Chapter 8 - Radio Programming

There are strong ties between radio and the music business; it is evident that airplay means higher record sales. The advent of MTV and CDs has also reinforced the interdependence of these businesses.

Radio programming can derive from local, prerecorded or syndicated, and network sources. Radio shows can be produced in four ways: local-live, live-assist, semiautomation, and turnkey automation.

Stations strive to make their formats unique. One way of achieving this is to analyze the market of a particular city and to find a format hole.

When a station attempts to choose a format, internal factors that are considered include ownership, dial location, power, technical facilities, and management philosophy. External factors such as strength of competitors, geography, and demographics also need to be analyzed. The new trend is toward psychographic research, which tells programmers the type of listener each musical category attracts.

Station managers plan their programs on a hot clock. This helps them visualize the sound of a station. A program schedule is divided into dayparts, including morning drive, daytime, evening drive, evening, and overnight.

Talk radio has seen spectacular growth in recent years, resuscitating the AM band, and providing its listeners a range of services, from all-news, to sports, financial advice, and psychological counseling.

On the nonprofit side, public radio stations receive programming from two major network sources: National Public Radio (NPR) and Public Radio International (PRI). College stations tend to emphasize diversity and block programming; religious and community stations offer everything from chapel broadcasts to rock-and-roll. Low-power FM stations will provide programming opportunities for religious and community groups in the future.