Audio Video Production
Radio Shows: Then and Now
Arts, AV and Technology Communication
Lesson Plan
Performance Objective
• Upon completion of this lesson, the student will develop an understanding of Radio as an
entertainment broadcasting medium.
Specific Objective
• Students will be able to define Radio terminology.
• Students will understand Radio as an entertainment broadcasting medium.
• Students will be able to create a ‘hot clock’ for a one-hour radio program.
Terms
Broadcasting, Narrow-casting, FCC, AM, FM, Hot Clock, Legal IDs, Station IDs, Drop-ins, Station Promos, Segue,
Call Signs / Letters, PSAs
Time
When taught as written, this lesson should take approximately 5 class periods to teach.
Preparation
TEKS Correlations:
This lesson, as published, correlates to the following TEKS. Any changes/alterations to the activities may result
in the elimination of any or all of the TEKS listed.
130.85. (c) Knowledge and Skills
(2) The student understands professional communications strategies. The student is expected to:
(A) adapt language for audience, purpose, situation, and intent such as structure and style;
(B) organize oral and written information;
(C) interpret and communicate information, data, and observations;
(D) present formal and informal presentations;
(E) apply active listening skills;
(11) The student develops a basic understanding of audio and video production. The student is expected to:
(A) understand the industry, including history, current practice, and future trends by:
(i) explaining the beginnings and evolution of audio, video, and film;
(ii) describing how the changing technology is impacting the audio, video, and film industries;
and
(iii) defining terminology associated with the industry.
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1
(12) The student understands the pre-production process. The student is expected to:
(A) identify critical elements in the pre-production stage;
(B) use technology applications to facilitate pre-production by:
(i) designing and implementing procedures to track trends, set timelines, and evaluate progress
for continual improvement in process and product.
(14) The student understands and post-production process. The student is expected to:
(D) use a variety of strategies to acquire information from online resources.
Interdisciplinary Correlations:
English-English I
• 110.31(b)(1). Reading/Vocabulary Development. Students understand new vocabulary and use it
when reading and writing.
• 110.3(b)(11). Reading/Comprehension of informational text/procedural texts. Students understand
how to glean and use information in procedural texts and documents.
• 110.53(b)(2)(B) employ precise language and technical vocabulary to communicate ideas clearly and
concisely
Occupational Correlation (O*Net – www.onetonline.org/):
Job Title: Program Director
O*Net Number: 27-2012.03
Reported Job Titles: Director, Newscast Director, Operations Director, Production Director, Program
Coordinator, Program Director, Program Manager, Programming Director, Station Manager
Tasks: Plan and schedule programming and event coverage, based on broadcast length, time availability, and
other factors, such as community needs, ratings data, and viewer demographics.
Coordinate activities between departments, such as news and programming.
Direct and coordinate activities of personnel engaged in broadcast news, sports, or programming.
Monitor and review programming to ensure that schedules are met, guidelines are adhered to, and
performances are of adequate quality.
Check completed program logs for accuracy and conformance with Federal Communications Commission
(FCC) rules and regulations and resolve program log inaccuracies.
Monitor network transmissions for advisories concerning daily program schedules, program content, special
feeds, or program changes.
Prepare copy and edit tape so that material is ready for broadcasting.
Confer with directors and production staff to discuss issues such as production and casting problems, budgets,
policies, and news coverage.
Develop ideas for programs and features that a station could produce.
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Accommodations for Learning Differences
It is important that lessons accommodate the needs of every learner. These lessons may be modified to
accommodate your students with learning differences by referring to the files found on the Special
Populations page of this website.
Preparation
• Review and familiarize yourself with the terminology, website links, and the ‘hot clock’ project.
• Download or showcase other examples of ‘hot clocks’ to show variety.
• Have materials and websites ready to go prior to the start of the lesson.
References
Aitkin, Hugh G. J. (1985). The Continuous Wave: Technology and the American Radio, 1900-1932. Princeton
University Press.
http://www.wpi.edu/about/history/radio.html
http://www.fcc.gov/logos
Instructional Aids
• Lesson: Radio Then and Now
• Slide Presentation: Radio Then and Now
• Radio Hot Clock Grading Rubric
• Radio Hot Clock Template (for each student)
• Instructor Computer/Projection Unit
• Online Websites (Teacher directed)
• Rulers and pencils
Introduction
1.
