On-Air Instructions

To contribute, simply listen to the notes that Jeff gives in class, and add them here. Your contribution will help develop the future of KSFS.

Note: This section should include a self-critique, and peer critique instructions page. -Sean, GM

How to be a Good Programmer.

Here are some things Programmers need to do:

PREPARE. If you are doing a music show, know the acts. If it's news, know the issues. If its sports, know the game.
RESPECT. Treat guests, callers and your colleagues with respect. Promo other shows, especially those preceding and following yours.
PRACTICE. Polish your skills and make your show better. Have your cues ready so that you can smoothly segue.
CRITIQUE. Record and listen to yourself. Identify positive and negative patterns. Make your show sound awesome.
IMAGINE. Try new ideas, do things they told you not to do and see what happens, challenge the status quo, explore the possibilities of what radio can do!
CONTRIBUTE. If you don't like what's going on at your station, sign up for a job and help change things for the better. Speak up, write e-mails, communicate and participate.
HAVE FUN. You get to work in the toy department!

Put your headphones on and monitor what's going out over the air!
If there's a problem, Let Someone Know!
Avoid Fillers: "Yeah" & "Well" right after a song (or "Um" for that matter) Make it linear and connected. (Other fillers: "By the way," "Er," "Anyways," "So...")
Avoid Clichés. "Keep Your Radio Locked," "Don't touch that dial," "Over the Airwaves," "After this Break," etc.
If you're going to fade out, Listeners expect something to happen. If you're going from music to music, instead of fading to silence, consider cross-fading into the next song (or use a sweeper, etc.)
Keep swearing to a minimum. I know this is college radio, but if this was regulated by the FCC, not only would you be fired, you'd be fined $$$.
Remember to say your name and the name of your show.
Don't forget to have a sign off at the end of your shift (include your name and the name of your show)
And try to introduce the next person going on air at the end of your show...

Always check what you're sending out over the signal. The CR knob on the bottom left is the Control Room level (what you hear in the room, not the outgoing signal).
Check by the headphones and the VU meters. Never let the meters get into the red. They should be at about twelve o'clock, never have them almost off at the bottom (left) PEPOPLE WONT BE ABLE TO HEAR YOU!!!
Be on time!!!!! Everything in the professional world is timed out perfectly to the second!!! If your show is at 10am, you start at 10am not 10:00.43am or any other time.
IF YOU DONT KNOW WHAT SOMETHING IS OR DOES, DONT TOUCH IT!!!!! Ask your production manager.
Learn CD Controls and Options
Using Air-check disc machine
- Self Air-Check
finding habbits
finding/tagging demo bits
submitting bits for automation
- Discrepancy Reports
Use them frequently, because it is the best tool for DJs to communicate problems to the Program Director
When should you tell someone? When should you call someone? It's on the log.

Know What to say/not to say
- Name band/album
- Back Announcing
- Write it down and practice it first
When to say it
- The Art of the Talk-Up: Do everything you can over music
- Practice to not Step on cues
How to say it
- Enunciation & Diction (Possibly Projection too)
- Form Full Sentences
- Don’t Chew Gum
- Speak as if your talking to one person, and imagine who that person is
How to Do Phone Call
- Screen your calls
- Know what to ask: Follow up questions give the best material
- Clarify what callers say to make it easy for listener to follow
- If you want more phone calls, play more phone calls
- avoid callers who are obviously just calling to be on the air
- Know how to use Pro tools, because at a corporate broadcast station, they make you edit down the phone calls to sound perfect before airing them. All of this happens during the duration of a single song)
How to check the KSFS voicemail
- First dial the KSFS business (415)338-2428.
- As soon as you hear the outgoing message, immediately push star *, then pound #.
- It will ask for the mailbox number: enter the 5 digit number.
- Then it will ask for the the 6 digit password:
From the office phone, dial 86000 to get to the same place.

Put on the overnight Loop on the computer. (Make sure the signal is not distorted, if you don’t know what this means, ask someone! -- We should put in a photo explanation here.)
Normalize the rest of the board.
Plug the Ipod 8 inch cable back in to the Ipod Jack if you used it.
Clean up and organize any mess in the air room & lounge.
Organize and file all paper work, any CD or record in the air room needs to be put back on the rack.
Put the Garbage can outside of the studio (in the hallway) so the custodial staff can take it out.
Turn off the lights.
Call CATS and let them know you are leaving.
Make sure the door is locked when you leave.
Have a good night. Scratch that; have a great night.

Walk right or east through the glass doors.
Than take a right and walk down the long hallway.
You should be passing the women's and men's dressing rooms.
Once you run to the wall with the bulletin board, make a left.
Walk past the Back Stage area, than up the slight inclination.
On your right side there is an inlet where there are two doors.
The inlet is painted orange and has two normal sized doors on the right and left side.
Knock on the door that says CATS.
If no one answers the door pick up the pay phone adjacent to the CATS door.
Dial 15417 than dial 129.
Wait at the CATS office until someone arrives.
If no one comes in 15 minutes, repeat step 10...a few times.
If after an hour of waiting and no one shows up: Make sure you are within the CATS general operating hours. If you have to wait over an hour you should bounce and look for other radio stations in da bay.

changed September 19, 2008 delete history edit