BROADCASTING: AN OVERVIEW

Broadcasting is the distribution of audio and/or video content to a dispersed audience via
any electronic mass communications medium, but typically one using the electromagnetic
spectrum (radio waves), in a one-to-many model.
Broadcasting began with AM radio broadcasting which sprang up spontaneously
around 1920. Before this, all forms of electronic communication, radio, telephone, and
telegraph, were “one-to-one”, with the message intended for a single recipient.
The term “broadcasting”, borrowed from the agricultural method of sowing seeds in a
field by casting them broadly about, was coined by either KDKA manager Frank Conrad or
RCA historian George Clark around 1920 to distinguish this new activity of “one-to-many”
communication; a single radio station transmitting to multiple listeners.
Over the air Broadcasting is usually associated with radio and television, though in
practice radio and television transmissions take place using both wires and radio waves. The
receiving parties may include the general public or a relatively small subset; the point is that
anyone with the appropriate receiving technology can receive the signal.
U.S. Code of Federal Regulations, title 47, part 97 defines “broadcasting” as
“transmissions intended for reception by the general public, either direct or relayed”. Private
or two-way telecommunications transmissions do not qualify under this definition.
Transmission of radio and television programs from a radio or television station to
home receivers over the spectrum is referred to as OTA (over the air) or terrestrial
broadcasting and in most countries requires a broadcasting license. Transmissions using a
combination of satellite and wired transmission, like cable television (which also retransmits
OTA stations with their consent), are also considered broadcasts, and do not require a license.
Transmissions of television and radio via streaming digital technology have increasingly been
referred to as broadcasting as well, though strictly speaking this is incorrect.

1.1 HISTORY
The earliest broadcasting consisted of sending telegraph signals over the airwaves, using
Morse code. This was particularly important for ship-to-ship and ship-to-shore
communication, but it became increasingly important for business and general news
reporting, and as an arena for personal communication by radio amateurs (Douglas, op. cit.).
Audio broadcasting began experimentally in the first decade of the 20th century. By
the early 1920s radio broadcasting became a household medium, at first on the AM band and
later on FM.

1
 Television broadcasting started experimentally in the 1920s and became widespread
after World War II, using VHF and UHF spectrum.
Satellite broadcasting was initiated in the 1960s and moved into general industry usage
in the 1970s, with DBS (Direct Broadcast Satellites) emerging in the 1980s.
Originally all broadcasting was composed of analog signals using analog transmission
techniques but more recently broadcasters have switched to digital signals using digital
transmission.
In general usage, broadcasting most frequently refers to the transmission of
information and entertainment programming from various sources to the general public.

1.2 METHODS OF BROADCASTING

Historically, there have been several methods used for broadcasting electronic media audio
and/or video to the general public:
• Telephone broadcasting (1881–1932): the earliest form of electronic broadcasting (not
counting data services offered by stock telegraph companies from 1867, if ticker-tapes are
excluded from the definition). Telephone broadcasting began with the advent of
Théâtrophone (“Theatre Phone”) systems, which were telephone-based distribution systems
allowing subscribers to listen to live opera and theatre performances over telephone lines,
created by French inventor Clément Ader in 1881. Telephone broadcasting also grew to
include telephone newspaper services for news and entertainment programming which were
introduced in the 1890s, primarily located in large European cities. These telephone-based
subscription services were the first examples of electrical/electronic broadcasting and offered
a wide variety of programming.
• Radio broadcasting (experimentally from 1906, commercially from 1920); audio signals
sent through the air as radio waves from a transmitter, picked up by an antenna and sent to a
receiver. Radio stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast common radio
programs, either in broadcast syndication, simulcast or subchannels.
• Television broadcasting (telecast), experimentally from 1925, commercially from the
1930s: an extension of radio to include video signals.
• Cable radio (also called “cable FM”, from 1928) and cable television (from 1932): both
via coaxial cable, originally serving principally as transmission media for programming
produced at either radio or television stations, but later expanding into a broad universe of
cable-originated channels.
• Direct-broadcast satellite (DBS) (from circa 1974) and satellite radio (from circa 1990):
meant for direct-to-home broadcast programming (as opposed to studio network uplinks and
downlinks), provides a mix of traditional radio or television broadcast programming, or both,
with dedicated satellite radio programming.

