Course Syllabus

COMM 2560 Radio Performance II

Course Description

Students contribute to the Snow College student station, KAGE-FM. This course provides students with the background and skills required to meet the needs of the radio communications industry. Students are exposed to analog and digital studio systems, including digital multitrack production techniques. Work may include station management, announcing, production of promos, public service announcements, underwriting, news, or sports reporting. Students will learn to create and organize a professional-quality radio portfolio consisting of a broadcast aircheck, production samples, a resume, and related materials. Emphasis will be placed on voice, performance, and adapting to an audience.

Justification

Radio Performance is designed to prepare students for broadcast communication majors. The curriculum is presented by industry professionals and is designed to focus on the radio broadcasting business. The working lab of the program KAGE-FM is a full-time FM broadcast facility. The station's operational platform is a comprehensive broadcast business and equipment package that parallels current industry standards. The experience of working with the radio station provides an opportunity for students to receive personal critique and improve their speaking. This course will transfer to most USHE institutions.

Student Learning Outcomes

1. Students have a minimum of one and a maximum of three two-hour shifts each week. These shifts are broadcast to the listening audience throughout Sanpete County.
2. Students will learn to create and organize a professional-quality radio portfolio consisting of a broadcast air check, production samples, resume, and related materials. Emphasis will be placed on voice, performance, and adapting to an audience.
3. Students will be able to identify important components of an audio control system. This will be assessed through lab experience, research, and review assignments.
4. Students will be able to competently operate audio production.
5. Students will be able to identify various jobs in a typical radio station and understand station hierarchy. Participation with the radio station requires students to research and document resources for their particular topics. Students are required to utilize a variety of sources to complete their research. This research is presented weekly to the public as part of their on-air experience.
6. Students will develop basic performance and production skills for radio through supervised, assigned experiences in radio broadcasting with individual and group assignments. Students will demonstrate their performance and production skills through shift work, assignments, committee work and a service project.
7. Broadcast communication ethics is a major component of this course. Students are challenged to look at historical and hypothetical scenarios from an ethical standpoint.

Course Content

The following topics will be covered in class: Legal requirements set forth by the FCC; Individual stewardship for assignments with the radio station; Perception development; Self-concept development; Experience of a variety of musical genres; Understanding the different facets that make up the daily operation of a radio station. Students actively participate in scriptwriting, editing, producing commercials, public service announcements, and acting as a newscaster in a studio setting. Students will receive practical experience and basic knowledge of audio production, including the principles of sound, announcing, scriptwriting, microphone technique, board operation, storytelling, program production, leadership, and organization.