A radio station is a very safe place. If you encounter a technical problem, an engineer is usually nearby. It also is safe because in a worst-case scenario you can move to another studio and remain on the air. However, when a radio station goes on location to do a live broadcast, it raises the stakes. Generally, there is no engineer nearby, and there is no studio to dash down the hall to if you have a problem. Remote broadcasting is like working without a net. If you produce the remote, therefore, you always plan for the worst-case scenario and hope for the best.

There are a number of ways to get a signal back to the radio station, and in the digital marketplace, there are some very creative solutions to this age-old problem. On a station-to-station basis, you will find that stations select the digital solutions that are the most reliable and cost-effective for the types of remote broadcasts they do. Obviously, a station doing a remote at a business has different needs than those of a station doing a live broadcast of the local high school football team.

From the production standpoint, it is your job to produce the promos that attract attention to the station's live broadcast and to help deliver listeners to the remote location, regardless of the type of remote. Even when the remote is a sports event, it is still your job to come up with something creative to attract listeners. You should try to create a promotional announcement that is so vivid in its descriptive imagery that listeners get a mental image of the event.

You also must understand that, with the exception of a news remote or breaking news coverage, remotes are a joint project of promotion, sales, and production.