Radio Commercial: The Mechanics

1
Radio Commercial The Mechanics

• Copywriting for the Electronic Media
• (Meeske)

2
Strengths of Radio

• Target specific audiences Focus on demographic
  groups
• Is mobile Can take it anywhere
• Is intrusive Cant avoid hearing it
• Is flexible Can get on the air same day, can get
  up-to-the minute information

3
Weaknesses of Radio

• Is aural only Cant demonstrate product
• Messages are short lived Difficult to jot down
  details
• Listening is prone to distraction People are
  doing other things while listening

4
Radio basics

• Timing radio copy Read copy aloud with a
  stopwatch
• Gaining attention With words, with sound effect,
  or with music

5
Terminology

• Bed Music that is played behind a commercial
• Board fade a decrease or increase in volume made
  at the audio control board. Could be either board
  fade out or board fade in.
• Cross fade To fade from one sound or music to
  another. Same as segue. This is to audio what a
  lap dissolve is to video.

6
Terminology

• Echo chamber A device used in broadcasting and
  recording to produce echo effects
• Establish to bring sound effects or music to
  full volume, permitting the listener to hear
  enough to understand the sound or music
• Hold under after establishing the sound effect
  or music, fading it to the background and holding
  it (as in bed) behind the spoken message

7
Terminology

• Mike fade Performers move away from mike(mike
  fade off) or move to on-mike position (mike fade
  on) from off-mike position. Mike fade is a
  decidedly different effect from board fade. In
  the mike fade, acoustical relationships change
  because of the performers movements. In a board
  fade, only volume changes.

8
Terminology

• Mike filter An electronic means for eliminating
  high and low frequencies. Often used to give the
  effect of speaking over a telephone line.
• Reverb Short for reverberating. An electronic
  device sometimes used in lieu of echo, but the
  effects are not the same.

9
Terminology

• Segue To make a transition from one musical
  number or sound effect directly to another
  without interruption pronounced SEG-way
• Sneak in (or out) to bring music or sound effects
  into the background of a spot or program at a low
  level by increasing the volume until the desired
  level is reached. The process can be reversed to
  sneak out music or sound effects.
• SFX An abbreviation for sound effect