This chapter is an excerpt from the 1997 (version 1) edition of my "Flirt FM Training Manual for Volunteer Producers, Presenters and Technicians". The text is copyright, and can be used by non-profit groups to provide training to volunteers with non-profit and community orientated stations, provided permission is obtained in advance. Requests should be sent to andrew@funferal.org

Andrew Ó Baoill - January 2001

2 Programme Teams

Radio programmes are generally made by teams. The combined efforts of many teams help to provide a service which is both interesting and entertaining for the station's listeners.

There are a range of jobs within each programme team. These can include producers, presenters, technicians, writers, researchers and many more. In this section you look especially at three jobs, the producers, the presenter and the sound technician. Although these are described as three distinct jobs, all three may occasionally be filled by a single individual. This is especially so for recorded music shows, where a single disc jockey selects the tracks to play, speaks the links between tracks, and operates all the equipment. On the other hand, sometimes several people are required to do one job. For example, some programmes require several presenters.

It is important that volunteers should be flexible, and able to fill vacancies which arise due to illness, holidays etc. "The show must go on", as the saying goes, and programmes must go out, even if all the regular presenters/desk technicians are unavailable. Of course, it should be emphasised that no volunteer is ever forced to do something they don't want to do. However, multiskilling is very important in community radio, and is always encouraged. Even if volunteers wish to specialise in one area, they should have a working knowledge of all other tasks.

2.1 Teamwork

One point which should be emphasised is that the concept of teamwork is very important for Community Radio and Flirt FM. As opposed to the personality driven radio of shows such as The Gay Byrne show, all the people involved in producing a programme are seen as essential and valuable to the creation of the best programme possible. In a station where all programming is produced on a voluntary basis, it is necessary for each individual's contribution to be recognised for what it is - an attempt to provide something unique to the listeners. It is also important that each volunteer should gain satisfaction and enjoyment from their involvement with the station.

The people allocated to programme teams are not always known to one another beforehand. This can often result in great radio, as people from different backgrounds and with different approaches, bounce ideas off each other. Occasionally, it does not work out,. Either because volunteers have irreconcilable views concerning the type of programme they want to produce, or simply because of personality differences. In cases like this, the station manager will, where possible, rearrange programme teams, placing people in groups with which they may be better suited.

2.2 The Producer

The producer is the person in charge of the programme team. The Producer has two separate roles, which may occasionally be filled by two different people.

The programme producer holds the team together and organises the content of programmes, ensuring that all the members of the team perform their specific off-air tasks.

The on-air producer runs the programme while it is on-air. This involves controlling access to studio, and also ensuring that no defamatory or otherwise offensive material is put on-air. The on-air producer also ensures that the different team members perform their on-air tasks, oversees the running order of the programme, and has control over when music and other inserts are broadcast. The producer is responsible for the overall shape and style of a programme.

For a programme of any complexity greater than simply a recorded music programme, the producer should ideally not be involved in talking on-air. She or he should be free to concentrate on organising the programme and monitoring it.

The main tools of a producer consist of hand signals and a 'talk-back' system on the mixing desk. The producer, as the person in charge of the running order of the show, should also have a running order form (see appendix) and a watch or clock to time items and ensure that they fit into the show as a whole.

2.3 Presenters

The presenter is the anchor of the programme. The presenter performs interviews, introduces music tracks, and is the 'voice of the station'. In many ways, the persona of the presenter defines the station. The basic task of a presenter is to talk, though sometimes the most important thing is knowing when not to talk. The presenter has primary responsibility for ensuring that no defamatory or otherwise offensive material is broadcast. Many shows on Flirt FM have two co-presenters, in which case the responsibility is shared. The co-presenters should work together to decide who says what, and when.

2.4 The Desk Technician

The Sound Desk Technician is in charge of equipment in the Studio and the Control Room, and runs the Mixing Desk, or Sound Desk, and related equipment.

The most important task of the technician is to ensure that a good steady sound goes out on air, or onto tape etc. The technician is the link between the presenter and the listener. It is usually only when something goes wrong - such as a presenter's voice not being heard clearly, 'dead air' occurring, or the wrong CD being played - that listeners notice the work of a technician. Ideally, therefore, a good technician should not be noticed by the listener.