Intro to Radio Course (Class 1)

Don’t you just hate those social situations where you are placed in a room with a group of strangers and everyone is too afraid to say ‘hi’ and it’s so quiet that you just want to burst out and laugh? Well my group consisted of 5 others…Perry, Dina, Dan, Jorja and Will an eclectic mix of people. A woman in her 50’s, a Hungarian sound engineer, two from the country and one pondering about a career in radio and then myself. I was quite pleased that it was such a small group as it meant it would be a more intimate working environment. Simon our lecturer was an easy going, funny yet very knowledgeable man about the radio industry. We discussed the history of the company and spoke about an overview of Australian radio today.

 

Commercial radio differs dramatically from community radio as:

-they can carry advertising to self regulated limits

-pay a license fee to the Government based on their revenue

-provide survey results included in official and regular independently audited audience surveys.

-are high powered to cover and service wide coverage areas such as an entire metropolitan area, city or specified regional area.

-they also adhere to the commercial radio codes of practise.

 

Even though I have always known this fact, Simon seemed to drill it in my head and make me aware that like any business, the objective of a radio station is to make a PROFIT. It’s a timeless business cycle as advertising profits keep the station on air. This is done by the listeners who support the program by tuning in, this attracts advertisers who ultimately keep playing the dollars which in reality keep the station operating.

 

I also learnt that there are usually six shifts in a radio station’s twenty-four hour day.

Breakfast: 5:30/6:00 am to 9:00am

Morning: 9:00am to Noon

Afternoon: Noon to 4:00pm

Drive: 4:00pm to 7:00pm

Evening/Night: 7:00pm to Midnight

Mid Dawn: Midnight to 5:30/6:00am

 

The most important shifts of the day are Breakfast and Drive as these are the peak times when people are listening to radio on the way to work/school etc and on their way home from work/school etc. The slots are presented by well known radio personalities eg: Breakfast (Nova 100) Hughsey & Kate and Drive (Foxfm) Hamish & Andy. The rest of the presenters are used as fillers and are usually not as well known, they re-play segments from breakfast and drive slots to promote them as these two shifts make commercial radio millions of dollars.

 

Simon also mentioned something that I believe will stick with me “while presenters are putting on make-up and the newspaper companies are waiting for their machines to heat up, radio presenters have told their story”.