2.
3.
4.
Ask students about the radio stations they listen to most often.
Ask students to describe the formats of their favorite radio stations.
Discuss how radio broadcasts have changed over the years.
As an introduction to the lesson, “Radio: Then and Now”, write the words “Then” and “Now” as
headers on a white board or chart. Ask students to contribute ideas, terminology, or descriptions to
each header. Have a brief discussion to compare and contrast the two sides.
5. Explain that it was once thought that there were no such things as radio waves, invisible signals, which
travelled through the air. People didn’t believe those waves could carry information, but that is exactly
what a radio broadcast is.
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Outline
MI
Outline
Go through the slide presentation with
students. Discuss the following:
I: First Commercial Radio Station
a. KDKA in Pennsylvania
b. Narrow-casting vs Broadcasting
c. Nov. 2, 1920 was the first public
radio broadcast of Henry Davis
reading Presidential Election results
II: FCC Regulates Radio
a. FCC regulates frequencies & power
b. Radio stations have call signs
i. In US, station call sign letters
start with K west of the
Mississippi River and with W
to the east of the Mississippi
ii. There are exceptions
III: FCC Licensing
a. Radio stations must have an FCC
license to operate
i. Commercial
ii. Non-commercial
b. DJs must have a license too
i. Restricted Radiotelephone
Operator Permit
IV: AM & FM Radio
a. The first radio stations were AM
b. “Golden Age of Radio”
c. Characteristics of AM radio
d. Characteristics of FM radio
Instructor Notes
Note: The sinking of the Titanic
actually spurred much of the
development of radio.
Narrow-casting sends a radio
signal to one or two receivers as
in the case of ship-to-shore
radio. Broadcasting sends
general signal to many receivers.
Radio stations began popping up
all over and quickly needed to be
regulated to keep frequencies of
different stations from drowning
out each other. A system of call
signs/letters was developed to
label the stations.
This led to licensing by the FCC.
There are different types of
licenses. Most people don’t
know that DJs need to have a
license, which is called a
Restricted Radiotelephone
Operator Permit.
AM stands for amplitude
modulation. The “Golden Age of
Radio” occurred 20-30 years
before television.
FM stands for frequency
modulation and is usually a
higher quality audio signal than
AM, so FM is better for music.
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4
MI
Outline
V: Early Radio Broadcasts
a. First electronic mass entertainment
b. Not just news and weather
i. Radio serials, quiz shows,
commercially sponsored
variety hours and children’s
shows
c. Can you name some memorable
and/or pivotal radio broadcasts?
VI: Radio vs Television
a. With the advent of television, radio
ceased to be the main form of
family entertainment
b. Radio station Formats:
i. News
ii. Talk / Sports
iii. Music
VII: Everybody wants to be a DJ
a. DJ is the voice of the radio station
b. Other jobs include:
i. Station Manager
ii. Program Manager
iii. Producer
iv. Engineer
v. Advertising & Sales
VIII: Radio Stations Today
a. HD Radio (digital signal embedded on
the frequency of the radio station)
b. Internet Radio
i. Podcasts
ii. Internet only radio stations
iii. Satellite Radio (on internet)
iv. Radio on Cell Phones
Instructor Notes
Note: Listening to the radio
became a family event.
Families would sit in living rooms
every evening and listen to their
favorite radio programs such as:
The Lone Ranger, Laurel and
Hardy, and Fireside Chats with
FDR.
Other memorable broadcasts
include War of the Worlds and
the Hindenburg Disaster
reported live.
Even though it started out as
black and white, television easily
took the place of radio in the
home. Radio moved toward
being more informational with
music as main entertainment.
The Station Manager oversees
administration of the radio
station. The Program Manager is
in charge of the content of radio
station, and the Producer is
responsible for the quality of
production of that content. The
Engineer keeps the technical
aspects operational.
How many of you have HD radio
in your home or car?
Do you listen to radio on the
internet or your cell phone?
