Broadcasting terms

Visit this Wikipedia article with several terms used in radio broadcasting:

• Ad lib:  Improvisation. Unrehearsed and spontaneous comments.

• Announcement:  Commercial (spot) or public service message of varying length.

• Backsell: Is the method where a disc jockey announces the song title and/or artist of the song that has just played.

• Backtiming: s when the DJ calculates the introductory time on a song in an attempt to talk over the intro of the song and finish just prior to the vocals starting.

• Bed: Music behind voice in announcement.

• Billboard: Is a short announcement to recognize a sponsor at the start or end of a production element such as the news, sports, traffic or weather reports.

• Bridge: Sound used between program elements.

• Clutter: Is an excessive number of non-program elements (such as commercials) appearing one after another.

• Control room: Center of broadcast operations from which programming originates; air studio.

• Copy: Is the written material used in producing a public service announcement, promo, or commercial that is meant to be read out by the DJ.

• Crossfade: Fade out of one element while simultaneously introducing another.

• Cue: Signal for the start of action; prepare for airing.

• Donut spot: A commercial in which copy is inserted between segments of music.

• Dead Air: Is when the time on-air where there is no audible transmission.

• Fade: To slowly lower or raise volume level.

• Front Sell: Is the act of introducing a song about to be played.

• Gain:  Volume; amplification.

• Headphones: Speakers worn directly over the ears; headsets, cans.

• Input:Terminal receiving incoming current.

• Jingle: Is a produced programming element usually in the form of vocals to accompanying music often produced in-house to identify the show, DJ or the station.

• Jock: Deejay, disc-jockey, DJ.

• Level: Amount of volume units; audio measurements.

• Liner: Is a piece of written text that the DJ says over the intro of a song or between spots and songs.

• Master: Original recording from which dubs are made.

• Monitor: Studio speaker; supervise on-air sound; aircheck.

• Mono: Single or fulltrack sound; monaural, monophonic.

• Multitracking: Recording sound-on-sound; overdubbing, stacking tracks.

• Music sweep: Several selections played back-to-back without interruption; music segue.

• Patch: Circuit connector; cord, cable.

• Pilot: Is a one-time episode of a proposed series, usually in extended form, to gauge audience reaction.

• Playback: Reproduction of recorded sound.

• Playlist: Is the listing of official songs that a radio station will play during a given week.

• Promo: Is an announcement (either recorded or live) used to promote the station's image or other event.

• Spot: Is a term for a radio or television commercial.

• Volume: Quality of sound; audio level.

• Windscreen: Microphone filter used to prevent popping and distortion.