KRNL 89.7 FM Training Manual 2003-2004
Staff Orientation and Responsibilities
All Staff Members
Welcome to the KRNL family! Being a member of the radio station staff
is a fun privilege. Make sure you read the training manual and your job
description so that you become familiar with the equipment and know
your responsibilities. The manual is meant to help you out and is
always available for your reference. When we all know what actions are
expected of us, the station runs smoothly and we all have fun.
Each staff member needs to read some information about the station in the beginning of the year. What you need to read is the document explaining the difference between obscene and indecent language, job descriptions, the constitution, and the DJ agreement form. Requiring you to read this information is not meant to bore you. You will actually learn some things about what you can broadcast and facts about the station that you probably didn’t know before.
FCC rules are a bigger deal now than the
used to be. The managers must read the rules and make sure the station
and DJs follow them. The advisor also checks that the station is in
compliance with the regulations.
Obscene and Indecent Language Guide:
Every DJ, including staff members, must sign that they have read this
in order to avoid a problem from the past. If you violate these FCC
rules, you will not be allowed to air a show. The guide, along with the
other important documents to read, can be found in the top filing
cabinet in the confessional in a folder titled “Documents staff and DJs
must read”.
Resources
Public File
This is a file containing general and technical information that FCC
requires all stations to maintain. The business manager is in charge of
its upkeep. Our public file is located behind the information desk. A
second copy of the entire file is kept in the filing cabinet and marked
with blue highlighter.
Public Station File This is a more useful file for students and the interested general public. It contains information like the monthly financial report, monthly Shoutcast listener count, staff meeting minutes, current radio show schedule, staff goals, and a comments page. The file is kept for everyone to view inside the DJ booth on the counter.
KRNL History Notebook Beginning this year, it is a collaboration of pictures, articles, comments, drawings, and anything cool from years past and this year. Contribute as you like.
DJ Creative Notebook We’re disc jockeys, we’re creative, and we have this cool notebook to communicate our opinions, cartoons, poems, etc. with each other. It’s just for fun and it’s a good way to get to know your fellow DJs. Write and read in it when you’re doing your radio show or when just hanging out. It will be as creative as we make it so have at it.
Public Service Announcement Notebook Known as the PSA notebook. Everyone must make three PSAs during a one hour time period and this notebook has them all. There are also PSAs on disc in a box in the booth. The program director is responsible for updating the notebook with fresh material from organizations on campus and the public.
What to Remember About Your Staff Position
General Manager
- Media Board meetings are held the first Friday of each block.
- Contact Dee Ann Rexroat if you have questions about the station.
- The Engineer for KRNL is George and his cell phone number is 360-3393.
- Being the Chief Operator means you will deal with FCC representatives if they visit the station or require the attention of KRNL for any reason. A framed document stating that you are the Chief Operator this year must be posted on wall of the station lounge.
- The documents of the radio station are your responsibility. The training manual needs to be revised every year, as well as job descriptions. Forms that staff and DJs need to sign, and applications. All of the documents Can be found in the filing cabinet in the confessional. You should also make sure that the public file is update, although the business manager is responsible For its upkeep.
- You lead the staff meetings and announce when they will be held. One staff meeting per week is a good idea.
- You make sure that staff members are doing their jobs and truly are earning their honoraria. Each block, all staff members should have their own job specific goal to shoot for. A good judgement of how hard a staff member worked that block is to see if they achieved their goal.
- Once per semester with the Business Manager, you conduct a review of staff members. If someone is not adhering to their responsibilities, they should not be allowed to work at the radio station any longer.
Equipment Soundboard
- The soundboard controls the broadcast volume for two microphones, the turntable, the 100 disc changer, two CD players, the 24 hour play list program, and the phone.
- When you enter and leave the dj booth, all volume sliders should be all the way down. Push the sliders up to the bold line marked on the board for your show.
- Push all the green buttons to turn the volumes on, red for off.
- The volume control for inside the booth only is located at the top left corner of board, just above the word “level”. Adjust it how you want it in the booth.
- To fade a song in or out during your show, simply move the volume slider up or down to adjust the volume. You can play two songs at the same time.
- When talking into the microphone, make sure the microphone volume is higher than the music volume if you use music in the background.
- Watch the volume needles when you play music on the air. Don’t let them bounce in the read area too much.
Using the cue option - Playing a song in the cue position allows you to listen to a song in the dj booth without broadcasting it to the audience.
- You can broadcast one song and cue another song at the same time.
- Push the volume slider down to the cue position.
- Play the song that corresponds to the volume slider in cue position.
- Adjust the volume using the knob labeled “cue” at the top left of the board.
- Remember only you can hear the song in cue.
- Take the song out of cue by stopping the song and moving the volume slider out of cue position.
Operating the phone line - Remember you must get permission from the caller to put them on air.
- The red light should flash when the phone rings.
- After you pick up the phone and get the caller’s permission, push the green button for the phone volume on.
- Slide the volume control up to the dark line marked on the board.
- Push the “on” button located just beneath the EAS printout
- It is on the right hand side on the gray faceplate below the EAS machine.
- Once you have done all of this, hang up the phone.
- Talk to the caller through your microphone and listen to their voice through the radio.
- When the call is over, push the “off” button on the gray faceplate next to the “on” button you pushed earlier. If you don’t, the radio listeners will hear a dial tone on the radio.
- When your show is over, make sure the board phone volume is off.
CD Player - THe top player is “CD 1” on the soundboard.
- The bottom player is “CD 2” on the soundboard.
- Push the black power button on the left side of the players to turn them on and off.
- The red button labeled “cue” is used to stop the CD. It does not have anything to do with using the cue option.
- To select a track, turn the black knob.
- You do not need to push any of the gray buttons to the right except the button labeled “play mode”. Push this button to select whether you want to play a single song or for continuous play.
- The player digitally displays how much time is remaining for your song.
- Have the next song ready or be prepared to talk. Please avoid dead air.
EAS Machine - The person designated as chief operator is responsible for collecting and recording the EAS printouts weekly.
- If a paper message is printed from the EAS machine during a dj’s show, the dj must tear it off and place it in the appropriately marked folder located in the dj booth.
- A test from KRNL must be sent out on the EAS machine once a week.
- Each week we will receive three Weekly Required Tests (RWT’s): 1 from the National Weather Service 1 from WMTAM radio station 1 from KHAK radio station
- The last week of each month we will receive a Required Monthly Test (RMT) from Cen Star. This week is special because it is optional for the stations listed above to issue a weekly test. This means that the last week of the month we may only receive one test printout- the one from Cen Star. Don’t freak out if this happens.
- Each paper test must be placed in the envelope stapled to that month’s EAS log sheet, which is attached to the clipboard in the station office.
- Each month the EAS log sheet must be placed in the folder labeled “Completed EAS forms”. This folder is located in the top drawer of the filing cabinet.
- The completed EAS forms must be kept in the filing cabinet for three years.
- Each year a new “Completed EAS forms” folder should be started.
- Blank copies of the log sheets can be found in the top drawer of the filing cabinet, labeled “EAS Blank Forms”.