how to manage a radio station
The induction should be formally organised, and offer an opportunity for the new volunteer to ask any questions about the station and its policies. You must maintain a steady pace, and to do that you must be aware of what your limitations are. Key Principles 2. Creativity, self-expression and the airing of alternative and unheard voices are all crucial to successful community radio. You can get great free entertainment for your event from a radio station, and the stations may be eager to get the free publicity. Just be careful not to allow yourself to become involved in a protracted quasi-legal dispute with one disgruntled individual. There is no official reason why a community radio station couldn’t be run entirely by unpaid volunteers, but our experience suggests it is impractical. Radio station managers take care of the business, technical, and administrative aspects of a radio station. You may also wish to include an agreement about the content of whatever radio the volunteer is making. Get noticed Much of it will be about what happens on air, with basic explanations of broadcast regulations and legislation around libel, obscenity etc and station policy on those standards, which may well be more strict (see Your Own Station Rules). To submit your questions or ideas, or to simply learn more, see our about us page: link below. This should be broadly and clearly set out in the terms and conditions agreed when an employment contract is signed, although the finer details may be agreed as a matter of ongoing management policies. The temptation to let lapses and breaches of the rules slip past is often very strong. A volunteer might make brilliant radio, represent alternative sections of your community, draw in large numbers of listeners, attend every volunteer meeting and always wash her coffee cup, but if she routinely swears on air or fails to lock the front door when leaving the station she is a liability. (see Motivation & Stress). Your management team needs to have or gain all the expertise required to fulfil your role as a community radio station. To reserve a frequency “At the current time there are no FM or AM frequencies available in the Gauteng area, says Tshifularo Sigwavhulimu”, Radio Frequency Specialist at ICASA. You need to be completely clear about the appropriate levels of involvement of the board. As a general rule, a community radio station needs to balance the rights of the individual volunteer with those of the group and the station as a whole. iOS. You may be in for a surprise. How is a radio station internally structured? Create and Manage a FREE Streaming Radio Station. Know when to talk, when to listen and when to act. If playback doesn't begin shortly, try restarting your device. Managing a broadcast radio station involves dozens of complex tasks. The relationship requires mutual respect, mutual awareness of responsibilities, needs and duties, and perhaps most importantly, mutual trust. Alternatively two or three part-time employees with different roles could replace one full time specialist. Fulfilling your obligations under employment laws, Drawing up binding, fair and effective employment contracts, Ensuring the health and safety of employees, Ensuring good systems of staff support, supervision and appraisal, Drafting and enforcing equal opportunities policies, Establishing and enforcing staff disciplinary and grievance procedures. But in the desire to achieve so much, it is all too easy to do too much. Volunteers become involved to help and support your station, not to be bossed around. On the other hand they must be aware of their duties and responsibilities. This means you can ensure consistency no matter how listeners enjoy your station. All the ‘community’ criteria apply but they might evolve differently. You are in control of your station if you are aware of everything that happens in your station, and have agreed to (or sometimes dictated) the activities of all your colleagues. Some time ago I’ve discovered Radiolize, which you can create and manage your entire radio station from cloud studio. It’s also worth bearing in mind that running a community radio station may cost somewhere between £50 and £100 per hour. Commercial and BBC stations often struggle to find recruits who aren’t identikit trust-funded, white, middle class, media studies graduates. Radio evangelists will promote your radio station shows for you by sharing socially online which builds trust for your station… Learn what they are so you can ensure none of the rules are violated. Radio Regen is currently negotiating a formal mentoring system with the BBC for our senior managers, which offers enormous value to our staff. In most cases – think of a community creche or older persons’ centre – attracting volunteers to serve tea or babysit toddlers is a difficult task. When you are struggling with few resources it is vital to have that goodwill. It’s not enough to say ‘thanks for your input’ and file the letter. iOS/Android: If you're a podcast junkie, you're probably always on the hunt for new shows, not to As the name implies, the Station Manager oversees just about everything that goes on at a radio station. Its uptake varies a lot depending where you are but it’s worth knowing about. You’ve got your key partners in place and you are ready to replicate the thrill of your RSL broadcasts for up to 24 hours a day, … No sane person likes having to discipline volunteers. If everything is very policy led and hierarchical, as soon as anything goes wrong, they are very likely to blame you and your structures. In this article, we’ll be looking at how you can better organise your schedule using the Programs module on the Radio Manager. Should explain what will happen if it is breached.. What the volunteer can expect from you in terms of support and training. Top of the list is usually admin work – completing project monitoring and evaluation forms for funders, generating and processing invoices, keeping track of bills and so on. Which is not to say that you can ‘use and abuse’ your volunteers because there’ll be another one along in a minute. header search input. So it is not enough to say ‘here are the rules. As the radio station manager, you would be expected to supervise the daily operations of our radio station. Creating your own radio station can be a lot of fun, and with Internet radio becoming more and more popular, anyone can create their own radio shows and voice their