Every radio
station must have its own identity just as every jock needs to
establish his own identity. However, in establishing your identity
you cannot destroy that of the radio station's. The station must
have an identifiable sound all its own at all times. In establishing
this identity, certain rules must be followed by everyone on the
air!
1. The call
letters and frequency must be given coming out of every record.
The first thing you will say will be one of the following:
1250 /
WTMA
1250 / TMA
2. This will
be followed by the remaining basics, which will be included in
each set.
Name and
artist of the record
The time (always digital)
Your name
These basics
will be followed by any information that you have to pass on.
This should be bone fide information or material that is
pertinent, not talk just for the sake of talking.
3. Remember,
personality doesn't mean talk, it means COLOR! There is a
lot of difference between talking a lot and saying something.
4. Every
record should be back announced as to title and artist.
5. In music
sweeps where two records are being played back to back, you will
talk over either the fade of record one, or the intro of record
two, but not over both. You would use the basics, i.e.,
1250/WTMA, name and artist of the record (back announce), the
time, your name, then color (optional).
6. In the case
of several records being played back to back in a sweep, the
preceding will be followed in each case.
7. Station jingles will be used only coming out of stop sets
into the records.
8. With the exception of morning drive, there will be no talk
over any record intros coming out of stop sets, except for the
following: PSAs and Promos.
9. Unless it is absolutely unavoidable, do not run more than two
events in any stop set before a record is played. If you are
sold out, or the spots are fixed time buys, then do the best you
can.
10. Never segue two records directly without using the
prescribed format back announce procedure.
11. Never talk once the singer has started to sing. Once the
singing starts the talking stops. Likewise at the end of a
record. Do not talk, bring the record back up, talk, bring the
record back up.
12. If a record has a cold ending, let the record end before you
begin to talk. Do not come in over the end of any cold end
record.
13. Use only station slogans, none of your own.
14. Be positive! Do not be negative abut anything in any way.
15. Play a station promotion cart last in your sequence in stop
sets. (This could change depending on the contest.)
16. It is not necessary for you to be the world's greatest
personality after every record. Do not ramble and search just
for something to say.
17. The format is the star. Violate it and you are on the way to
ruin. Every good jock can and does work within the confines of
the format.
18. Constantly promote the station contests.
19. Do not say you are on until 2 o'clock, 5 o'clock, or
whatever. The fact that you are going off the air at a set time
means nothing. You are to be interested in
the present, now. The only thing we plug ahead is the
contest.
Our purpose
is to capture the greatest number of listeners every minute, and
keep them listening. At the push of a button you are dead and
gone. You must be NUMBER ONE every second.
WTMA should be a streamlined sound, clean, free from negatives and
irritants, consistent, tightly produced, fast paced, warm and
personable. In others words, enjoyable to most of the people most of
the time.
A WTMA jock should be mature, not screamy or impolite. A WTMA jock
is a man, all man, with class. Not a young hip talking jerk! You are
a pro and you are in control at all times.
Talk to individuals, not masses of people. People are interested in
themselves, not everyone else.
Remember, you are speaking thru a record and not over it.
Your voice should create an illusion of coming from within the
record itself rather than apart from it. This is extremely important
and it will develop an entirely different feel for you on the air,
It should be your first consideration when opening the mike during a
sweep. Concentrate on it until it becomes a habit.
Your music flow
and balance is one of the most critical areas that you should be
constantly concerned with. Keep your audience in mind at all times
and program your music for that audience, i.e., middays: housewives;
7 to midnight: teenagers, etc.
1. Do not play
two records back to back that sound the same.
2. Do not play two female records back to back.
3. Do not play two instrumentals back to back.
4. Don't ever play two slow records back to back.
5. Every third record should be a black record.
Follow the music
rotations on your music sheets exactly as outlined.