2
• Webcasting of video/television (from circa 1993) and audio/radio (from circa 1994)
streams: offers a mix of traditional radio and television station broadcast programming with
dedicated internet radio.

1.3 ECONOMIC MODELS

There are several means of providing financial support for continuous broadcasting:
• Commercial broadcasting: for-profit, usually privately owned stations, channels, networks,
or services providing programming to the public, supported by the sale of time to advertisers
for radio or television advertisements during or in breaks between programs, often in
combination with cable or pay cable subscription fees.
• Public broadcasting: usually non-profit, publicly owned stations or networks supported by
license fees, government funds, grants from foundations, corporate underwriting, and
audience memberships and/or contributions, or a combination of these.
• Community broadcasting: is designed to fulfil social and cultural needs by allowing
members of the audience to participate in decisions about programming and, in the case of
radio, in the ownership of stations. It serves local communities, reflecting the diversity of their
views and needs, and provides access to volunteer participants.

1.4 RECORDED BROADCASTS AND LIVE BROADCASTS

The first regular television broadcasts started in 1937.
Broadcasts can be classified as “recorded” or “live”. The former allows correcting errors,
and removing superfluous or undesired material, rearranging it, applying slow motion and
repetitions, and other techniques to enhance the program. However, some live events like
sports television can include some of the aspects including slow motion clips of important
goals/hits, etc., in between the live television telecast.
A disadvantage of recording first is that the public may know the outcome of an event from
another source, which may be a "spoiler". In addition, prerecording prevents live radio
announcers from deviating from an officially approved script.
Many events are advertised as being live, although they are often “recorded live” (sometimes
called "live-to-tape"). This is particularly true of performances of musical artists on radio when
they visit for an in-studio concert performance. Similar situations have occurred in television
production and news broadcasting.
A broadcast may be distributed through several physical means. If coming directly from the
radio studio at a single station or television station, it is simply sent through the
studio/transmitter link to the transmitter and hence from the television antenna located on
the radio masts and towers out to the world. Programming may also come through a

3
communications satellite, played either live or recorded for later transmission. Networks of
stations may simulcast the same programming at the same time, originally via microwave
link, now usually by satellite.
Distribution to stations or networks may also be through physical media, such as magnetic
tape, compact disc (CD), DVD, and sometimes other formats. Usually these are included in
another broadcast, such as when electronic news gathering (ENG) returns a story to the
station for inclusion on a news programme.
The final leg of broadcast distribution is how the signal gets to the listener or viewer. It may
come over the air as with a radio station or television station to an antenna and radio receiver,
or may come through cable television or cable radio (or "wireless cable") via the station or
directly from a network. The Internet may also bring either internet radio or streaming media
television to the recipient, especially with multicasting allowing the signal and bandwidth to
be shared.
The term "broadcast network" is often used to distinguish networks that broadcast an over-
the-air television signals that can be received using a tuner (television) inside a television set
with a television antenna from so-called networks that are broadcast only via cable television
(cablecast) or satellite television that uses a dish antenna. The term "broadcast television" can
refer to the television programs of such networks.