opinions. CloudRadio's beta auto DJ is currently available for sign up. They must know what they can expect from you, and the station must be clear what standards of commitment and behaviour is expected from volunteers. Today’s technology means that creating and broadcasting a program is possible for everyone — from a teenager with deejay dreams to a retiree with a history passion project. (see Basic Financial Management and subsequent sections). You need some recourse if you offer someone a show to present issues relating to the elderly, and that volunteer decides to play 60 minutes of heavy metal instead. The Community Media Association is the hub of the network, and if you actively involve yourself in that you will be able to meet and share experiences with a large number of colleagues in the community sector. You'll be responsible for seeing that everyone at the station complies with FCC regulations and federal and local laws. Pray. We will look at how the relationships within your station, between volunteers, staff and directors can be made to work for you rather than becoming problematic. Deal with complaints from listeners and advertisers. Typically, a group may begin as a purely voluntary project, but by the time it is receiving significant funding for training or community projects, it will feel the need to employ an administrator or project manager. Managers (even unpaid ones) needs absolute clarity about how they are expected to perform their function. Besides the rules concerning behaviour and broadcasting requirements, the induction should also explain: The induction is also a very good time to conduct your ‘skills and needs’ assessment – where you find out what the volunteer has to offer the station and what they need from it. What are the main roles within a radio? Is a valuable mix of experiences and abilities, Is just as important in community radio as anywhere else. Many Radio Stations are already taking advantage of broadcasting to these homes by getting Alexa to play their stations with a simple ‘Alexa, play My Radio Station’. There are few ways more convenient for BBC station directors to do this than involving themselves in community radio groups. STATION MANAGER. In practice that usually means a broad-based community partnership will form the Board of Directors and/ or steering group. Other breaches – such as failing to turn up for a scheduled show – might be best dealt with some version of a ‘three strikes and you’re out’ policy. Everyone should be clear about what – and who – they have responsibility for. Listen. The board are all-powerful, but should always remember that the secret of wielding power is knowing when not to use it. There should then be a clear chain of responsibility, if not command, all the way down to volunteers. If such problems are interfering with their ability to make radio, then you have an obligation to help them to access the help they need from specialist agencies or services. In May 2010, the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated the salary of a general manager … It can soak up as much energy and money as you have available, but marketing can be effective even with very limited resources. You want to offer a patient, understanding and supportive attitude to one individual, but you also need to run a safe, secure, successful community radio station for everyone else. For a sustainable, long-term future, professional management should be considered essential – which is not to say that volunteers shouldn’t be encouraged to be part of the management team. This is different to authority because it does not necessarily involve freedom to decide what is or is not done. In this way, the Station Manager is roughly equivalent to a traditional business’ COO, or Chief Operating Officer. Much of that work will be conducted by support workers, trainers, producers etc. Manage every aspect of your stations digital presence from a single portal. You're signed out. This brings community radio to a national audience, and hopefully other BBC stations will take this up as well.”. This may be particularly true with regards to your equal opportunities policy and offensive language. Update: there is a Memorandum of Understanding between the BBC and the CMA that basically asks the BBC to ‘do the right thing’ and give a lift to community stations (I summarise). Develop Listener Communication. Many of these topics are covered in great length in specialist textbooks. So turning their values and vision into efficient and effective day-to-day management is the key role of the manager or management team. They are often selfless, thankless tasks. . How to: Make a Radio Station - YouTube. Invest in radio station and scheduling software. Although setting up your radio station might not be that difficult, there are a lot of behind … Of course there will also be times when station staff do need to refer decisions up to Board level. The best starting point for the relationship between management and volunteers is a clear, extensive, mutually-agreed set of rules and responsibilities, ideally gathered into a signed volunteer agreement. Should be considered in much more depth than we can spare/do? In this chapter we will explain how to get the most from your volunteers and staff without anyone exhausting themselves or burning out. Managing a station is a 24/7 activity. You can upload your radio show as a podcast or as an internet radio station with a computer. Community radio stations are like ants’ nests at times, with volunteers bustling around each other and working in close proximity. Human resources management skills include: The practice of human resources management in the community radio sector should be no different to any other, so we shall swiftly move on. But now they have commissioned us to produce a weekly 30 minute programme that focuses on blind issues. Students create their own radio station to build real-world skills. Mixing Staff & Volunteers 3. Once you schedule a show in a station you can set specific episodes of the schedule and organise the... Add a … The online Auto DJ then broadcasts to your listeners 24/7 without any interruption. The role of each is different, and equally important. The radio server will then execute the programming dictated by the Radio Manager and make it available to listeners via the radio listening link. All of these factors require your internal communications to be working well. Of all the tasks undertaken by a community