(IJSMS) Vol.1 No.1, March 2017; Pg.7 – 13

International Journal of Social & Management Sciences, Madonna University (IJSMS) Vol.1 No.1, March 2017; pg.7 – 13

THE BROADCAST CHAIN: THE DIFFERENT JOURNEYS OF BROADCASTING

S. A. SHAIBU (Ph.D) SENIOR LECTURER, BINGHAM UNIVERSITY KARU [email protected]

ABSTRACT THE BROADCAST CHAIN: THE DIFFERENT JOURNEYS OF BROADCASTING highlights the different journeys of broadcasting from the rudimentary to the complex with a view of simplifying the different communication processes in broadcasting. The paper goes further to add the challenges of Radio, Television and Social Media Broadcasting in the present stage of communication development.

DEFINITIONS/SCOPE Broadcast chain, in our context here is different from Wikipedia definition that sees chain broadcasting as the act of connecting two or more stations to broadcast the same programme at the same time, rather Broadcast Chain here refers to the interconnectivity of the broadcast processes that makes broadcasting possible. In another words, the chain is simply an explanation of how the radio stations as well as the television stations work in the wide areas of following the chain (i.e. the strings, sequences, patterns, progressions, courses, lines, links) etc. of broadcasting which include ala-amplified and/or expanded definitions of Oxford Thesaurus of English (2006) and Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary (2005) the following:  Transmission of messages.  Airing of messages.  Beaming of messages.  Putting out of messages on the air.  Showing of messages.  Televising of messages.  Telecasting of messages.  Reporting of messages.  Announcing of messages.  Publicizing of messages.  Making public of messages.  Making known of messages.  Advertising of messages.  Proclaiming of messages.  Declaring of messages.  Spreading of messages.  Circulation of messages.  Passing round of messages.  Dissemination of messages.  Promulgation of messages.  Trumpeting of messages.  Heralding of messages.  Scattering of messages.  Sending of messages.  Etc.

Broadcasting can be compared to the journey of a traveller. For example, the traveller leaves Lagos for Maiduguri. He, the traveller leaves his house in Iyana Paja. What is the first vehicle of movement? He starts with ‘Okada’ from his Iyana house to the main road, board a bike from Iyana-paja to Oshodi. He disembarked and comes down at Oshodi Motor Park, looks for a vehicle going to Kaduna or Kano. He boards to Kaduna or Kano. From Kaduna to Maiduguri by the same means. He lands in Maiduguri and

International Journal of Social & Management Sciences, Madonna University (IJSMS) Vol.1 No.1, March 2017; pg.7 – 13 probably takes on Okada or a specific camel ride to the house he is going to in Maiduguri. This is the picture of an imaginary journey of our imaginary traveller from Lagos to Maiduguri. The same picture can be painted from an air-traveller. There is a cooked desire to travel from a home in Lagos. The journey is kickstarted by an Okada ride from the house to the road junction. From the junction he hops into the Bus or a taxi to Ikeja airport. From Airport via a direct flight to Maiduguri or a connecting flight to Maiduguri by a first flight to Kano or Kaduna before connecting to Maiduguri. Graphically this can be presented as shown: (Source beginning) From House to Junction by “Okada” From junction to Oshodi by taxi or bus From Oshodi to Kaduna or Kano By bus or taxi

From Kano or Kaduna to Maiduguri By bus or taxi From Maiduguri park to House (Destination) By “Okada” or camel.

PRESENTATION 1 By Road to Maiduguri Traveller Destination (source) Source: Google search

From house to junction by “Okada” From junction to Ikeja Airport by Box or taxi From Ikeja Airport to Kaduna or Kano From Kaduna or Kano by connecting flight to Maiduguri From Maiduguri Airport to House via Taxi or Bus and/or “Okada” or camel to house (destination in Maiduguri)

PRESENTATION 2 By Air to Maiduguri from travellers destination in source Source: Google search

