Radio Broadcast Terminology
You would do well to familiarize yourself with a few common insider radio broadcast terms if you plan to work, intern or spend a considerable amount of time in a radio studio.
Other People Are Reading
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Equipment
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The "board" refers to the radio studio's broadcast console. This is the futuristic-looking device, which resembles a small- to medium-sized rectangular-shaped tabletop, with all of the buttons, knobs, flashy lights and fader sliders that the radio producer or deejay uses to run the show.
Producer Lingo
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If you're running the board at a radio station and the deejay asks you to "pot up" his mic, he's asking you to raise the volume level of his microphone so he can talk on-air. But if you pot up the fader for his mic too much you might notice that your levels are "hot." This means that your audio signal level is too far above 0 dB. "Dead air" is unplanned silence.
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Identifications
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A radio "sweeper" is a brief, prerecorded, transitional radio promo. A "legal ID" can sound similar to a radio sweeper except, per FCC (Federal Communications Commission) regulations, this type of promo must identify the station's full call letters, broadcast frequency and city of license.
Other
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A "spot" is a commercial. A "spot break" or "stop set" is a commercial break. The commercial, program or operational "log" refers to various types of written record. "Copy" is a written script to be read over the air.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit table de mixage radio image by pucci raf from Fotolia.com