radio manager, establishing and maintaining successful training schemes, whether formal or informal, will probably be the most important. Here's an overview of what to expect when you manage a radio station. You can also consider using freelances for some roles that are ‘seasonal’ such as training. So again, effective communication with your volunteers is crucial – don’t presume because you’ve said something once that it’s been understood (see Volunteer Induction). But to be a good community radio station, a project also needs to be a good employer, a factor with even greater importance if your lack of resources requires a greater call on the goodwill of your station team. How to Start a Student Radio Station. Community groups generally have management (including the board and paid staff), volunteers and the clients who use the services they provide. That’s three or four people who between them may need to be project manager, administrator, trainer, accountant, secretary, community worker, youth worker, technician, publicist, producer, diplomat, fundraiser, social worker, counsellor, painter, decorator, carpenter, tea-maker, cleaner and, oh yeah, broadcaster. They didn’t volunteer to be abused, exploited or shouted at. (see Box **) This good will might even out last the renewal of the BBC’s Charter. Works with any device. That is probably a very healthy attitude. Is crucial to help you find listeners, volunteers and partners, Is not something to do once everything else is sorted out, May be nervous of you, especially smaller commercial stations, May decide you are extremely useful to them. The great community radio manager will also have: Most management is based upon structures, ensuring that the group or station is organised in a way that helps ensure efficient and effective activities. Videos you watch may be added to the TV's watch history and influence TV recommendations. Some breaches of the volunteer agreement – such as physical assault or vandalism – should probably carry an instant ban from the station. Give yourself time to iron out the wrinkles before you invite the town to tune in. But if as manager you are not aware of how your colleagues work, how they are making their decisions and the processes they use, you could find yourself in deep trouble when something goes wrong or one or two colleagues are suddenly taken ill or leave their job. Learn More → Maybe you feel like you have things worth saying in a public forum, or maybe you’ve just always loved the idea of being on the radio. It’s a very equal partnership, they haven’t been patronising at all. If someone is availing themselves of such a valuable resource they should be expected to act responsibly and behave decently. You are accountable if you are obliged to answer, explain or justify yourself to those who delegate authority and responsibility to you. Instead of just talking at your audience, build a two way connection. Then when she re-applies for her show she has a better grasp of routine, a better understanding of the problems caused by non-attendance, and because her skills have improved, she will enjoy making radio more and so be more motivated to attend. They can paint whatever they like, providing they do not exceed the limits. Once up and running, full-time community radio stations will typically employ staff with responsibilities broadly as follows: Usually those roles will be combined into a smaller number of positions, so one person might be employed as technician and volunteer support worker. You can’t run a station properly if you need to approach the Board for permission to buy a packet of paper clips or give a colleague a day off. What is the difference between a club DJ and a Radio DJ? That said, don’t wait until everything’s perfect – it never will be. So to really create your most awesome radio station ever, get to listening! The result is, hopefully, a long waiting list of would-be volunteers. It is vital that neither staff members or volunteers feel that one is ‘outranked’ by the other. They have been a wonderful resource for us and we have provided them with talent and good programming. Permanent broadcasting is an entirely different matter – like switching from running a sprint to a marathon. Take action to help you and your station stand out in a cluttered market. If you’re sending a CD, I recommend that you attempt to make a connection with the station or program host before you put a package together, and pony up the $3-$7 to mail something physical out. One tool to prepare and deliver radio shows, manage messages and phone calls, administer contests, and manage the station. Develop a financial plan by meeting with the owner, accounting department and other department heads to determine how funds should be allocated and what to expect in terms of revenue from the sales staff and other employees. Play your favorite AM & FM station's live broadcast instantly on RADIO.COM. Marketing 10. A community radio station should be managed by the community, from the community and for the community. Look at ads in trade magazines like "Radio & Records" for details on radio management software. MyStation allows you to manage the content on all of your digital platforms from a single portal. You work hard for your music income. The BBC is a public service broadcaster, and its remit goes beyond broadcasting to the public. Staff and key volunteers will soon find themselves invited to meeting and events every night of the week. The training you offer should fit the needs of your volunteers and offer them progression and personal development to whatever level their abilities and ambition allow. These are some of the questions that Anna Tur, director at Ibiza Global Radio, will reveal to the Aulart users. One industry that you should look into is radio stations. We will show how you can get the most value from your limited resources. It’s also not enough that you get these things right, you have to assure the volunteers that it’s right. Station Managers are responsible for numerous tasks, with … For the most part they don’t like to pull rank and order other people around. Many community groups (not just radio stations) will employ a part-time administrator long before they employ a full-time project manager. You can’t pay people to cover all that time, so you will be dependent on volunteers to some extent keep the station running. The staff are there to enable the volunteers to train, to broadcast and to serve their community, and