- Planning your show - The Clock Wheel
- Music Choices
- What to do before going into the studio/connecting to RVT- last minute checks.
- Warming up your voice - exeercises you can do.
- Studio Dicipline- Mic technique, station brand, technical matters.
- Appreciating your audience - know who you are talking to.
- Engage your brain - knowing what you are going to say
- 60 second links - keep it short and simple
1: Planning Your Show The Clock Wheel
A clock Wheel is a framework to help the presenter to build their show. Each clock represents an hour of programming and should contain all the elements of the show. It ensures a uniformatiy in the show and ensures all elements that should feature in the hour do.
In the example clock hour below The show is started with a New Hit Song followed By a Live Link which would be your introduction , This brings the presenter up to 5 minutes past the hour and Current Hit Music. At 10 minues past the hour a PSA (Public Service Announcement) is played followed by an Oldie, a Station Jingle and another Oldie sweeping into a New Hit Song followed by the Weather Forecast at 20 past the hour. Then its an Oldie a Current Hits and a Link telling the listener 1 or 2 songs which are coming up later in the hour. We then have Current Hits sweeping into New Hits and Oldie and then another Voice Link followed by a Station Jingle. This brings us up to 17 minutes to the top of the hour and another sweep of Current Hits to New Hit Music followed by a Live Link an Oldie and finish off the hour with Current Hit Music and a Live Link which would be the closing link in a 1 hour show.
If its 2 hour show the presenter Would either create a different wheel withe different music genres etc if they wish to change format for the 2nd hour or follow this one if they want to keep the same format for the show.
2: Music Choices: What do we Choose?
- Think 'Core' tracks -what will the listener recognise
- Avoid the obscure (unless yours is a very specialist show)
- The rollercoaster (Dont go straight from A Heavy Rock song into a Ballad )
- 'Flow and ebb' - consider the tempo
- Put like songs together - in terms of tempo and style
- Fast to fast- fast to medium - medium to slow- slow to slow
- Use voice links - jingles - station imaging to provide transitions
- Consider your audience
3: What to do before going into the studio/connecting to RVT- last minute checks.
- Have you got your cd's , records, minidisc's, tapes ?
- Is the stations playout system set up to go with your songs?
- Where are your programme notes?
- Does your pen work and have you got note paper?
- Have you got the scripts (if any) you need?
- Are any pre recorded elements set up and reaady for broadcast?
- Have your guests interviewees (if any) turned up?
So whats the next crucial thing ...... Your V O I C E
Avoid drinking tea, coffee or milk before you are about to go on air
- Don's Smoke
- Sip Water
- Relax !Seperate yourself from all that is going on outside
- Protect your voice, dont strain it by shouting or coughing
- Exercise your vouice - warming up is important
Try the following exercises to 'warm up' your voice
- Breathe deeply into youir stomach area, chest and back,expelling stale air and taking in fresh oxygen
- Blow air into your cheeks like a trumpeter
- Take any consonant and vowel together amd repeat them ta ta ta or pi pi pi
- Using your mouth , as big as possible , form and say teh letters A, E, I, O, U.
4:Studio Dicipline
Being diciplined in the studio
- If possible , get in to the studio or at your computer if operating remotely 10 minutes before you're due on air.
- Check your microphone, get it positioned correctly
- Set levels. get your first track lined up on pre fade
- Check the technicals , Have your taken control from other operator/computer/studio
- Use the stations imaging jingles correctly
- Use the stations tagline or mission statement correctly
- Remember the Mic Live light must be obeyed
- Make sure any studio guests understand the rules
- Watch what you say : imagine the mic's are always live
- Do not fade songs that end.
5: Appreciate your audience
Whats do know about this person
- ...Whats their name
- ...What do they do?
- ... What might their hobbies or interests be?
- ...What newspaper might they read?
- And, What Radio station do they listen to?
6 :The 60 second Link
Before you "open wide".....
Engage your brain!
One link , one thought!
Know what you are going to say!
Simple Thoughts, Simply ExpressedDont Confuse the listener
Be positive and informative
Try and be natural, yourself,warrm and friendly and your audience will appreciate it.
But above all. HAVE FUN.