These are the two graphic presentations of an imaginary traveller from Lagos to Maiduguri. We can paint the same picture for broadcasting … i.e. the journey of analogue terrestrial broadcasting and that of satellite broadcasting. Before then, what is broadcasting? Broadcasting, here again, can be compared to a farmer that gathers his/her seed and begins to scatter them by planting. The broadcast “planter” gathers the broadcast materials i.e. voice or sound only with effective (Radio and/or voice or sound) plus images with effects (Television) and begins to scatter them abroad for us to have broadcasting. This gives us the compound word broad + casting for us to have broadcasting. Broadcasting can be compared with a journey. A journey that starts from source to destination like that of our traveller. The graphic pictures of different presentations are as follows: GRAPHIC PRESENTATION OF 3 RADIO TERRESTRIAL BROADCSTING Broadcast voice + effects From mouth to microphones

Microphone recording to console

From console via transmitter to Aerial mast

Aerial mast to our Radio sets

International Journal of Social & Management Sciences, Madonna University (IJSMS) Vol.1 No.1, March 2017; pg.7 – 13

From Radio sets to ear

From ear to brain for synthesis and decoding Radio broadcasting journey complete at destination. SIMILARLY FOR TELEVISION GRAPHIC PRESENTATION 4 TELEVISION: TERRESTRIAL BROADCSTING

Broadcast voice + effects + images

From mouth to microphone in camera

From microphone in camera to console

From console via transmitter to Aerial mast

From Aerial mast to our Television sets

From Television sets into our ears and eyes

From our ears and eyes into our brains Television Terrestrial broadcasting is complete at destination.

Another compressed way of presentation of both, in simple graphic is as follows: Broadcast communication messages from source

Broadcast communication messages via medium to sources

Broadcast communication messages decoding and/or synthesis/comprehension Broadcast communication message is complete from source to destination

Another look at broadcasting i.e. electronic broadcasting with particular reference to Radio and Television broadcasting can present the journey as a journey in the factory or industry production chamber. PRESENTATION 5 BROADCAST RAW MATERIALS 1.E. VOICE + EFFECTS + IMAGES DROPPED IN BROADCAST PRODUCTION CHAMBER.

Broadcast raw material broken down from annual voice + effects + images into electromagnetic waves conversion

The electromagnetic waves are transported via the production chambers of consoles + transmitters

Reconvention again into voice + images into different sets

Consumption by ears and eyes or finished products. Broadcast communication is complete from production to Consumption PRESENTATION 6 THE SATELLITE BROADCASTING RADIO

Source: broadbandtoolkit.org/Google search

GRAPHIC PRESENTATION 7 THE SATELLITE BROADCASTING TELEVISION

Source: www.amzi.com/Google search

For further comprehension and simplification, these broadcast messages are from the words in our human mouths. This takes us into the next graphic presentation.

International Journal of Social & Management Sciences, Madonna University (IJSMS) Vol.1 No.1, March 2017; pg.7 – 13

PRESENTATION 8: BROADCAST MESSAGES FROM THE WORDS IN OUR MOUTHS

Broadcast messages from the words in our mouths are fed into broadcasting different machines for further manufacturing or conversion voice or sound + effects + images or visual are converted into electronic signals and reconverted into voice or sound + effects + images or visual again in the production and reproduction processes in the broadcast chain or chambers Consumption by the Broadcast listeners or views for the chain to be complete * that takes us to how radio and television stations work. Graphically they can be presented as follows:

How a radio station works (Terrestrial) How A Radio Station Works We'll start with the microphone and take you through the whole equipment chain ... (This is a "composite station" made up of pictures of many different radio stations !)

This is a typical radio studio

with a control console

mike, CD Players,

digital audio system, etc. We start at the Microphone (EV RE-20) which feeds into: a microphone processor (Valley 401)

which equalizes,

compresses and limits

the disk jockey's voice to make it louder and clearer then into the studio console (Radio Systems RS/12) there are ON/OFF buttons and a 'pot' to adjust the volume so the meters always

read 100% and

to let the DJ talk

over the music

these are the main controls on the console that allow the DJ to adjust his speaker and headphone volume we then send the signal out of the studio to an equipment room and into an audio processor to tailor the sound, then to the Studio Transmitter Link

(STL) system (Marti STL-10)

to the transmitter on the

950 mHz band, on two channels

International Journal of Social & Management Sciences, Madonna University (IJSMS) Vol.1 No.1, March 2017; pg.7 – 13

one for left, one for right

via this high-gain

antenna (Scala PR-950)

Meanwhile, at the transmitter ...