get little of the glory themselves. The Board are legally obliged to ensure good management and the manager’s job is at risk if he/she doesn’t provide it. The classic argument about whether a comment is a harmless joke or a gross insult is revisited on a regular basis in every community radio station (and probably every other work and social space). Another source of HR support for your team is a local business who might allow their HR people to help you as part of a ‘corporate social responsibility’ partnership. But it’s the thousand yard stare that’s the real give away – these people have been places and seen things that no human being should ever have to see. What A Manager Needs 5. It must be totally transparent to each member of the management chain exactly what they have authority and responsibility for, and to whom they are accountable. Volunteers are the lifeblood of your station, without them your existence is meaningless. Small radio is where their staff came from and all but the most jaded cynic amongst them will feel an empathy with a broadcaster trying to get by on two bits of string and a used phone card. This means you don’t have to download anything and you can professionally manage a radio station. But the volunteer may be reluctant to admit to literacy, language or comprehension problems, or more commonly just never gets around to reading them. It becomes much harder for you as a manager to then clamp down, once a particular rot has taken hold. Inviting hosts. A good station manager is in control of their station without becoming a ‘controlling influence’ or ‘control freak.’ This is, obviously, a fine balancing act. The classic management chain (see Figure **) has the senior manager employed by the governing body, or Board. Lecturer Jimmy Ewing uses Radio.co on a module called Radio Entrepreneurs. You can upload your files, get a sharable listen link, and listeners can tune via your own custom HTML5 radio player. Finally, any kind of prior experience with broadcast radio will be helpful as you begin your own station. Having said that, with your station serving so many functions, always keep in mind your core functions – what it is you are there to do. ICASA will shortly be making available a number of AM frequencies to anyone, meaning commercial or community stations, … It is possible to manage a project – sometimes for a surprising length of time – without really being in control of it. Many breaches of station rules, on air and off, will be the result of ignorance, which is a product of insufficient training. Ensure that radio station employees follow procedures. You do not want your station to feel like a prison or a school. Decide if you want to ask the radio stations for funding or services. You can add up to six people to the show and have a collaborative show using the Virtual Studio. Because being a radio station owner and manager means being a jack of all trades, experience in any of its key fields can help you be successful. If you’re busy and recruiting a lot of new volunteers at once, you might be tempted to print out half a dozen pages of rules and regulations, thrust them into the hand of a new volunteer and send them on their way. How to Manage a Radio Station. This is obviously unsustainable. Applicants for full-time community radio licenses typically propose a staff of around three or four full time positions. This also works in reverse, decisions should not be taken by those who do not have the authority. That also involves writing a business plan, creating a website, and broadcasting their shows online using the platform. Typically community radio staff and key workers are driven by their love of the medium and inspired by the potential to change lives and whole communities. You can find yourself, by luck or judgement, overseeing a team who all have shared objectives and do their own jobs well, leaving you looking great. You should be pleased to be serving all of those functions – they add up to the reason you exist. © 2020 Google LLC. In the screen that appears, you’ll be able to configure several things, including the name and description of your online radio station, as well as the time zone. You’ve got your key partners in place and you are ready to replicate the thrill of your RSL broadcasts for up to 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For instance, experience in advertising will help you craft customer advertisements for clients, while experience in sales can help you find the best clients and help your team deliver the best pitches. Should specify the limits to volunteers’ autonomy and creative freedom. If someone exceeds what you consider to be acceptable limits, explain to them clearly where the boundaries lie – they may genuinely not understand why offence has been caused. While there are large variations within the sector, most community radio stations are run by a mix of paid staff and volunteers. You'll need to have a tough skin and a cool demeanor as you'll manage temperamental on-air personalities, interns and stubborn salespeople. It is also very dangerous. This means you could really only broadcast to about two people, and you would be using up most of your upload speed on the station… The Radio Manager will be responsible for sending the programming to a dedicated radio server and playing it for the radio host. Community radio stations are a great potential source of new talent in all areas of radio production. In this area, like so many others, you have to find a balance you can live with. In Volunteers we will go into detail about how to support, supervise and help volunteers. Free HR policies are available from the NCVO website at: https://knowhownonprofit.org/tools-resources/hr-policies. This article was written by a professional writer, copy edited and fact checked through a multi-point auditing system, in efforts to ensure our readers only receive the best information. Many radio stations record shows on computers and play them at a selected time over the airways. (see a mass of new resources in the Training section), The biggest difference between voluntary sector management and other types is that volunteers are there because they want to be involved, not because you are paying them. Marketing is yet another task that you think can be put off until mythical day when there is money and time to spare. In one fundamental respect volunteer management in community radio is different to other areas of the voluntary sector.