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Multiple Intelligences Guide
Existenti
alist
Interpers
onal
Intrapers
onal
Kinesthe
tic/
Bodily
Logical/
Mathema
tical
Musical/Rhyt
hmic
Natura
list
Verbal/Ling
uistic
Visual/Sp
atial
Application
Guided Practice
The teacher will go through the lesson and slide presentation including the example of a “Hot Clock”. Explain
that the elements are on a clock face rotating clock wise. Discuss the elements listed below:
•
•
•
•
•
•
The Legal ID (sometimes called the Station ID) is required by the FCC for all commercially licensed radio
stations. It includes the frequency, the call sign / letters and the city of the station’s operation.
A Segue is a ‘break’ in the normal programming, which the DJ uses to speak to the listening audience.
A Drop-In is a production element with the station’s name, call sign / letters and/or marketing and
positioning statement (tag line).
Commercial Breaks may have one or more commercials or sponsors. Each commercial is either
produced by the sponsor or the radio station. Commercials help pay for the day-to-day operating
expenses of a radio station.
Station Promo is a commercial for the radio station and/or one of its special programs.
PSA is a Public Service Announcement. It can be produced ahead of time or read live by the DJ.
*Note: The Hot Clock example is for a music station, so some of the elements represent the different
categories of music that a radio station might play.
Independent Practice
For independent practice, students will create their own Hot Clock using the Hot Clock Template to first
outline their elements and then draw lines to block off the time segments for each element.
Students will need to determine the type of station format they will use, and they will also need to find a
unique call sign using the FCC FM Broadcast station database located online:
http://www.fcc.gov/encyclopedia/fm-query-broadcast-station-search
Required elements for student-created Hot Clock:
•
•
•
•
A Legal ID/Station ID
Segues (more than one)
Drop-Ins (more than one)
3 different types of information (e.g. Local News, Gold track, Phone Lines for Caller Feedback, etc.)
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Remember each type of radio station will have different kinds of programming; Music, Talk, News, etc…
A radio station’s Hot Clock also varies depending on the hour of the day. For example the Hot Clock for a
morning show will be different from the 5pm-6pm drive time hour.
Students’ work will be assessed on creativity and appearance as well as completeness. Hot Clocks must be
legible. They must also include an outline and the call sign for the radio station.
Summary
Review
Review talking points and key terms from slide presentation.
Review the required elements for the student-created Hot Clocks.
Evaluation
Informal Assessment
Students will be informally assessed through the following methods :
• Instructor Observation during Guided Practice and Independent Practice
• Question and Answer during the Review
Formal Assessment
• Students will use the Hot Clock template to create their own Hot Clocks.
• Students’ completed work will be assessed using the Hot Clock Grading Rubric.
Enrichment
Extension
Students may listen to an approved one-hour program of a radio station and record the elements of the
station’s Hot Clock for that hour.
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Hot Clock Grading Rubric
Criteria
Completeness
(10 pts)
Basic
(30 points)
Understanding
(20 pts)
Creativity
(30 points)
Professional
Appearance
(10 pts)
Comments:
Exceptional
Above Average
Below Average
Unacceptable
9-10 points
5-8 points
1-4 points
0 points
Work is
complete and
presents a
unified whole.
Work is
complete, but
lacks unity.
Work is
incomplete.
No attempt was
made to produce
the document.
27-30 points
15-26 points
1-14 points
0 points
Hot Clock has
all the required
elements
properly placed
and the
programmed
elements fill up
the hour.
Hot Clock has
most of the
required
elements but
doesn’t fill up the
hour.
Hot Clock has
some of the
elements but is
really
incomplete.
Hot Clock has
none of the
required
elements.
17-20 points
9 -16 points
1-8 points
0 points
The student
used the
appropriate
elements for the
type of radio
station.
Student used
some appropriate
element for the
type of radio
station.
Student used
the wrong
elements for the
type of radio
station.
Student did not
use any elements
that represented
any type of radio
station.
27-30 points
15-26 points
1-14 points
0 points
Ideas are
original in
thought and
exceptionally
creative.
Ideas are
somewhat
original and
creative.
Limited
evidence of
creativity and
originality in
thought.
No evidence of
creativity or
originality in
thought or
execution of
project.
9-10 points
5-8 points
1-4 points
0 points
Excellent
project; neat
and professional
in appearance.
Good project.
Very few
corrections are
needed
Fair project.
Several errors
are evident.
Project is
unprofessional
and errors
distract
significantly.
TOTAL
POINTS:
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8
Points