The STL signal is

picked up here ...

and turned back into left and right audio by these receivers (Marti STL-10) and fed into this audio processor/stereo generator Orban Optimod 8100A and then into the exciter which is actually the heart of the transmitter creating 10-50 watts on the FM frequency of the station

This is a high power Eimac 4CX20000 transmitter tube capable of amplifying the input signal up to 30,000 watts it would be found inside the transmitter in a tuned 'cavity' like this looking in the back of the transmitter notice the large 4000 volt transformer at the bottom this is the back of

the final cavity

the pipe is the output

to the antenna the large transformer on the left powers the filament of the final tube a transmitter has a metering and control panel to read operating voltages and currents

and to turn it on and off

and adjust the power output

there is also a remote control

system to allow the DJ at the studio

control the transmitter

(this is a Burk ARC-16)

International Journal of Social & Management Sciences, Madonna University (IJSMS) Vol.1 No.1, March 2017; pg.7 – 13

the FM signal leaves the transmitter and goes up the tower on a big cable to the antenna

on top of the tower

(this is an ERI 4 bay)

and out to the listeners we now pick the FM signal out of the air and listen to it on a tuner and amplifier and monitor the levels with a modulation monitor (QEI 691)

Source: mcnally.cc/how.htm/Google search

How a TV Station works (Terrestrial)

Source: http://www.nec.com/google search

How an Internet Radio Station works

Source: www.seahavenfm.com/google search

How internet TV Station works

Source: choromaster.com/Google search

CONCLUSION Shaibu (2016) opines that the challenges of the moment and the future of broadcasting technology on a daily basis is ever-changing in complexity and multiplicity. The radio, television and social media work are witnessing diverse technological segmentation and multiplicity. Technology is miniaturized from the bogus to the most simple. Broadcasting of the future may be studioless, transmitterless etc. without boundaries and regulations. As equipment changes, production processes will be forced to change as well. The knowledge of today may not be enough for the challenge of broadcasting of tomorrow. There is a need for a new wisdom, knowledge and understanding of the changing trends of broadcasting for the Practitioners to be relevant for the challenges of tomorrow. Remember, from the bulky equipment of the past such as Niagra and other bulky recording machines, we have presently moved into the era of portable-use-friendly-digital midgets. The change continues and we shall ever continue to change the change in order to be abreast with the challenges of broadcasting of today and the future.

International Journal of Social & Management Sciences, Madonna University (IJSMS) Vol.1 No.1, March 2017; pg.7 – 13

REFERENCE INTERNET 1. Google Search Engine 2. Broadbandtoolkit.org/Google search 3. www.amzi.com/Google search 4. Mcnally.cc/how.htm/google search 5. http://www.nec.com/google search 6. www.seahavenfm.com/google search 7. Choromaster.Com/Google search 8. Etc.

BOOKS/INTERVIEWS/SURVEYS Shaibu S.A. (2004) FRCN Training School, Training Lectures. Shaibu S.A (2015) Mini Survey Report, February 2015 Mass Communication Class, MAC 409 Karu, Nigeria. Shaibu S. A. (2004) Zuma Echoes Radio T.V. Mobilization Jingles, M.A.S. Media Publications, Abuja. Shaibu S. A (2004) Radio world: The Sound Alternatives Mass Media/Immaculate Prints, Abuja. Shaibu S. A. (2006) Strategizing to meet the challenges of modern Broadcasting, FRCN, Training School, Lagos Publication. Shaibu S. A. (2006) Content Delivery Radio, Television and Advertising Agencies Diamond Prints, Lagos. Shaibu S. A. (2005) Total Expenses in Broadcasting Awomo ventures, Lagos. Shaibu S. A. (2006) Outside Broadcast: Practices and challenges, Diamond Prints, Lagos. Shaibu S.A. (2007) Production Guidelines, FRCN (Ministry of Education, UNESCO, FRCN, Instructional Radio for Mass Literacy in Nigeria, Minerib Accord, Lagos. Shaibu S. A. (2006) Re-inventing radio drama Diamond Print, Lagos. Shaibu S. A. Article titled: “Advanced Radio Production” In An Integrated Approach to Communication Principles and Practices Vol. one by Kayode Idebi & William Musa Madaki Published by Cobweb Publishers journals Shaibu S. A. Radio World Journals: The New Source for Radio Managers and Engineers.