Introduction to Broadcast Media

SESSION 1

Broadcasting glossary

Introduction to this course;

You will learn about the basics of Television & Radio broadcasting facilities as well as the
online media. You will also learn the latest trends and technological advancement in
broadcasting sectors and;

• What is the role of broadcast media

• The Media Business

• How to become a broadcaster?

• Rules & laws to regulate the broadcast media

Let us start with the glossary of broadcasting;

GLOSSARY
Anchor

The key narrator of a newscast or other program; also called anchorman or

anchorwoman. Two or more individuals sharing these functions are co-anchors. A local
anchor works at a local station; a network anchor, at a network. Specialized newscasters
include sports anchor, weather anchor, and weekend anchor. A field anchor reports from
a studio outside the studio headquarters.

anncr.: Announcer.

Applause

Approval, commonly expressed by clapping. An applause meter in a broadcast studio

measures the sound volume of the applause, and it also can be used to intensify the
sound or provide canned applause (the recorded sound of applause for a taped or filmed
program). Applause mail is fan mail commending a program or performer. An applause line in
a script, such as a speech, indicates a pause in anticipation of applause.

Archive

1. Storage of master material under controlled conditions

2. Long term storage of material on an offline storage medium.

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Aston
A synonym for lower thirds, the graphics on the bottom part of a television screen. An on-
screen overlaid graphic, usually giving the name of the speaker, reporter or place in
frame. Name derived from Aston Broadcast Systems Ltd., an early manufacturer
of character generator (CG) equipment.

Bars

A reference signal recorded on the beginning of a videotape for the purpose of aligning
the playback of that tape. Most often, an audio reference (tone) is usually recorded at the
same time as the bars.

Bay

An editing room.

Bed
A production element, usually instrumental music or sound effect played in the
background of a spoken commercial, promo or other announcement.

Beep

An audio signal used for alerting or warning, as on the soundtrack of a videotape for
editing or notice of the forthcoming beginning of a scene, program, or commercial.

Beeper

A telephone interview. Radio stations used to be required to insert a beep (audio signal)
on recorded interviews to indicate that they were not live. Though this is no longer
necessary, the term still is used to describe an interview conducted over the telephone
rather than in the studio. It is also used to describe any long-distance interview. With the
use of satellites, it is now possible to conduct long-distance interviews over television. A
beeper line is a phone line connected to a tape recorder.

Blast

In broadcasting, blasting is excessive sound through a microphone.

BTA

Black to Air

bug

A DOG (Digital on-screen graphic) permanent on-screen logo. Usually located in the
corner of the screen. So-called because it looks like an insect is hanging out in the corner
of the screen.

bump

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bumper

An element that acts as a transition to or from commercial breaks

cans
Slang for headphones.

clutter

An excessive number of non-program elements (such as commercials) appearing one

after another.

Control Room

Where the technical equipment for putting a newscast on the air is kept and operated.

copy

Written material to be read by a DJ or presenter.

countdown

A bumper which counts down to the beginning of the following broadcast. Also used for
the debut of a new channel.

crossfade

The technique where a DJ, producer or engineer fades out the outgoing track at the same
time as fading in the new track.

dB

decibel

A measure of voltage, current or power gain in audio signal.

DJ

Disc Jockey: A radio presenter who links records/songs.

drive time
Drive time refers to the period of time where the majority of radio listeners travel to or
from work (i.e. rush hour). This is traditionally 6-10 am and 2-6 pm, and is normally
accompanied by radio stations' highest listenership. Commercials are normally more
expensive during such times.

DSNG

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Digital Satellite news gathering: Use of digital satellite transmission from remote
broadcast locations for the purpose of live television news event coverage.

DTH - Direct To Home

Television and radio programs distributed by satellite for reception via a dish at the
receiver's property.

FM

A method of impressing data onto an alternating-current (AC) wave by varying the

instantaneous frequency of the wave.