1.5 DO YOU WANT THE JOB?

They made it clear that while you may not become rich doing the work, your life would be
exciting.
That is how a school student summed it up for every hopeful broadcast journalist when she
wrote about what her tutors told her.
The adrenalin rush keeps me going. No two days have ever been the same.
. . . and that is what a veteran learned.
Ask yourself these questions. Am I a curious person? Do I ask about people, processes, events
and how things happen? Am I skeptical sometimes? Do I like the sound and images of life
and human activity: action, conflict, harmony, delight, emotion, surprise or shock? Can I
write words that are to be spoken and under stood immediately? Can I write in sentences that
offer one thought at a time? Words that fit with sound or moving pictures? If not, can I learn
to do that? If you start by ticking Yes to these, then you do go for it.
Forget nine to five or the comfort of routines. Then the stress, flogging to meet constant
deadlines because the broadcasting world never sleeps, and spending time on dubious blogs
and social media trying to work out what’s real and what is not and who is real and who is a
hoaxer or downright liar. Add some disrupted family life, or your social life is disturbed
because you leave the party when you hear that a helicopter has crashed into the Town Hall.
Sometimes you spend your time waiting, in case something . . . happens!

4
But you might think: I can make money in banking, or in a new social media start up. You
could have your own news website from your bedroom – but who wants to see it and why?
Can you make money from it? Do you know what to write anyway? Many wannabe broadcast
journalists are aware only of reporters and presenters. But those are not the only jobs.
Your career route could start out with a job with the word ‘assistant’ or ‘trainee’ in the title
but then later jobs might variously be described as: newsroom producer/ script-editor/field
producer/multimedia producer/video-journalist/website editor/ bureau producer/social
media content producer or output producer.
Many broadcast journalists soon decide they prefer production to reporting and take a route
which eventually leads to an editor position with people management responsibilities and
control over the entire direction and style of a programme, station, channel or network.
Nor should you think it’s only the national channels or networks that matter.
Local is often the best place to start a career and some broadcast journalists stay in their home
country or region for their entire career – they know everything and everyone in town is a
contact. People can get more passionate about local issues than anything that goes on in global
affairs.
You need to have:
 curiosity about everything from your town to the entire world – an information-scout.
Combined with a good sense of pictures and sound – understanding how they can
show or tell a story in a way that words alone may not.
 digital literacy. A skeptical attitude that includes double or triple checking information.
You understand the abilities or limitations of mobile devices for news gathering, user-
generated content (material the public sends) and, for TV and websites, big data
graphics, visuals and maps.
 an understanding that Google or Wikipedia are not faultless research tools but can be
used only as a guide to look further and deeper.
 an ability to generate and develop ideas and to check that you have the facts to back
them.
 an ability to communicate quickly and clearly in a team, especially with fast-moving
online and social media working methods in a newsroom.
 knowledge of media law: defamation, copyright, court reporting, intellectual property.
You know that rumor is not news.
Personal qualities include:
 initiative, commitment, self-motivation and energy;
 drive and resilience under pressure;
 flexibility and adaptability to cope with changing priorities;
 ability to be a good editorial all-rounder.

5
Underpinning all of these are two abilities wired into the minds of everyone in the news
operation: writing skills and an understanding of the needs of the audience no matter what
technology is used.
Broadcast news is about showing and hearing people and events, or processes that affect
people. The best storytelling takes the audience on a journey. It says – come with me and look
or listen to this.
For radio and TV they hear it or see it or both, so make sure you get it into their heads first
time. If they have to go to the bother of hearing/seeing it two or three times then the words
and the content have failed.
You must have sound and picture aware ness. The team at BBC’s Radio One’s news service,
Newsbeat, can write, present, report, shoot and edit their own films – that is as well as their
regular radio slots.
You must have an ear for sounds that help a story. Not just people talking but the sound of
protest or joy, or birds and bells in the distance. You have to have an eye for an image that
explains a story – that could be just a few seconds that crystallise a moment, like a kite flying
in a clear blue sky in a place where kite flying was once banned.
Writing for broadcasting is not a natural process in which you just write sentences in your
usual way. For The Job you will obviously have done a lot of writing and enjoy the power of
words. You read lots of news, books, maybe poetry. Sometimes you read something and you
can think: I love that sentence and I wish I’d writ ten a sentence like that. And one day, you
will.
A nineteenth-century time-traveler would probably understand most of what is said today,
but might think a website is a place where spiders are kept as pets. For a job in broadcasting
you should have an interest in words to be spoken and their precise meaning. In any language.
To be a broadcast journalist you will start with this interest and over several years you will
begin to have discussions with colleagues about single words in a script. It is not uncommon
in newsrooms to hear someone say, ‘what’s another word for . . .?’ and hear if anyone replies
with either a useful response, or says ‘look it up’ or just offers some quotation from Ernest
Hemingway or George Orwell.
Indeed, there can be quite lively discussions among broadcast journalists about the use or
meaning of a single word. Someone starts it off and then everyone else joins in a prolonged
debate about whether ‘that word is unacceptable’ or ‘what a terrible cliché he used in that
report. . .’ and another expression once heard was ‘any noun can be verbed . . .’ as the
discussion gets louder. The public get involved as well.

