannot perform at his or or the training to produce enough personnel. her best. Advertising and promotion person- As a result, radio has had to improvise for nel also have a big effect on ratings. A mis- its new people. Those who go directly from guided or dull advertising campaign with the classroom to the commercial broadcast television promos, billboards, and ads that operations of America find that academic are ignored and contests that do not generate experience does not fully equip them for any excitement can weigh heavily on the pro- the demands of the bottom -line- oriented, gram director rather than the advertising efficiency -minded operator -owners who think manager. It's the program director who has first of profit and later about the program- to answer for low shares and the ratings books. ming. Others starting in very small markets People entering radio today face compet- learn that the old "sink or swim" adage still itors who were not dreamed of ten years ago. holds true as soon as they move to larger, Confronted by television and cable, video more demanding situations. Books like this games and movies, and computer entertain- one that draw upon the experience of suc- ment software, radio needs to stress the cre- www.americanradiohistory.com xiv FOREWORD industry faces tougher ativity and imagination that come into play sound alone.