Monday, 9 March 2015

Radio production roles/music and sound

Radio Commercial Producer

What a radio commercial producer does is create radio adverts in response to client's briefs. Their adverts must not only be exactly what the client wants but also be effective and reach a specific audience.  They are also in charge of other things such as financing and radio licences & copyright.

The skills that you will need for this job is having a strong interest in radio advertising and understand how radio and the radio market works (also understand how licences and copyright works) in order to promote and sell to various demographics. They need to be creative to be able to come up with original and effective ideas and how to communicate with their audiences. Furthermore, they have to have good literacy skills as they will be writing in order to make scripts that reach a range of audiences.

Technically speaking, a radio commercial producer needs to know how to use specialist equipment and how to control different radio stations. They will also be in charge of budgets therefore they must have sufficient mathematical skills in order to manage these budgets and have an efficient use of resources. Also they will be working lots within teams, therefore communication skills are very important in order to be able to speak clearly but effectively to make sure they produce the best possible advert. Along with being able to speak clearly to clients, they need to be able to understand a brief and know exactly what their clients want.

All of these skills must be able to work well under pressure and short time frames in an effective and efficient manner in oder to reach deadlines. Like most jobs, health and safety is an important skill to know to ensure that everyone is safe and no safety legislations and procedures are ever broken.


Radio Broadcast Assistant

What this role entails is helping radio producers and presenters by offering support, through helping with research, planning and production. Also they must perform  wide range of administrative tasks to make sure all radio programmes are ran smoothly.

The skills that they need are good organisational skills, as it's their job for things to run efficiently, if they are unorganised then everyone will be. Along with this they must have close attention to detail, this meaning that they know when the slightest thing is not going correctly and if not noted could ruin the radio ad production. Like the producer they need to be creative and be able to problem-solve.

Furthermore, they need to be able to be confident and self motivated in order to overcome obstacles and work independently, especially under pressure. Importantly, they need to know the law and ethics and industry regulations within radio production to make sure no laws are broken. They must have other knowledge when necessary too, such as how to acquire licences and copyright clearances.

Lastly, they need to have strong IT skills to be able to use programmes such as Word and Excel and preferably how to edit audio and manipulate image. They'll also need to know how to use the recording equipment and control various radio studios. Also, they need to know health and safety to make sure all procedures are followed and not broken in order to keep things running smoothly.


Radio Sales Executive

This role entails you making the income for commercial radio stations through advertising sales and sponsorship.

The skills you will need are excellent sales skills and the determination to drive a sale. Also you must have good business skills to have the ability to make accurate revenue forcasts. As well as this you must be confident and determined to take the lead and overcome any obstacles you may face.

Along with this job there will be lots of rejections, therefore you've got to be able to handle this. Your writing and presentation skills must be good as well as being able to think creatively and come up with innovative and original ideas.

Voice Actor

This job means that you must interpret others' word to be able to bring a script to life and give a character personality and realism.

The skills you will need are being able to prepare to and perform at auditions and casting in a confident manner. You must have decent short-term memory as there is little time for rehearsals and retakes. Along with this you must be able to learn new lines very quickly in a short matter of time. Lastly, you must be able to deliver your lines with a clear tone but at a specific pace.

Radio Traffic Manager

This job role entails you to schedule advertising and promotions for commercial radio in a way which maximises revenue.

The skills you will need are to be extremely organised and have administrative skills. You'll have to be able to pay close attention to detail and analyse/interpret data. Your literacy skills must be good so that you have good writing and presentation skills. As well as this you must be knowledgeable of the radio market and different radio stations. You must have an understanding of the radio sales process and use relevant traffic management and playout software.

Session Singer

What a session singer does is perform the music given to you in the best of your ability.

The skills this job requires are you to be able to prepare and perform at auditions and casting sessions. Also you must arrive ready to perform, meaning that your voice is warmed up before hand. You'll be aware of the different warm up methods and techniques as well as having some linguistic abilities to be able to sing in different languages.

Their sigh-reading skills must be high so that they can interpret music effectively in a quick manner, They'll have to know the technical skills too, such as knowing how to work with different types of microphones.

Why are pre-recorded sound effects are useful for radio advertising?

Pre-recorded sound effects are a useful tool within radio advertising. Previously sound effects would've been made up on the go whilst radio stations were on air, and although sounding authentic this would limit the range of effects that would've been able to be used. Therefore the use of pre-recorded sound effects are now used so that they can be used at any time within any time frame. Some websites in which you can find pre-recorded sound effects are:
http://www.freesfx.co.uk/
http://soundbible.com/free-sound-effects-1.html

What are the different styles or moods used in radio advert music beds? 

A music bed is a musical track that is played in the background of a radio advert. They are used to make the radio advertisement more interesting and effective. They do this by having appropriate music to a styled advert so that it accentuates the advert's message (if it's a dramatic ad that is raising car safety then sadder, slower music is likely to be played). A sting a short burst of music, they are used to make the advert memorable (ie, the McDonald's sting). 

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