6
FIRST PUSH
Being a brilliant world-beater is not enough. You have to prove how good you are: market
yourself, persuade them they will miss out if they don’t agree to see you. To succeed you need
wit, charm, subtlety, persistence – and heaps of talent. Broadcasting is an industry of many
villages. By the time a job is advertised an editor might already have a candidate lined up, so
you should make your play before the job ads appear. The candidate-lined-up has to be . . .
you.
 Plan your campaign. Make sure you are easy for potential employers to find. You
could send a link to a demonstration recording of your work and curriculum vitae (CV)
or resume. A demo could include a three-minute radio bulletin followed by a topical
interview of no longer than two and a half minutes and a sparkling news report of the
same length. It should be professionally presented and labelled. If you do a television
demo make sure it is well lit.

 If you send a traditional written and printed CV/resume this should be no more than
two pages. A simple format is best – a kaleidoscope of colours is irritating to read. It
should give your name and email, relevant broadcast experience (including any
freelance work), broadcast training, educational qualifications, any language skills,
brief relevant details of previous employment, whether you hold a driving license, a
note of personal interests, achievements and the names and addresses of two referees.
 Use a clear classic font such as Arial, Times New Roman or Garamond and tailor
it to suit each application. So have: at least ten point size and one-inch margins;
black on white; consistent spacing; name and contact details on every page.

 Research organizations. Tailor your application or approach whether it is internship,

work experience, freelance work or a contract.

 Connect with potential employers who you’ve met, perhaps at a school careers event,
on campus or social networking sites.

 Be aware of what you are putting online that potential employers could see. You need
to have what some professionals call a hygienic background, which means a
professional and clean social media presence. Be cautious about what you post,
including pictures.

 Small and large broadcasters have a culture – find out about that. Some say they have
‘values’ – find out. Even find out how people dress, or what they talk about. Where do
they go nearby outside their buildings for coffee breaks? Go and watch and listen. Sit
there as if you are doing something on your laptop. Do not behave like a creepy spy –
even though that is what you are doing. This is reasonable job research.

