Lesson 1. Introduction

Posted byTom Shakely

Welcome to the training program for new air talent on The LION – this course will provide you with a solid grounding in the basics of station rules and operation, FCC law and University policy, and explanations of why the station (and radio in general) operates as it does. It also is to serve as reinforcement for current personnel.

The ultimate goal of this program is to elevate the quality of our staff, and therefore our station, by creating a dedicated, qualified workforce that understands and appreciates the multi‐faceted process of operating and maintaining their student radio station.

BASIC GOALS

  • Give DJs and all staff a thorough background in the workings of the station ‐ making sure they understand not only “how,” but also “why” of broadcasting and everything else.
  • Train new DJs on the finer points of doing an air‐shift
  • Provide practical essential technical training on applicable vital station equipment
  • Develop the staff with a greater sense of ownership of their radio station

OVERVIEW

The program involves three basic components ‐ classroom seminars, technical training, and practical application.

TECHNICAL TRAINING

  • Each trainee will be required to attend at least two half‐hour, in‐studio training sessions that will familiarize them with each important piece of equipment ‐ explanations of each element of the air chain and operating instructions on component from the on‐air board to the digital delay to the ShortCut editing system.
  • Before completing the training course, each trainee will be required to pass a practical exam that involves demonstrating a working knowledge of this equipment.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION

  • Trainees will be required to conduct a minimum of two shift observations ‐ sit‐ins with DJs on their staff ‐ that involve observation of how a show is run.
  • Following completion of these observations, trainees will then need to serve two shifts as a board‐op for a DJ on their staff ‐ operating the on‐air board, selecting the music, and fielding phone calls.
  • Before completion of the training course, trainees will be required to conduct and record (off‐air) a two‐hour shift in which they pick their own music, and meet a predetermined set of guidelines (i.e. playing a Legal ID, taking four talk breaks, properly identifying the station, front‐ and back‐selling their songs)

What is The LION 90.7fm?

Penn State’s only federally-licensed, terrestrial and streaming student radio station.

Legally: Under the Federal Communications Commission:

The LION 90.7FM, WKPS is a real FCC-licensed Non Commercial College Radio Station. The Pennsylvania State University Board of Trustees holds a Federal, Non Commercial, Educational, FM-Radio Broadcasters License for the frequency of 90.7 MHZ on the FM band, in the city of State College, PA. As the highest governing body of the University, the Trustees are ultimately responsible for the whole University as a legal entity, and all of its operations, programs, and activities and all licenses held. Thus they are the legal license holders of all FCC-granted licenses to broadcast.

Under the Pennsylvania State University:

The LION 90.7FM is chartered as an Undergraduate Student Organization in the Department of Student Affairs at Penn State University Park. The Board of Trustees recognizes this charter which constitutes and categorically defines the organization as an entity legally affiliated with the University. This is separate and apart from the federally licensed privilege to broadcast over the FM airwaves.

Operationally:

The station is a full-time, year-round, all-volunteer broadcast operation staffed by Undergraduate, Graduate students, and alumni. The station is run and managed by a dedicated staff of Undergraduates, guided and advised by alumni and an advisor.

Programmatically:

The station is Multi-formatted, providing a substantial variety of alternative and cultural programming which presently includes, but is not limited to various musical genres, Sportscasts, and talk-radio format consisting of Public Affairs and Sports. All of the station’s programming, live and automated, is original, and locally produced/arranged and aired.

Physically:

The broadcast studio of The LION 90.7fm is located in the HUB- Robeson Center on the University Park campus. The formal mailing address is:

The LION 90.7FM, 125 HUB-Robeson Center, University Park PA, 16802

  • Studio Phone: 814-865-WKPS (9577)
  • Office Phone: 814-865-7983
  • Website: www.thelion.fm