FPS

frames per second

The number of times the television is refreshed in a second of time. As a rule of thumb,
this is the same as the local Alternating Current electricity supply - 60 Hz or 50 Hz.

gain

A change in signal level, usually expressed in decibels.

gallery

Also known as the production control room or the studio control room. Where the
composition of the outgoing program takes place.

Happy Talk

Casual, informal, and light-hearted chatter between the anchors. Can be used as a form
of bumper.

jingle

A produced programming element usually in the form of vocals to accompanying music

often produced in-house to identify the show, DJ or the station.

Kicker

An offbeat or humorous story that typically is used to mark the end of the news segment
and the beginning of the sports/weather segment. The kicker can also be used to end a
newscast.

live

Any programming which is broadcast immediately as it is being delivered (a live report);

performed (a live concert or show); or captured (live news or sports coverage). Requires

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an unbroken communications chain without any intervening recording or storage

technology. Considered the most exciting form of broadcasting, delivered “as it happens”.

log

A written record of broadcasting. There are typically three logs:

 A Music Log recording what songs were played.

 An Engineer's Log detailing technical production settings.
 A Commercial Log recording which commercials were played during the day.

lower third

Portion of screen of regular broadcast reserved for textual and static visual content;
i.e., news ticker, time, title of segment, title of program, channel bug, etc. Upper third
has sometimes been used alongside lower third, as in the case of MSNBC since 2010.

News feeds

feeds of stories/actualities sent to affiliates by networks for air on the individual stations.

news ticker

news crawl

scrolling ticker at the bottom of the display of television content. It is usually reserved for
text headlines or numeric statistics (or both) depending upon the focus of the channel.

OB

Outside Broadcast. A complete event or programme, or a brief news report, produced and
fed back live from the location by an OB vehicle to the broadcaster.

OST- Original Sound Track

OST is a recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion
picture, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of
music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film
that contains the synchronized recorded sound.

Package (PKG)

A report from a correspondent that contains a sound bite inserted between the
introduction and the epilogue (usually inserted after the reporter's second or third
sentence). These need an in-studio lead for the anchor.

Prime time

The evening rush hour slot.

promo

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An announcement (either recorded or live) used to promote the station's image or other
event.

P-S-A

Public Service Announcement - An advertisement for a not- for-profit organization

rundown

A timed outline of a program.

simulcast

When a broadcaster joins another feed typically produced by a third-party supplier

outside their facility either live or in a prerecorded format. For example, a press
conference or event that is simultaneously joined by various non-related broadcasters.

Slug

The name given to a story for newsroom use.

SOT

sound

sound on tape

soundbite

A small portion (usually one or two sentences) of an audio recording (often an interview)
used to illustrate a news story in the words of the interviewee (a quotation from
a politician).

sponsorship

The practice of a company funding the making of a program in order to entertain an

audience and sell a product. An advertisement inserted between the end-of-part caption
and the breakbumper.

spot

A radio, television commercial or underwriting spot

spot advertising

A commercial or commercials run in the middle of or between programs, sold separately

from the program (as opposed to sponsors' messages).

Still

A still image as opposed to a moving video image. Stills can be used to illustrate a story
and can sometimes be displayed over track or interview clips instead of video footage.

subtitles

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Text version of a program's dialogue, overlaid on the screen either at broadcast or at

reception (often via Teletext or Closed Captioning) for the hearing impaired or for when a
speaker is unclear or speaking in a foreign language.

Time Code

The time signature on a camera or recording device—actual time a story is being shot on
a 24-hour basis, i.e., 1300 is 1 p.m., 0900 is 9 a.m. Includes hours, minutes, seconds,
and video frames.

teaser

cold open

A part of a program played before the title sequence, usually featuring a cliffhanger or
prefiguring the plot of the episode to follow.

teletext

Electronic information inserted into the unused parts of a television signal and decodable
by an equipped television set.

VJ

video jockey

The television version of a Disc Jockey.

voice over

1. Recorded voice announcer played as off-screen narration in drama or advertising.

2. Video without commentary intended to be aired along with a news

correspondent reading the news story.

VOD

video on demand

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