7
Presenter of the Radio 4 Today programme, Sarah Montague says:
Go to your local newspaper, television or radio station and ask if you can make the coffee unpaid,
or else generally make yourself useful. I went to Channel Television and offered to make the coffee
for two weeks, and that’s how I got into journalism. I can’t remember ever making a single cup
though, because as soon as I got my foot in the door, I got to go out and cover stories.
The novelist and writer, Robert Harris, went into the profession at 21:
If you haven’t got the nous to talk your way into journalism, then you probably haven’t got the
nous to be a journalist. To that extent, the profession is self-selecting. Persistence pays. There isn’t
a conspiracy to keep good people down. And, contrary to popular myth, people are very generous
in journalism. Once you’ve got your foot in the door, you get a lot of help from old lags.
Television and radio presenter Jeremy Vine says you should never take no for an answer and
never stop knocking on doors:
Be very aware of what you want to do – people come into my studio and say they want to work
there and it transpires they’ve never even heard the programme. Volunteer for everything; don’t
just work for the rota – come in on your days off. We get students who come in to watch the
programme, and they’re thinking: ‘Should I offer to do something?’ and we’re looking at them,
thinking: ‘Why haven’t they offered?’ But it’s up to them to force their way on to the programme.
Richard Porter started on a local newspaper and eventually was responsible for the BBC
World News channel:
I started at my local newspaper, the Newbury Weekly News. I answered an advert for a trainee
after an unspectacular set of A-level results. That was in 1981 and I spent three years being
indentured, and going on block release for my NCTJ proficiency qualification. By 1989 I was
working on the Western Daily Press in Bristol. Then I joined the BBC in Bristol, working on its
evening regional Points West programme as a producer. I then worked my way around the BBC
in Newcastle, Leeds and Manchester, before joining News 24 when it launched in 1997. In 2001
I became editor of Breakfast News – horrible hours but I’ve barely ever worked nine to five. Three
years later I moved over to BBC World News, and I’ve spent the past decade working in various
roles in the BBC’s international news division. I now have responsibility for the BBC World
News channel and bbc.com/news (the digital services outside the UK). My advice now would be
to go to do the very best you can academically, but combine that with experience and commitment
which you can demonstrate to any employer. You have to stand out from the crowd, and showing
your experience writing for a student newspaper or creating your own website is highly relevant.
And it might sound obvious, but make sure you’ve watched or read or listened to as much output
as possible of the organization you are writing to/applying for. I still remember the interviewer
for my first ever BBC job telling me how impressed he was that I had obviously done my
homework on them.

8
Everything so far applies whether you are seeking a place on a training scheme, a first job,
studying for a broadcast journalism degree, working in print or online journal ism but want
to go into broadcasting or want to work freelance.
For freelance exposure do not limit yourself to Facebook or LinkedIn, although you could
set up your own website. Get business cards. Go to networking events about broadcast
journalism. Target the right people when you pitch ideas. It should be obvious what specialist
programmes about food, cars, travel or science are interested in hearing about.
The work market is crowded but is always getting bigger. Never restrict your aims to familiar
broadcasters. There is a lot of cross-media journalism in newspapers and there are journalism-
based sites like Digital Spy. There can be paid broadcasting work in the many offices of global
organizations, public/press relations agencies, government departments and the bigger
charities.
If you already know some freelance journalists ask them for their insight and experience. It is
an undeniable truth that getting work also often depends on luck, and on who you know. Tell
everyone. Tell your friends. You never know who knows who.

MULTITASKING
Carrying out multiple tasks are part of all broadcast operations. Everyone new to the business
is expected to be able to deliver material on all platforms.
As far as a career is concerned, any separation between radio, television and social media or
online news has vanished. Multimedia delivery used to be a trend. Now it is entrenched into
all broadcast media. When the newcomer is not expected to work as a part of a team, she’s
expected to also work independently. It’s not a contradiction. Breaking news means all hands
to the task, and yet minutes later she has a specific job to do, such as getting maps or graphics
into the system without any spelling errors on place names. Channels damage their credibility
with even small errors.
That does not mean that a career decision must be based on courses or training with the title
‘multimedia’ because the reality is that if you study radio or go immediately into television
you will find yourself writing for the website anyway and providing video, audio and graphics.
Many television news services also provide radio, and vice-versa, so the old silos have broken
down.
Look at any broadcast journalism job advertisement anywhere in the world and the
description will be very generic, containing sentences which will mention that the job will ask
you to work ‘flexibly’ across the full range of accepted journalistic work, including cross-
platform and multimedia. You will be asked: ‘Do you have any story ideas?’ For a story idea
for broadcasting you can ask yourself:
 Why is this idea important?
 What’s stopping me?

