Test Booklet

Subject: LA, Grade: 07 Grade 7 Reading 2009

Student name:

Author: Delaware District: Delaware Released Tests Printed: Friday June 24, 2011 Grade 7 Reading 2009 LA:07

The Business of Radio by Denise Parks You are traveling in the car on the way to your friend’s house when your brother reaches towards the car radio controls. “No!” you cry. At the push of a button you are transported from the music you love to your brother’s talk radio show. Your mother reaches over and presses another button. Now it’s all about the weather. As frustrated as you may feel, it is actually pretty amazing that there are so many options at your finger tips. Did you ever stop to consider how radio stations work? Or how radio stations choose the songs that they play? Much planning and preparation goes into getting a radio station and its programming on the air. A LICENSE TO PLAY Did you know that as a United States citizen, you actually own part of all the radio stations that you hear? Here’s how it works. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) provides licenses that assign parts of the radio dial to companies that run each radio station. In return, the company agrees to provide programming that is interesting and important to its listeners. However, if listeners complain that a station is not living up to the agreement, then the radio station risks being removed from the air. For example, a station that promises to play only “clean” music but plays a song with profanity puts itself at risk at having its license revoked by the FCC. In addition, radio companies must follow certain regulations established by the FCC. One rule states that a station cannot broadcast false information that may cause harm to its listeners. Have you ever wondered why a radio station identifies itself every hour? It is an FCC rule. And what about all those call-in radio contests? The FCC requires stations to clearly explain the guidelines of any contest it may run. RADIO LAYOUT Okay, now let’s look closely at the radio dial. On the left side, generally between 88 and 92 MHz, you will find non-commercial radio stations. Groups such as colleges, towns and sometimes even high schools run these stations. In fact, Delaware has two high schools, Mount Pleasant and McKean, with radio stations. Non-commercial radio stations do not play ads between songs or programming. Instead, these stations rely on donations from their listeners to pay for the radio station’s operating expenses. Commercial radio stations, which are financed by advertising, are located above 92MHz. ______The New Super 91.7 WMPH The BEAT of Wilmington Students at Mount Pleasant High School in the Brandywine School District have the opportunity to participate in radio broadcasting. Mount Pleasant offers after school workshops where students learn the technical, creative and business aspects of radio broadcasting. WMPH graduates include 93.7 WSTW’s Mike Rossi, Clear Channel Radio executive Leigh Jacobs, and Dave “DJ Amaze” Mays who now opens for major recording artists. The station transmits 24 hours everyday, providing broadcasts from community events, music, news, weather, traffic, and educational programming. ______

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ON THE RADIO If you scroll through all the stations on your dial, you’ll discover that radio offers something for almost everyone. Talk radio, news, weather, and sporting events are just some of the types of programs offered. Want to avoid being caught in traffic? There are stations devoted solely to providing traffic updates. And of course, many stations are dedicated to music. Listeners can easily find a station that suits their musical taste. Did you ever wonder how songs get chosen to be on a radio station? In some cases, the record company identifies the song they think is the best one on a CD. A record company representative calls the radio station and tries to convince the radio station to play the song. The music director of the radio station then decides if a song will compliment the sound of the station. If a song does, the station plays it. In other cases, radio stations choose ten to twenty songs they might want to play on the air. The stations ask their audience to participate in a listening party held in a giant auditorium. At the listening party, radio personnel play short snippets of the songs and ask the people in attendance to rate them. If a song scores well among the listeners, it will likely wind up in rotation on the radio station. If the audience does not respond favorably, the song is not played. THE SKY’S THE LIMIT With new technology, the methods of receiving a radio signal have increased. Satellite radio allows listeners to hear the same radio station from one side of the country to the other. Radio stations are also available on the internet. Some internet stations enable listeners to program the artists or topics that they like. With all the choices available on the radio, it’s no wonder that you have problems agreeing on one station in the car!

1 In paragraph 3, revoked means — 3 Another good heading for the section “RADIO LAYOUT” is — A monitored B enforced A THE ROLE OF ADVERTISING C canceled B SUPER SELECTIONS D examined C HIGH SCHOOL STATIONS D ALONG THE DIAL 2 How is the article organized? 4 The names of the WMPH graduates are included A main idea/detail to show the program’s — B cause and effect A growth C problem/solution B success D chronological order C outreach D variety

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5 Explain why the first paragraph is an effective introduction for the article. Use an example from the first paragraph in your explanation.

6 Explain why a high school might operate a radio station. Use information from the boxed text in your explanation.

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