Hi folks, this week's playlist winner is Richard Tronson, host of This
Microphone Smells (Mondays 8-9 PM). Richard played a track from Emme's new
album (#53 on the playlist) and wins a CD from the promo box.
Keep exploring the playlist for underplayed and underappreciated albums,
branching out into unappreciated music helps make your show more vibrant and
interesting. Good luck next week!
--
For this weeks programming tip, we'll focus on organization in the booth, what
you need to pay attention to and how to set yourself up to succeed while
programming
First, organizing yourself in the booth is all about planning. Even in a show
that's totally freeform, as a host, you will want to think a couple of elements
ahead and be able to find everything you need to use quickly. Everything should
have a place in the booth. Stack your CDs in the order you want to play them.
Keep your scripts, public service announcement and bio information in front of
you for easy access. If you are using your phone for material, then have it
ready as well. Know where everything is so you don't have to go looking for it.
It's awful to refer to something, and then have to look around for it while you
are speaking on the air, since it's distracting for the listener and it shows
you haven't properly prepared yourself. When you are done with something, make
sure you move it out of the way of anything you are using so it doesn't
distract you or interfere with you. The more you can organize yourself
physically in the booth, the smoother your show will run, and the better you
will sound when on the air. Again, think ahead and make sure everything you
need to refer to is in easy reach, so you don't have to move your head around
while you speak on the mic. Moving your mouth away from the microphone while
speaking causes deep fades and sounds awful to anyone listening
Organizing your on air board settings will also help you a lot in making your
show sound smoother. As usual, think ahead to what you want to do next, then
set up your board accordingly. Know what channel you'll be playing next and
bring the volume up on that channel before you put it on the air. Make sure any
channel you aren't currently planning on using has the slider all the way down
and the channel turned off so it doesn't confuse you. Put anything you want to
announce, like PSAs, in front of you so they're easy to find when you need to
speak. You'll want to set your board up so, at a glance, you can tell what
you're using and what you're not, and know what you are doing next. It's also
worth your time to set your CD players up so you know which one is coming up
next. For example, I tend you use players 2 and 3 for music, so most of the
time, I'm just moving from one to the other, making it easy to set up in my
head what comes next. I tend to use 1 for pre-recorded spots. If you find
yourself making mistakes like playing the wrong song, likely you need more work
on managing your board. Try to find ways to make things easier to understand
and control when in the booth. Remember to keep an eye on your VU levels too,
and make sure they aren't too high or too low. They're going to be different
for each segment you play, so make sure they aren't outside of normal listening
range, or it will sound odd to your listener. Just about the 0 level point is
where you want it.
Scripting is another vital resource when organizing yourself in the booth.
Script out what you want to play in the order you want to play it, write it
down or print it out, bring it with you into the booth and follow the script.
Include the names of the songs and any biographical information you want to
include, and anything else you think you may need to refer to (for example,
lengths of songs, playlist numbers, etc.). Also include where you will run your
public service announcements, show promos and IDs. Follow the script as you do
your show and cross off the elements as you do them. Log anything you play into
your log right after you play it, so you don't forget or get too far behind and
rush to catch up. Scripting doesn't have to be detailed, but you should have a
template for what you will do before you get into the booth to do your show. No
one, not even veterans of radio, should go on the air without a script of some
sort. Organization is vital to the flow of any good live radio show.
Lastly, work to minimize or eliminate distractions while in the booth. You'll
want to focus on what you are doing while you do your show, so you can pre-plan
and minimize making mistakes. If you're not using your phone for research, turn
it off and put it away. For sure make sure you turn off the ringer and
notifications while on the air. Only use the computer to research and log, and
avoid surfing the web or social media unless it's related to your show. Make
sure you use your headphones when you are speaking on the mic to eliminate off
air noises distracting you and helping you to hear what you are saying on the
air. Keep the booth free of anything you won't need for your show, like water,
food or backpacks. Keep all of that out on the landing or in the side booth.
Only bring into the booth what you need to do your show, everything else can
wait til after you finish.
--
Steve Marlow, Programming Coordinator
CFBX 92.5 FM www.thex.ca
Campus/Community Radio for TRU and Kamloops