9
  Is it original, or a new way to look at a traditional subject?
 What would it sound like?
 What would it look like for television – what is there to point a camera at?
 Would my audience be interested in this? Is it something people will talk about?
Ideas that combine sound, pictures, graphics and words must be practical, achievable and
original. It means ideas for coverage. Ideas for stories, angles, interviews. It is useful to know
what the German writer and scientist Goethe said: ‘Everything has been thought of before.
The challenge is to rethink it.’
You will be asked for ‘story ideas’ or how you would fill a news programme on a day when
not much seems to be happening.
You will be asked this at an initial job interview, but if you do get the trainee position and
eventually a fulltime job this will continue.
The editorial meeting, where decisions are made at various times in the day, is the place for
original debate and what is often called creative tension. The newcomer may find that modest
silence is fine for a few days – but soon will be expected to take part in what is essentially a
democratic process where the newcomer can have as good an idea as the veteran. These
meetings also aim to test accuracy, impartiality and balance of coverage.
All large news organizations hold a daily meeting of senior news staff and probably a second
meeting later in the day. Smaller programme meetings are also held and everyone can
contribute. Special meetings may also be held each week to look forward to planned coverage.
This is also a chance to get a snapshot of audience feedback from the website.
One weekly planning meeting at a British TV channel was discussing how to do a story about
research into the development of a contraceptive pill for men. The usual ideas came along:
interview the scientists in Zurich, get pictures of the laboratories, graphics on how they might
work.
This went on for five minutes until the editor pointed out that there were six males and four
females in the room. He went around all the men and asked each one of them if they would
take this pill? It was a simple question, and therefore unavoidable.
Some of the men said they would ‘rather’ not. That, he told the meeting, could be the story.
Will men take it? Nobody had mentioned it. Everyone seemed wired into their technology
and conventional methods. The fact is that what make a good broadcast story is all around
you.
One potential trainee travelling to an interview saw some skateboarders and thought nothing
more about it. Of course she had a pile of story ideas already researched anyway. When those
were exhausted over about 20 minutes she was asked for more – the experienced journalist
doing the selection kept pressing onwards and upwards – more, more, more? More ideas
please?

10
‘I just saw some skateboarders in a park.’
‘So what about skateboarders?’
Then she was thinking fast.
Yet there is a basic technique.
Curiosity again.
You are being asked a question at the assessment or interview – so, you ask yourself the
questions.
Why do they enjoy skateboarding? What makes a good location or track? Do they get shouted
at by drivers? How much is a skateboard anyway? What are skateboards made from? Is there
such a thing as skateboard culture or lifestyle? Do they have their own websites? What sound
can I get? What pictures can I get? Could I tape a small camera onto a skateboard to get shots
of it moving across the concrete?
And then, you might need a reason to do a report about this. Something that makes it current,
new or of present interest. Perhaps the local council wants to ban them, or provide them with
a facility, or perhaps there is a big skateboard event coming up. Any of these things are enough
to give the audience a reason to be interested.
Just talk and think like this and you can come across as bold and interesting, which is what
the editor wants. Which bring us to . . .

INTERVIEWS
Preparation is everything, whether you are applying for a job or work experience. Know your
local radio and TV station and study their websites in detail. Be familiar with the output and
the style. Know about the area – its industry, people, politics and stories. Be familiar with the
news the station is running that day and have constructive comments to make about its output
and ideas on how to develop those stories. Just be well briefed in current affairs.
 Be prepared to face news writing or voice tests.
 Be early.
 Obviously, be smartly dressed.
 Be prepared for standard interview questions:
 Why do you want to work here?
 What can you offer us – give us examples of what you’ve done?
 How much do you use social media? What social media do you use? How
would you find someone? Tell me how to find a circus clown?
 What do you think of the website/channel/station output?
 What do you see yourself doing in five years?
 Do you work well in a team? Give an example?

11
  What three people anywhere in the world would you love to talk to and what
would you ask them?
 Be positive, lively, interesting and above all, enthusiastic. Sit up straight. Do not
mumble. Do not talk in the Interrogative – raising your voice at the end of sentences
as if life is a question.

