Radio Production

Facts about Audio Broadcasting and the Duties of a Radio Producer

Radio has no boundaries; any person with a radio has the potential to receive a signal, and thus a transmission. The idea of being able to reach so many people is an enticing prospect to anyone interested in the field of communications. As Robert McLeish states in his book Radio Production, radio is perhaps the most accessible form of media; people often tune into the radio while driving, while working around the house or yard, and even while exercising.

Not only does radio have the potential to reach many people, it also has the power to express emotion through the power of voice. McLeish points out that the ability to project audible emotion into one’s broadcast gives radio a certain advantage over print journalism.

Historical Facts Concerning Radio Broadcasting

In his book Talking Radio, Michael Keith explains that radio became extremely popular in America during the 1930s and 1940s. He states that, during WWII, people would turn into the radio for news from the battlefront. It is interesting that, while many people today think of radio as being a medium that provides music (which, of course, it does), it initially became popular because of its ability to share information.


In their book Process and Practice of Radio Programming, Joanna Lynch and Greg Gillispie explain that, until relatively recently, AM (Amplitude Modulation) radio was much more prevalent than FM (Frequency Modulation) radio. It wasn’t until the 1960s that FM radio became more popular, as the FM stations agreed to air many popular rock n’ roll songs that AM radio stations had deemed too controversial.


Today, FM radio features hundreds of music and news/talk stations. Lynch and Gillispie explain that, like television programs, each radio station is created with a certain demographic in mind. For example, Classic Rock stations are focused on a demographic of men between the ages of thirty and forty, because they are the people who are most likely to be interested in Classic Rock music. Like music stations, news and talk stations are also aimed at specific demographics.

What Does a Radio Producer Do?

What is a person working in the field of radio production responsible for? A radio producer must make decisions about resources, finances, and technology. In fact, there are so many factors to consider that, according to McLeish, there are five different parts to a producer’s job: technical, operational, editorial, administrative, and managerial.

A radio producer is even responsible for a program’s content or script. It is not the producer’s job to write a script that will eventually be read over the air; that is the job of the broadcast writer. However, since the producer must consider things like cost and overall feasibility, he or she is responsible for making alterations to any script that would make it too difficult, complicated, or expensive to produce.

Some people believe that radio is a dying medium, but studies show that talk radio has actually become more popular within recent years. Michael Keith’s Talking Radio supports the idea that radio is a thriving medium. In it, he cites a report from the New York Times printed on June 3, 1999 which shows that Americans bought more radios in 1998 than any other consumer electronics device.

By providing music, news, and alternative points of view, radio is a medium that can help people and improve society. Radio is a great resource and worth considering as a career option.

Works Cited:
Keith, Michael C. Talking Radio. Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe, 2000.

Lynch, Joanna R., and Greg Gillispie. Process and Practice of Radio Programming. Lanham, MD: U.P. of America, 1998.

McLeish, Robert. Radio Production. 4th ed. Oxford: Focal Press, 1999.