MCM 101: Foundation of Broadcasting and Film

Lecture 5: Radio Production Facilities and Equipment

Introduction
A radio station needs to put in place appropriate facilities for programme transmission. The studios
and control rooms must be well equipped with functional equipment for high fidelity transmission.
This study session will look at the elements of radio transmission and the types of studio facilities
and equipment vital for radio programme production.

5.1 Elements of Radio Production

i. Human voice: The main stay in any radio programme is the human voice. We hear the voice of
broadcast professionals like newsreaders, announcer, narrators, presenters, etc. reading the news,
in discussion, interview and talk shows giving us information, education and entertainment with
persuasion as well. That is because of the quality of their voice and the proper use of it. They rely
on the quality of their elocution and enunciation to communicate effectively to the listeners. Their
programmme should be appropriately scripted in a conversational style, and then voiced for the
microphone to pick it for transmission.

ii. Music: Music is said to be the soul of radio. There are lots of radio programmes that solely
musical in nature. Music:
i. serves as programme signature tunes
ii. Breaks monotony and boredom by making programme presentation lively.
iii. Music is used to set various mood effect of excitement, sadness, fear, etc.
iv. can suggest scenes and locations and depict time. For example, you have to create a bright
early morning situation.

iii. Sound effects: Sound effects give meaning and sense of location and mood. It adds realism to
a programme and helps a listener to use imagination.

5.2 Radio Studio Equipment

A number of equipment are used for producing and transmitting programmes from a radio station.
Without this equipment, the concept of radio and its activities cannot be met. By definition,
equipment are all the materials installed in the studio for the production of programmes, starting
from furniture to digital equipment.

Some of the most common radio equipment are:

i. Transmitter: This is an antenna like installation from which broadcast signals of a station are
beamed out. The transmitter has different range of coverage some go very far which are called
short wave (SW) signals others are medium wave (MW). Without a transmitter mounted at a
station, Radioactivity becomes a difficult proposition.

ii. Studio: Studios for transmission or rehearsal/recording may consist simply of a single room
containing all the equipment, including one or more microphones. This arrangement is designed
for use by one person and is called a self-operation or self-op studio. Where two or more rooms
are used together, the room with the mixer and other equipment is often referred to as the control
room or cubicle, while the actual studio – containing mostly microphones – is used for
interviewees, actors, musicians, etc. If the control cubicle also has a mic it may still be capable of
self-operation. In any area, when the mic is faded up the loudspeaker is cut and monitoring must
be done on headphones.

iii. The studio desk, mixer, control panel, console or board: Most studios will include some kind
of audio mixer – analogue, digital or fully computerized. This is essentially a device for mixing
together the various programme sources, controlling their level or volume, and sending the
combined output to the required destination – generally either the transmitter or a recorder.

iv. Computers: Capable of recording, editing, storing and replaying audio material in digital form,
computers offer very high quality sound and immediate access to any part of the programme held.
The computer in this context is used in two different ways:

v. Digital audio workstation: This facility is likely to be in a small area separate from the studio.
It could be a ‘stand alone’ terminal complete in itself, or be fully integrated with a network
computer system. . It comprises an audio mixer, one source of which is the microphone, a computer
and keyboard, and a unit for picking up incoming digital ISDN lines. Alternatively, the mixer
could be supplied. with feeds from the local newsroom, a remote studio, outside broadcast or
incoming telephone call. This arrangement can therefore be used for local voice recording,
interviewing someone at a remote source, editing material or correcting levels of an already
recorded mix. It is an ideal arrangement for mixing items to create a short self-op news package.

vi. Microphones: For our voice to be recorded in a studio, we use a microphone. You might have
used or at least seen microphones. They amplify or in other words ,increase the volume of your
voice. When you speak before a microphone, you don’t have to shout. You speak normally and it
will be made louder if you use a loudspeaker to listen to. When we think of radio, the microphone
is the most important element using which you present your programme.
There are three main types of microphones and they are known by their directivity. As you go
through the following text, you will understand the term ‘directivity’.

a. Uni-directional microphone: As the name suggests, this microphone picks up sound from
one direction. As you speak in front of it, your voice is picked up. If you speak from the
other side of the microphone, your voice will not be picked up properly. In a radio studio,
the announcers, presenters and newsreaders use this type of a microphone. A microphone
is very sensitive and you need to use it carefully.
b. Bi-directional microphone: Here again as the name (bi) suggests, the voice or sound is
picked up from two directions. If you are recording an interview in a radio studio, you may
use this type of a microphone.
c. Omni-directional microphone: Omni-directional microphone picks up sound from all
directions. It is common to see it being used for radio drama and discussion programme to
capture multiple without having to setup many microphone for individuals in the studio or
production area.
d. There are many other types of microphones, which come in different sizes and lengths. If
you watch television programmes, you may find a small microphone clipped on the collar.
, e.g. the lapel microphone which is a uni-directional microphone that is attached to the
collar. There is the long microphones called gun microphones used in sports production,
and are usually omni-directional in nature. There are also cordless microphones with a
portable inbuilt transmitter to send the sound signal to an amplifier.

vii. Tape recorder: The broadcast control room houses a tape recorder that looks like the consumer
model open reel-to-reel recorders. There will normally be at least two to allow playing one tape
right after another. Recorders in the studios are larger and can record 4, 2, 16, 24 or 32 separate
tracks on tape that may be up to 2 wide. There may be a number of these tracks to a 2 track or
single track monaural tape from which tape from which a record will be made.

viii. Patch panel: This is found in most control rooms, the patch panel is a series of jacks that are
connected to various points in the control room. Using a patch cord, a signal can be routed from
one point to another much like the older telephone exchanges used cords to connect phones
together. The patch may be used to connect any source into the console or it may serve in
emergencies to route audio around a defective piece of equipment.
ix. Monitor Speakers: Essential to any production is the ability to hear what is being done. A good
monitor system allows the producer to carefully evaluate the quality of what is being recorded or
broadcast.
x. Turntable: Two or more turntable allows the engineer to cue one record while another is playing.
xi. Cartridge Tape: Broadcast stations use cartridge for announcements, music, commercials and
news stories. They are also useful in production of music and sound effects.