Factual Interview Questions and Initiative Testing

There can also be direct factual questions that the candidate cannot possibly know the exact
answer to but has to demonstrate a journalistic ability to think in a positive or intuitive way.
Sometimes these questions can seem very unusual but they have a point. When this happens
you would not be asked – how would you find out how many surgeons there are in Germany?
You might be asked, quite bluntly – How many surgeons are there in Germany? Or Glasgow.
Or New York. Or Smallville.
You do not whip out your phone and try to access Wikipedia. You do not say, ‘I have no
idea’ or ‘How am I supposed to know that?’ and you do not sit in silent panic.
The person asking the question probably has no idea how many surgeons there are in
Germany. Here the rule about never guessing or making assumptions takes on a new
direction.
So you could say, ‘I will find out if there is a professional body for surgeons in Germany and ask them’
or you could say that you think on average there is probably one surgeon for every 10,000
people and the population of Germany is about 80 million. That may be wrong of course but
if you get that far the editor might be happy with your demonstration of initiative.
Simple factual questions for vacancies or trainee posts on local TV/radio stations might be
about local issues, politicians, sport teams or club managers, prominent buildings, people or
places or recent news events.
One local radio editor in the UK was in the habit of asking a few quick-fire questions like this
and then ending with, ‘Fine OK. Who is the President of France?’ You might have thought
you would not be asked that question for work at a small town local station. Either you know,
or if not then a reasonable response would be, ‘I don’t know, but I can find out very quickly.’
Assessments and Tests
You should be told in advance if there is to be any kind of test, but that does not always
happen. Larger broadcasters can have an entire assessment day for many applicants for
trainee schemes.
A group task is usual, often about pitching different multiplatform content ideas around a
single news event. It means having ideas for television and radio news and the website and
social media. There might also be a deadline for all this.

12
You could be given a pile of statements, figures and quotations. Then a time period – and a
word limit – to write a news story and a headline based on that infor mation. To make it just
like reality, the assessment people will then start giving you more information which changes
the direction of the story you had started writing.

FORMAL AND PRACTICAL TRAINING FOR BROADCAST JOURNALISM

Good training means a chance to do practical things and to make your mistakes before you
get anywhere near real airtime.
There is no single or simple route into broadcast journalism. There are many different types
of journalism and ways in which journalism skills can be applied but doing a journalism
course in higher education can open the first door. This should provide a broad, if not a full,
range of journalism skills and the technical skills which are so important in multiplatform
journalism and fit into different media organizations.
Courses which are devoted specifically to broadcast journalism are likely to include plenty of
writing, radio and TV production, putting programmes together, reporting, video-journalism
and IT skills, media law, regulatory and ethical issues.
Undergraduate courses now teach across print, broadcasting and online journalism to match
the converged nature of the industry.
Colleges and media organizations often go into schools to give students a chance to make
small news items, present news, learn about doing broadcast interviews and offer tips on ways
to enter the business.
In the meantime, there are some things you could do:
 Enter student journalism awards, at school, college, university or some that are
organized by broadcasters. Whether you actually win an award or not, just entering
will help you stand out from the crowd.
 Learn shorthand – that is how words can be represented as symbols so they can be
written as fast as they are spoken. Many broadcast journalists did not bother with
shorthand because they felt they did not need it. It is not essential, but could give you
an advantage.
 Consider your Unique Selling Point – your USP. Do you have an unusual talent? Have
you done something unusual? What’s special about you? It could be something that
shows practical skills. Or unusual experiences either in work or just personal. This can
make you an interesting candidate and show potential.
 Note phrases you should avoid: ‘I am good with people . . . I am enthusiastic. . . people
say I’d look good on TV . . .’ These are phrases they have heard over and over again.
You would probably be better off saying, ‘. . . people say I’m nosy . . .’ Write down
your reasons for wanting to go into broadcast journalism, memorize them and
consider what follow-up questions you could be asked.

