Introduction

For this assignment I have been commissioned to compile a producers guide to radio commercial production. I will present the guide in either written or audio format which I will then upload to this blog. While researching the commercial production process I will the compile the following 

jobs available in radio commercial production

the production purpose

budgeting and financial considerations. 

This will cover most of the topics brought up in commercial radio.

Financial Considerations

Financial considerations: negotiated production budget (by local sales team, by national agency, by regional agency); music royalty payments; voiceover artists’ fees; trafficking costs (scheduling, billing); rate cards

In commercial broadcasting there are fees that need to be paid in order for the ad to be heard by the listeners and it comes at a price. The cost of radio adverting depends on the radio station, the number of listeners determine the cost of advertising. Advertisements tend to choose stations that have the highest concentration of target audience then the most popular stations. The length of the ad also adds to the financial aspect of the cost, the longer the add the more expensive it is. However most radio ads last around 30 seconds, but 10 second ads are half the price of the 30 second ones. The time of day is another factor that adds to the cost, the most desirable time are early morning hours or late afternoon which is due to people listening to the radio most at these times. By using these slots more of the audience is reached and so are the most expensive. Alot of advertisements are advised not to advise on te radio for less the 4 weeks unless its a highly intensive campaign. 
Radio stations are flexible with what advertising options they have e.g. one can oftern sponser certain shows or features or even run competitions on the air. Developing the as should not cost more than 10% of ones budget which is around £250 for small stations and £2,000 for some of the most popular stations. These fees include script writing, actors speaking, music or sound effects. However if you want to use a popular song it can cost up to £25,000 in licensing fees. 

This is an example of a rate card that used to tell radio advertisers how much it will be broadcast their advert at certain times of the day. 

Music

1.     Music: live; library or production music; style and arrangement; music type, eg pastiche; function, eg main bed, tag, sting

c  In radio commercials the right music needs to be used due to the right music could either make or break the ad. There are many laws about what music you can and cant use which is down to copy-write and many other factors. From being a listener myself I know how important the music is to an add and how effective that music is. Without music an ad would lack ambience and would leave the listeners untouched and not emotional involved. The music in an radio advert can range form a light melodie used in the background or the jingle used which can sometimes be very catchy e.g. the go compare advert. Advertisers can select music that compliments their message or the tone of their advert in order to make the audience aware of what they are trying to say. As I've said before music selection can be very difficult due to copy-write issues which is the case with may popular songs and may not be available for commercial use. Some advertisers for the radio are sometimes confused in which music they can and cant used adding to the problem of using the right music. Licensing agreements that let radio stations play songs for entertainment purposes usually don't cover using music for commercial ads which adds to the problem even more. If radio stations play an unauthorized song in an ad they will receive backlash and the responsibility falls on the advertiser and their creative team. There are many things that need to be covered and checked when choosing music for a radio ad 

• Fair use. Using copyrighted material when it exceeds fair use is illegal. If the components of fair use are used then it has been exceeded. It is illegal to use music that hasent been authorized and the tune can be recognized. 
• Licensing. Through a licensing agreement it is possible to obtain permission to use copyrighted music. However this requires you to have two licenses, the firs is from a party that owns the copyright for the song. The second is from the party that owns the copyright for the recording. 
• The 7-second rule. Alot of radio advertisers follow the 7 second rule which is where you have to use a song for 7 seconds or less in order to use the song. However there is no legal basis for the 7 second rule bu any unauthorized inclusion of the music from a copyrighted song violates copyright law. 
• Strategies. Even though you cant escape copyright law altogether there are some ways that you can use to minimize the need for expensive licensing. One of the options are to compose your own music and have performed it by a hired musician, The second option is to purchase the copyright of the song but have it preformed by someone else other than the artist. 

Production Roles

1.     Production roles: creative producer; recording engineer; copywriter; voiceover artists, eg voice actors, celebrities; session vocalists

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I  In commercial radio there are many different production jobs that need to be done in order to create a radio commercial. I will be covering many jobs including creative producer; recording engineer; copywriter; voiceover artists, eg voice actors, celebrities; session vocalists. 

A Creative producer has the job of creating radio advertising and producing promotions for that radio station. The job/work requires a combination of high level of radio production skills due to the job being quite demanding and having a lot to remember. The job also requires a good understanding of the creative potential of radio and audio content which is used to sell the product to the target audience.

Commercial producers can work for a single station or part of a national or regional team depending how big their radio station is. Smaller stations the role may require the responsibility of one of the stations presenters or work may be contracted out to an external/bigger company.  On the BBC radio there is no commercial advertising due to the fact local stations or national stations employ radio producers or broadcast journalists who are then responsible for each of the stations programme trails and promotions.

