Chapter 8 Radio Programming 03 12 2012 Radio Regulation and Format Design Radio stations can choose their own programming o Section 326 Communications Act gives broadcasters freedom from censorship o American Radio has format freedom o Task provide attractive programming to meet informational and entertainment needs of audience Matrix of Radio Programming Local Programming original programming produced by radio station Prerecorded or Syndicated Programming obtained from a commercial supplier outside the station News and Talk Network Programming obtained from radio nets such as ABC CBS or National Public Radio Types of Radio Programming Music most popular form of radio programming o Prerecorded or syndicated o 9 out of 10 stations use music as programming backbone News Talk o Local shows includes news sports weather traffic o Popular talk personalities are syndicated via satellite Modes of Radio Production Local live Production Live assist Production o Station employs its own announcers and newscasters o Station uses syndicated programming service but retains local announcers Semi automation Turnkey automation o Station uses syndicated producer for majority of programming Voice Tracking o Station is fully automated no local personal except to maintain system create local commercials and make sure computers are running o Computer automation makes it possible to program more than once station record voice overs for Saturday on a Thursday Format overall sound image of radio station o Includes station s approach to talk music promotion ads community relations personalities etc Keys to successful format o Identify and serve a predetermined set of listeners o To serve those listeners better than the competition o To reward listeners both on and off the air make them consistent customers for the products and services advertised on the station Format Hole an approach not currently being served in any form Creating the Radio Format The Format Hole Programming Strategies o Do a better job at a specific format than the competition o Develop a niche that will deliver a large enough audience to attract advertising revenue to the station o Station ownership dial location power technical facilities management philosophy Internal Factors External Factors other stations Audience Analysis o Geography population characteristics program weaknesses Goal of radio programming attract and maintain an audience Target audience the primary group sought by the station is defined by o Demographics o Psychographics Listener Demographics Radio has a phenomenal reach o Reaches 241 3 million people each week 93 of people 12 o Just under half of all 12 listeners between 6am and 10am o Between 6AM and 6PM radio reaches more people than TV cable newspapers magazines and online services o Age breakouts ex 18 24 18 34 18 49 o Ideal target group women mid 30 s b c they make brand Demographics loyalty decisions for households Radio Dayparts Morning Drive 6 10AM Most important Evening Drive 3 7PM Daytime 10AM 7PM The Hot Clock Format Wheel looks like the face of a clock o used to plan and execute station s sound o shows where music commercials news occur within program schedule o Different stations use different clocks Rotation of Music is a Main Purpose of the Hot Clock 1 10 Power 11 20 Medium 21 30 Light 31 40 Mover Radio Programming Terminology Three main types of information on hot clock o Commercial time positions o Promotional position o Programming music and news talk segments Clutter when too many commercials have been placed on the format o Most stations program between 8 and 18 minutes of commercials per hour o Never been a rule that dictates how many commercials a station can can t play in an hour Spot sets Stop sets the commercial and promotional segments of the hot clock Subcategories of musical segments o Current hits given most airplay o Recurrent recent hits still popular o Gold oldies Segue overlap one program element with another Segway Sweep musical set Teaser promote upcoming program element T T Time Temp Liner Artists and song Promo promotional announcement Front sell Back sell listing of what will has played Format Evaluation Playlist stations publish list of songs played on specific formats used by major record labels to gauge what gets airplay Tip Sheets Billboard Radio and records iTunes Call ins requests to station are logged in Call outs hooks are played over the phone Auditorium tests 200 song hooks test with large group Focus group study in depth interviews about musical preferences The Payola Issue A problem from the early days o Murray the K o Allen Freed o Dick Clark Payola taking something of value in exchange for on air presentation promotion John Mayer Maroon5 Semisonic Franz Sec 508 of the CA addresses disclosure to station management Sec 317 of the CA Addresses sponsorship ID requirements Record Company Settlements Funds to be distributed to not for profit entities and earmarked for music education programs o Sony BMG 10 million o Warner 5 million FCC 4 13 07 News Broadcasters pay 12 5 million to resolve possible payola violations In addition broadcasters agree to implement certain business reforms and compliance measures under Consent Decrees signed by each o Prohibition on exchanging airplay for cash o Limits on gifts and items from record labels to company stations or employees o Appointment of Compliance Officers and contacts responsible for monitoring reporting company performance News Talk and Sports Formatting Talk formats just as complex as music formats Four common programming elements o News o Talk o Business o Sports Format wheel shows various program segments o All News cylindrical format Noncommercial Radio Programming Three types o Public 400 stations rely on NPR and PRI for programming o College 800 stations licensed to colleges mixed formats o Community Programming is mixed use Block programming Micro Broadcasting Lower Power FM new authorization for very low power FM stations o Non commercial ideal for small community organizations Chapter 9 TV Programming 03 12 2012 The Rise of TV News Roper Studies Survey of American Tastes 1963 2005 o TV named most frequently as primary news source o Lead over 2nd choice newspaper grew through 2000 o Proportion of people citing radio newspaper magazines as primary source has fallen o TV seen as most credible since 1961 1992 named most credible 2 to 1 over papers o Growth area since 2000 has been the Internet 1997 Internet voted