13
  Make it simple for people to find any work you have done, such as a link to your CV
and also any items you have written, or anything you have recorded and/or filmed.
You could also have a well-maintained blog. It can be very simple but should have a
professional look and with good writing skills on show.
 Be a news junkie. Read, listen and watch. All the time. From local news to global.
 Read poetry. It has an economy with words and an almost musical application to word
use. This is useful for broadcast journalists who will use the spoken word in scripting.
Never be afraid of rejection. Do not give up. It can take many applications before you find
the work to suit you and that matches your skills and experience. Learn from your mistakes.
Some broadcasters may never reply. But you cannot be sure that one day, one of them will.

References:
Electronic Media and Broadcasting; Martinez, Sandra M.
Speaking into the Air; Peters, John Durham (1999). University of Chicago Press.
Inventor of Radio Broadcasting; Greb, Gordon; Adams, Mike (2003). Charles Herrold, McFarland. pp.
220–221.
Broadcast Journalism, Techniques of Radio and Television News 7th Edition; Ray Alexander, Peter
Stewart

Click http://thejournalisticview.com/history-of-broadcasting/ link to open resource.

Click http://thejournalisticview.com/why-enter-broadcasting/ link to open resource.

◄ Broadcasting Definition and History - Link

History of Radio in the Philippines - Link

This topic presents the brief history of radio broadcasting in the Philippines.
Click http://thejournalisticview.com/history-of-radio-in-the-philippines/ link to open resource.
◄ Activity 1 – Broadcast Story Ideas

The Birth of Philippine Television - Link

This article presents the summary of historical background of Philippine television.
Click http://thejournalisticview.com/the-birth-of-philippine-television/ link to open resource.

Broadcasting Ethics, Responsibilities and Law - Link

This article will give you an idea what ethical standards and responsibilities a broadcaster or a
broadcast journalist must practice.
Click http://thejournalisticview.com/broadcasting-ethics-responsibilities-and-law/ link to open
resource.
◄ The Birth of Philippine Television - Link

14
Radio Scriptwriting Tips - Link
Click http://thejournalisticview.com/radio-scriptwriting-tips/ link to open resource.
◄ Radio – Script and Newscast (PDF)

Elements of a Radio Program - Link

Click http://thejournalisticview.com/elements-of-a-radio-program/ link to open resource.
◄ Radio Scriptwriting Tips - Link

Types of Radio Programs - Link

Click http://thejournalisticview.com/types-of-radio-programs/ link to open resource.

Lingo Used in Radio Broadcasting

Click http://thejournalisticview.com/lingo-used-in-radio-broadcasting/ link to open resource.
◄ Types of Radio Programs - Link

Defining the Sound of the Station - Link

Click http://thejournalisticview.com/defining-the-sound-of-the-station/ link to open
resource.

Assignment: What is the Sound of your Radio Station?

You need to work together as a team in preparing a set of policy guidelines for the station,
on such issues as program formats, the schedule, music policy, and general procedures. You
will also need to undertake some research into radio audience studies and analysis, in order
to construct your program schedule and playlists against identified audience demographics.
You should attend and participate fully in meetings and group working sessions to agree
and decide.

As a team:
1. First discuss and reach an agreement about the following:

 What kind of station you want to be – define the unique brand personality that
makes your station different from others.
 What is your Mission Statement?
 What is your branding?
 What is your overall format and program schedule?
 What is your music and speech/news policy?

Create a power point presentation and upload it to the Moodle or to our Facebook
Group. Assign a member to do the presentation in our synchronous class.

15
2. Produce a station ID jingle. This must contain the name of the station and the broadcast
frequency. Any other slogan, vocalization, music bed etc. is up to you. It should work as an
aural logo or badge for your brand. It can be a minute or two minutes jingle.

Save the audio in MP3 or MP4 format. Upload it to Youtube or Facebook then comment the
link in the Moodle.

Deadline:

NOTE: Since this is a group assignment but you need to mark this as completed, just
comment or submit in the Moodle the names of your group leader and members and
the name of the radio station that you're group is representing. Only the Group
Leader will upload or submit to me the final output.

16