The Radio Station: Broadcast, Satellite & Internet

The bible for beginning radio professionals. A complete guide to the internal workings of radio stations and the radio industry. Readers new to radio understand how each job is best performed, and they will know how it meshes with those of the rest of the radio station staff. For readers uncertain of career goals, this book provides a solid foundation in who does what, when, and why. The Radio Station details all departments within a radio station. Topics explained include satellite radio, Web radio, AM stereo, cable and podcasting. Also, mergers and consolidation, future prospects, new digital technologies. This edition is loaded with new illustrations, feature boxes and quotes from industry pros. Going strong after 20 years, The Radio Station is now in its seventh edition and long considered the standard work on this audio medium. It remains a concise and candid guide to the internal workings of radio stations and the radio industry, explaining the functions performed successfully within every well-run station.

Table of Contents:
Preface 1 STATE OF THE FIFTH ESTATE In the Air-Everywhere A Household Utility A Toll on Radio Birth of the Networks Conflict in the Air Radio Prospers during the Depression Radio during World War II Television Appears A New Direction Radio Rocks and Roars FM's Ascent AM Stereo Noncommercial Radio Proliferation and Frag-Out Profits in the Air Economics and Survival Consolidations, Downsizings, and Clusters Buying and Selling DAB Revolution Satellite and Cable Radio Internet Radio LPFM (Low Power FM) PODCASTING *new Radio and Government Regulations Jobs and Equality in Radio Chapter Highlights Suggested Further Reading 2 STATION MANAGEMENT Nature of the Business The Manager as Chief Collaborator What Makes a Manager The Manager's Duties and Responsibilities Organizational Structure MANAGING THE CLUSTER *new Human Resources Whom Managers Hire The Manager and the Profit Motive The Manager and the Community The Manager and the Government The Public File The Manager and Unions The Manager and Industry Associations Buying or Building a Radio Station Chapter Highlights Appendix: Code of Federal Regulations Index Suggested Further Reading 73 3 PROGRAMMING Program Formats The Programmer The Program Director's Duties and Responsibilities PROGRAMMING SATELLITE, WEB, AND POD *new Elements of Programming The Program Director and the Audience The Program Director and the Music The Program Director and the FCC The Program Director and Upper Management Chapter Highlights Appendix: A Station Owner Airchecks His Programming Suggested Further Reading 4 SALES Commercialization: A Retrospective Selling Airtime SELLING IN SATELLITE AND WEB RADIO *new Becoming an Account Executive The Sales Manager Radio Sales Tools Points of the Pitch Levels of Sales Spec Spots Objectives of the Buy Prospecting and List Building Planning the Sales Day Selling with and without Numbers Advertising Agencies Rep Companies Co-Op Sales Trade-Outs Chapter Highlights Appendix: A Station Owner Conveys His Sales Philosophy to His Manager Suggested Further Reading 5 NEWS News from the Start News and Today's Radio NEWS IN SATELLITE AND WEB OPERATIONS *new The Newsroom The All-News Station The Electronic Newsroom The News Director What Makes a Newsperson Preparing the News Story Organizing the Newscast The Wire Services Radio Network News Radio Sportscasts Radio News and the FCC News Ethics Traffic Reports News in Music Radio Chapter Highlights Suggested Further Reading 6 RESEARCH Who Is Listening The Ratings and Survey Services Qualitative and Quantitative Data In-House Research Techniques Research Deficits How Agencies Buy Radio SATELLITE AND WEB RADIO AUDIENCE RESEARCH *new Careers In Research The Future of Research in Radio Chapter Highlights Suggested Further Reading Appendix A: RAB's Radio Research Glossary Appendix B: Arbitron's Glossary of Terms 7 PROMOTION Past and Purpose PROMOTING SATELLITE AND WEB RADIO *new Promotions Practical and Bizarre The Promotion Director's/Manager's Job Whom Promotion Directors Hire Types of Promotion Sales Promotion Research and Planning Budgeting Promotions Promotions and the FCC Broadcast Promotion and Marketing Executives Chapter Highlights Suggested Further Reading 8 TRAFFIC AND BILLING The Air Supply COMMERCIAL INVENTORY IN SATELLITE AND WEB RADIO *new The Traffic Manager The Traffic Manager's Credentials Directing Traffic Billing The FCC and Traffic Chapter Highlights Suggested Further Reading 9 PRODUCTION A Spot Retrospective Formatted Spots The Production Room The Studios MIXING IN SATELLITE AND WEB RADIO *new Editing Copywriting Announcing Tips Voice-Tracking The Sound Library Chapter Highlights Suggested Further Reading 10 ENGINEERING Pioneer Engineers Radio Technology AM/FM SATELLITE AND WEB RADIO *new Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) Smart Receivers Becoming an Engineer The Engineer's Duties Station Log The Emergency Alert System (Formerly the Emergency Broadcast System) Automation Posting Licenses and Permits Chapter Highlights Appendix 10A: Federal Communications Commission Fact Sheet Appendix 10B: SBE Application Appendix 10C: NARTE Application Suggested Further Reading 11 CONSULTANTS AND SYNDICATORS TO BE REASSESSED IN LIGHT OF CONSOLIDATION AND NEW TECHNOLOGIES Radio Aid Consultant Services Consultant Qualifications Consultants: Pros and Cons Program Suppliers Syndicator Services Hardware Requirements Syndicator Fidelity Chapter Highlights Appendix: Station Critique Suggested Further Reading Glossary Index

About the Author :
Michael C. Keith, Ph.D., ranks among the most prolific authors on the subject of broadcast media, in particular radio. He is a member of the Communication Department at Boston College and is author of over twenty books, including Voices in the Purple Haze, Signals in the Air, Talking Radio, Radio Cultures, and Sounds in the Dark. With Robert Hilliard he has co-authored The Broadcast Century and Beyond, Waves of Rancor, Dirty Discourse, Global Broadcasting Systems, and The Hidden Screen. With Christopher Sterling he co-authored Sounds of Change: FM Broadcasting in America. In addition, he is the author of numerous journal articles and has served in a number of editorial positions. He is the past Chair of Education for the Museum of Broadcast Communications, the inaugural chair of the Broadcast Education Association's Radio Division, and a former broadcaster. He is the recipient of several honors, including the Distinguished Scholar Award given by the Broadcast Education Association in 2008, and the Stanton Fellow Award given by the International Radio Television Society. He is the author of a critically acclaimed memoir, The Next Better Place: A Father and Son on the Road (Algonquin Press), in 2003. Visit the author's website: www.michaelckeith.com.

Review :
* Reviewer: A reader This new edition is the best yet! Keith is the authority on this subject. There are no rivals to this commanding overview of the audio medium. The coverage of this topic is complete and then some in this edition. You want to know about radio? This incomparable book will tell you all you need to know. First rate. * Reviewer: Dr. W. G. Covington, Jr. (Edinboro, Pennsylvania) - If you want to know what the radio industry is all about read this book. It is written by a veteran in the field who has published extensively on the subject, presented research at conferences, and worked in the radio business before entering academe. Dr. Keith knows the business. He traces trends and provides historical perspective on how things came to be as they are. Station managers would find this to be a useful resource manual. There are all kinds of subjects covered that they would face on a daily basis. I recommend this book. I've used it in teaching at the university level over the years. Student feedback has been positive. "Just as radio changes with the rise of digital options, so, too, does The Radio Station, Michael Keith's masterful updated survey of what has changed and what remains the same in the dynamic audio industry.” - Christopher Sterling, George Washington University