Broadcasting Director

There was an earlier era when more than one station in a market was owned by the same company. Often, they were NBC affiliates, with one stations running NBC Red and the other NBC Blue. When one operator was required to run them and keep them "separate" ... well, you know what can happen.

On February 12, 1931, the Papal address on World Peace was carried on the NBC Blue Network. At the same time the Red Network was running a remote light program "The Shell Ship of Joy." As "The Shell Ship of Joy" concluded, Cecil Underwood flipped the wrong switch and cut into the Pope's talk with the words: "This past hour of fun and nonsense has come to you over KPO, San Francisco."

By the way, it WAS NOT Uncle Don that made the "famous" remark on the kiddies show. (Actually, many of the "bloopers" you've heard on the Kermit Schafer records and tapes were recreations and in many cases, fictional.

It is also untrue that Harry Von Zell announced "President Hoobert Heever" just before a live presidential address. (This is another canard from Kermit Schafer.)

It seems like an easy interview question. It's open ended: ”I can talk about whatever I want from the birth canal forward. Right?”

Wrong. What the hiring manager really wants is a quick, two- to three-minute snapshot of who you are and why you're the best candidate for this position.

So as you answer this question, talk about what you've done to prepare yourself to be the very best candidate for the position. Use an example or two to back it up. Then ask if they would like more details. If they do, keep giving them example after example of your background and experience. Always point back to an example when you have the opportunity.

"Tell me about yourself" does not mean tell me everything. Just tell me what makes you the best and fit the job requirements.

☛ How have you “assembled your career” up to this point? (What key decisions? Why? How did this experience shape you as a reporter?)

☛ How does this job serve as your ideal career move at this time? (What draws you to this station? To this particular position?)

☛ We use a beat system. What is your experience working in a beat system? (What beats have you covered? What is your familiarity with this beat?)

☛ Reporters work quite independently but area part of a team. How have you worked independently? And part of a team? (Give example of successful decision-making on your own? Give example of how you’ve contributed to a team or relied on a team?)

☛ Taking into your account your level of familiarity with the local community? The region and the state? What are some of the major issues we should be covering? (What story ideas might we consider?)

☛ You’ll need to divide your work between daily news AND in-depth, enterprise coverage. What are some of the challenges of that dual demand? (Have you ever had to divide your work that way? How did you manage it?)

☛ Describe your familiarity with new media. To what extent do you welcome the opportunity to report in other media? What do you think of our current efforts?

☛ Please describe the different kinds of “live, on-air” experience you have? (How much of it?)

☛ When it comes to writing, how would you describe your style? (What techniques serve you well? What kinds of stories do you enjoy? How do you take to the editing process? Examples of these points?)

☛ Give us an overview of your technical skills and abilities. (What audio programs do you work with? Field gear? Console operation? web tools? Examples of proficiency?)

☛ Is there anything you would like to add to further qualify you for this position?

☛ If you were offered this position, when could you start?

☛ Are there any functions of this position that you are unable to perform?

☛ Do you have any questions?

☛ What single project or task would you consider the most significant accomplishment in your career so far?

☛ Please tell us a few things about yourself?

☛ What are your career objectives and preferences?

☛ How much salary you are expecting?

☛ What is your plan regarding continuing your education?

☛ Do you work well in a team?

☛ Do you function well in high stress environment?

☛ Where do you see yourself in the next 2, 5, 10 years?

☛ What are some of the areas you would like to improve professionally?

☛ What are your strengths and weaknesses?

☛ Why should we not hire you?

☛ Why you have applied for this position?

☛ Why do you believe that you are the best candidate for this position?

☛ Tell us about some of the classes you took in college and how they would help you in this position?

☛ What are you looking for in a job?

☛ What kind of person would you refuse to work with?

☛ What motivates you to do your best on the job?

☛ Describe your management style.

☛ How do you propose to compensate for your lack of experience?

☛ What qualities do you look for in an employer? And most importantly

☛ Do you have any questions for me?

Simulcast : A simulcast is when two stations run the same program at the same time in the same city. This was common practice in the early days of FM, when stations tried to save money by running the same material on AM and FM. In an effort to reduce the spectrum waste and promote variety of programming, on October 15, 1965, the FCC made a ruling demanding that at least 50% of all programming on each station be "original." The practice has been revived in recent years as station groups try to use multiple stations to cover some growing markets. WTOP in Washington, DC, for example bought an AM and an FM in the suburbs to carry their signal. (According to some reports, the simulcasts can reach more people than the original station!)

Journalism requires a delicate balance of personal and technical skills and employers will want to be sure that you have the right stuff. Since it's such a competitive field you must convey your drive, energy and dedication to the job. You'll need it! Journalism is also a deadline-driven business, so highlight your ability to work in pressure-cooker environments, your interest in teamwork and your people skills. A talent for handling difficult situations with diplomacy and sensitivity is like gold to potential employers. Finally, resourcefulness and creativity in problem solving are important for sourcing stories, managing difficult projects, working in teams and meeting deadlines. Show your potential boss you have all of these qualities and more by discussing specific instances where you met challenges and defeated them, either culled from your schooling, another job or an internship.

EBS : To replace Conelrad, the EBS (Emergency Broadcast System) was put into place in 1963. Originally as outlined, stations were to test weekly. They were supposed to set off "carrier detect" receivers by the following sequence (As Conelrad receivers operated on the "loss of carrier" principle, they were still used for that purpose with the EBS program.):

☛ turn their transmitters off for 5 seconds.

☛ turn their transmitters on for 5 seconds.

☛ turn their transmitters off for 5 seconds.

☛ turn their transmitters on.

☛ broadcast a 1000 Hertz tone for 15 seconds to alert other stations.

☛ broadcast a "test" message so the public understood what was going on.

Broadcasting - Because radio (RF) signals can radiate over a relatively large area, in a sense all radio is "broadcast". However, broadcasting usually refers to transmissions intended to be received by a wide group of listeners. (This excludes transmissions meant for selected listeners that just happen to be overheard by others.) Furthermore, although most of the earliest broadcasts used telegraphic dots and dashes for sending out things like weather forecasts to farmers and seagoing vessels, broadcasting is generally considered to be a form of radiotelephony (essentially voice), hence the transmission of information and entertainment in a readily understandable audio and/or visual form to the general public.