Commercial producers have specific responsibilities which may vary depending on the station, however the majority of commercial producers are part of a small team although some work for a regional or a national team. All commercial producers are based in offices and recording studio’s but may also work on location.   

Commercial producers work with a radio stations commercial clients by interpreting client briefs to create an effective radio advertising scheme. Some producers may be expected to manage client briefings, generate ideas, create pitch ideas, write scripts and work with the writers. The job requires a lot patience and idea generations which requires you to have a creative mind. After all the ideas are collected and the advertisement has begun taking place, commercial producers are then expected to edit the audio or media they have collected. Trailers may alsp be required to promote the client which the commercial producer also needs to come up with a create, which requires a lot of thinking due to this promoting the clients work of the actual radio station.

They are also expected to know how to evaluate and use relevant information sources and in some cases some image sources. The producers must also know how to source music or audio material but also how to ensure the necessary licences or clearances are obtained.

 In radio advertising they need a copywriter whose job is to write scripts for radio commercials which also requires a creative side. The copywriting job requires a deep understanding about how people listen and respond to radio programming.  The radio copywriter needs to write a script which he knows will keep the audience’s attention.  It requires an ear for what makes a good script and an attention grabbing radio advertisement.  A lot of good radio copywriters are expected to have a background in radio production which widens their knowledge in what they think will grab people’s attention.  They frequently serve both writer and producer overseeing voice talent, studio production, and distribution of radio ads.  Radio copywriting is a high specialised niche for freelancers and most radio ad scripts are written by employees of production studios.

voiceover artists are known for producing voice overs which is a production technique where a voice which isn’t non-diegeticlly used is put other productions for radio or other media outlets. The voice over may be spoken by someone who is a trained or specialist voice actor. The voice actors have to make sure they are précises and clear so that the audience understand what they are saying. They also need to put emotion into their voice making sure they connect to the audience keeping them involved. It is pre recorded and placed over the top of a film or news reports.

Voice overs have also been used in commercial radio broadcasting since the very beginning which was started before effective sound recording and mixing was introduced.  Due to the rapid growth the ability to record a high sound voice over became even easier and was the used a lot more in radio.

A sound engineer or recording engineer is usually based in the recording studio and make high quality recordings of music, speech or sound effects. The job requires you to have a good sense of hearing and you also need to understand musical pitch, timing and rhythm.  Many sound engineers start their learning of commerical radio in college or university that specialised in the sound for radio. Some others apply to be a runner at a recording studio which allows them to gain experience and then work their way up to become a studio sound engineer. The job requires you to use a handful of electronic equipment for many different reasons including

commercial music recordings

radio, TV, film and commercials

corporate videos

websites

computer games and other types of interactive media.

The job can include many different activities and many different jobs requiring people to have many different abilities. The job can include:

planning recording sessions with producers and artists

setting up microphones and equipment in the studio

making sure the volume and recording levels are set correctly

operating recording equipment and adding effects

recording each instrument or item onto a separate track

mixing tracks to produce a final ‘master’ track

logging tapes and other details of the session in the studio archive.

With experience, you might also act as studio manager.

Production Facilities

1.     Production facilities: internally within radio stations; through production house; use of production music libraries; pre-recorded sound effects; studio facilities (voice booth, editing workstation, software)

    

In Radio commercial production there are different production facilities that need to be taken into account and looked at. In order to create radio commercials you would need to have certain facilitates to do a professional job. Many commercial radio stations have their own facilities and can produce advert in house which can be done by themselves. Another way in which they can be made is by using an independent production company who would need a production company and correct equipment. The correct equipment is vital for a good advert in radio this includes many objects. One of these items are a mixing desk which is used for mixing music or changing the pitch of a song or audio. A soundproof audio recording booth is also used in order to record music of a piece of audio clearly. The room won’t pick up any unwanted noise which is why production companies use them for sounds and voice overs. One of the most important pieces that’s needed is a pc with editing software such as audacity, adobe audition which is another form of editing sofware, and some more professional companies would use pro tools which is good for using multi tracks. By using An editing software such a audacity allows you to play around with music giving you the freedom of choosing the bits of audio you want to use and by changing the pitch of it. In the past I have also had the chance of using audacity to edit my audio which I had previously recorded. It gets abit of getting use to but for professionals the software is fairly easy to use.

This is a recording studio which features a mixing bored a sound room and everything you need in order to make your own radio advert to a professional standard.

A lot of radio companies including our very own college one named E6 radio, has their own music libraries which is home to music that is royalty and copyright free. This saves a lot of copyright problems and legal issues. You can even create your own music and keep it in your music library to avoid any legal issues.

hHeres is our music libary from college which holds many jingles and songs which are royalty free.