Quick Guide to Radio Studio Types

It’s a chilly morning; -9°C or 16°F if you use the imperial system. Let's warm up by talking about radio studios.

So, here is an account of this mystical room. What goes on inside the confine of its walls, and the types of studios out there.

Why did we open with a weather announcement? Well, when you work as a presenter, knowing the current weather conditions & relaying this info to your listeners is part of your business.

Let's get started:

It’s a specialized facility for producing, recording and broadcasting live audio including interviews, commercials, and more.

Radio studios range in size from small in-home studios to large broadcasting centers like the BBC's Broadcasting House in London.

Before we talk about activities in a radio studio, let’s first acknowledge the folks who work in the station.

Expect to find the vice president, CEO, program director, who may be the news director or music director, journalists or reporters, radio hosts, producers, marketers, system engineers, creative writers, social media coordinators, interns, admin specialists, sales consultants, tasked with finding new advertising clients, and the really good ones will be out in the field meeting clients, so you might just miss them at the office.

Wow, that was a list! Now, the core functions performed at the studio include:

1. Acquiring content

• Downloading songs from the internet.
• Ripping CDs.
• Recording audio in and out of the studio for instance when the reporters conduct interviews
• Third-parties sources such as syndicated shows
• Submissions from artists or record promoters

2. Production

• Developing show concepts
• Creating radio imaging
• Coming up with scripts
• Booking on-air guests
• Preparing and editing reports, interviews, news segments, and other show items
• Adding information to a track such as artist details, setting cue points & creating categories

3. Scheduling/Programming

• Creating daily schedules
• Scheduling promotions, advertising, and on-air announcements, typically done by the traffic department
• Deciding when to air programs
• Creating playlists
• Setting up rotations (templates)
• Setting up interviews
• Preparing program logs
• Voice tracking
• Screening phone calls

4. On-air tasks

• Introducing and interviewing guests
• Executing shows
• Posting show updates on social media
• Cueing and introducing upcoming music tracks
• Promoting the station’s programming through hooks, cross promotion, etc.
• Enforcing the station's identity by announcing the station's call letters
• Conducting surveillance of the weather, traffic, time, and temperature checks

There are various kinds of radio stations (pirate, community, hospital, internet, commercial, digital) and different types of radio studios.

First, let's differentiate between self-operated studios vs. tech operated studios:

a. Self-operated studio

In a self-op studio, the DJ or radio presenter drives the desk. Another way of saying it: the presenter operates the equipment such as the mixer.

The guests, co-presenters, and producers are in the same room.

b. Tech-operated studio/Engineer assisted broadcasting

In a tech-op studio, the technician or producer controls the programming from a second room (called a Control Room).

A sound-proofed glass will separate the two rooms. And the producer communicates to the presenters through a talkback system (with mic and receiver).

c. On-air studio

An on-air studio is the room used by the presenters when broadcasting live shows.

It may be self-op. In this case, it hosts equipment such as the on-air computer, CD players, mixers, microphones, boom arms, etc.

One of its basic elements is the broadcasting desk (how to set one up). It should be sturdy and spacious to accommodate the audio equipment, computer, guests, etc. Each seat at it needs a chair that adjusts to the desk (choosing a studio chair).

An L-shaped or U-shaped desk gives presenters easy access to knobs, faders, touch screens, etc.

Walls of the on-air studio are typically lined with acoustic panels that absorb and disperse sound reflections. This improves the room's acoustics.

The on-air studio room should be soundproofed. It involves reducing the penetration of outside noises. For instance, if the studio room has windows, the glass panels are usually thick and laminated.

Another common soundproofing technique entails placing an airlock or sound lock in-between two heavy-duty entrance doors.

d. Production studio

The production studio is designated for production work. In essence, it deals with content that's not live.

For instance, producing commercials, jingles, promos, news teasers, etc.

The production PC is the most prominent gear in this studio. You will also find headphones, monitoring speakers, etc.

In large radios stations, the production studio may be stocked with similar equipment found in the on-air studio. It then acts as a backup.

e. Announcers booth, performance studio or sound studio

The primary function of an announcer's booth or performance studio is to record or broadcast voices and instruments, for live sessions, pre-recorded shows or radio imaging.

It's usually equipped with microphones and headphones. Announcer booths are usually smaller than the production studio or on-air studio. But this may not be the case in all stations.

For instance, some stations invite music bands to perform at the studio. They may also invite a small audience to watch the performance.

f. Control room

Many talk radio stations have an on-air studio and control room configuration.

The studio room will have tables, microphones, headphones, monitor speakers, cue lights, monitors, talkback buttons, etc.

And the control room will have the mixer deck, or the computers for live assist broadcasting, scheduling, etc.

Audio comes from the talk studio to the control room. Afterward, it's sent to the FM transmitter or streaming computer/device.

Conclusion

Want to learn more about configuring radio studios? Grab a copy of the Radio Production Worktext: Studio and Equipment.

Check out more CloudRadio blog posts.

Keep safe. And stay warm.