Radio Commercial: The Mechanics Copywriting for the Electronic Media (Meeske)

Strengths of Radio Target specific audiences: Focus on demographic groups Is mobile: Can take it anywhere Is intrusive: Can’t avoid hearing it Is flexible: Can get on the air same day, can get up-to-the minute information

Weaknesses of Radio Is aural only : Can’t demonstrate product Messages are short lived: Difficult to jot down details Listening is prone to distraction: People are doing other things while listening

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

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.

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

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 performer’s movements. In a board fade, only volume changes.

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.

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