AM....Amplitude modulation. The familiar system of broadcasting which has been known as standard. The system in which the audio signal causes the carrier wave to vary in strength. (See also FM)

ASCAP....American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers. A music licensing organization. Licenses public performances negotiation of contracts, collection of fees, and granting of special rights.

Audition....A tryout for potential announcers, actors, and musicians.

To listen to talent for possible use on programs.

A trial hearing of an entire program in an attempt to secure sponsorship or air time.

Auditionee....A candidate at a radio audition.

Auditioner....The director or other staff member who hears the auditions.

BBC....The British Broadcasting Corporation. A publicly owned Corporation controlling British radio.

Background....Sound, speech, or music heard at a low level behind dialogue and other program elements. (See Foreground)

Balance....The relative volume levels of different voices, music, and sound.

The physical arrangement of musicians so as to produce desired volume and blending.

A desired relationship in the perspective and quality of the unites of a program.

BG....Short for Background

Bite Cue....See Quick Cue

Biz....Business. A script notation calling for vocal or physical effects to be done by the cast. Crowd noises, shouting, etc.

Blasting....Overloading the microphone. A sudden increase in level of sound, music or voice which cannot be controlled by the engineer, resulting in distortion and other undesirable effects. (See Level)

BMI....Broadcast Music, Inc. A music licensing and publishing organization.

Board....The control panel in the control rooms containing switches and potentiometers (pots) for each microphone and turntable channel, and operated by an engineer or control operator.

Board Fade....The increase or decrease of volume of music, voice, or sound by manipulation of faders or pots at the control board. A fade performed by the engineer.

Boom....A horizontal extension which permits swinging the mike over a table or piano. A microphone stand with such an extension, such as used in Studio A (WRTI).

Break....A recess or breather

A 30-second pause between programs, or within a program, to allow station identification.

A script notation directing the actor to affect a change of pace.

Bridge....Music or sound effects in dramatic shows to affect scene transitions.

Bring It Up....To increase the volume level of voice, sound, or music in the control room.

Cap....To climax a sequence by the addition of another effect as to "cap" dialogue with music.

CBC....The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation

Change of Pace....A changing in emphasis, emotional tone, mood, or temp, in a speech, cue, or program.

Clambake....A disorganized or unorganized program, conference, or rehearsal.

Clean Cue....A musical chord, phrase, or bridge which comes in with no wowing or distortion at the beginning.

Clear....To secure the right to perform music or other copyrighted material as part of a broadcast.

Also more loosely used to indicate checking or ascertaining such rights.

Clear Channel....One of the fifty-nine broadcasting frequencies on which a high-power station has exclusive rights to broadcast, or on which two or more such stations, widely separated geographically, may operate.

Close on....Very close to the microphone and on the beam.

Closer....The closing announcement of a program. More broadly the combination of closing announcement, credits, and theme music to end a program.

Cold....To begin a program on cue without introduction or without preparing the listeners.

Not preceded by music or sound.

Continuity....The surrounding spoken introductory and closing framework of a drama; introductions for musical or talks programs; commercials; the remarks of the announcer in general. Sometimes loosely used to include Script---which see.

Control Room....A small room, partly enclosed in glass, which contains the control board, and instruments and from which the engineer and producer control the program.

Cross Fade....The reduction in volume of sound, music, or speech simultaneously with the increase in volume of other sound, music, or speech. Not to be confused with Seque--which see.

Cue....Separate speech to be ready by the actor in a drama.

Script direction indicating sound, music, or biz

The closing words of an actor's speech which are the signal for another actor to speak, or for sound or music.

A prearranged series of words by which a station announcer signals a remote point to begin a program. ("We take you now to Mitten Hall....")

A prearranged series of words at the end of a remote program to signal the station that the program is over. ("This has been a presentation of WRTI, your Temple University radio station.")

The system cues of the networks. ("This is the National Broadcasting Co.")

With reference to records, the setting up of a recording on the turntable so as to secure a desired chord or sound at the instant needed.

Cue rehearsal....A spot rehearsal in which specific cues or sets of cues are rehearsed without going through the specific program.

Cushion....Music, sound, or continuity near the end of a program, which can be cut or expanded at will to fill time requirements.

Cut....To delete lines from the script. A passage so deleted or indicated for deletion, as in "provisional Cut."

To stop a sound or cue.

To stop the program.

To make a recording (on discs)

To edit tape recording.

Dampen....To reduce the reverberation characteristics of a studio or room by sound absorbent drapes, rugs or other treatment applied to walls, floor, ceiling. To deaden.

Dead....Of acoustics, lacking in reverberation.

Dear Air....Silence. Intervals during which no audible signal or modulation is being transmitted.

Dead groove....A recording or transcription groove containing no modulation. Also called a dry groove.

Dead Mike....A mike which is not turned on, "opened," "hot" or plugged in.

Deaden....See Dampen

Documentary....A program utilizing narration and dramatization to present a socially or historically significant event or problem.

Donald Duck....The effect produced by playing recorded speech too rapidly, as when 33 1/3 or 45 rpm records are played at 78 rpm.

Double....The performance of more than one role or assignment by the same actor in a radio play.

Dropped Cue....A line or cue that is accidentally skipped.

Dry Groove....Dead Groove

Dynamics....The climaxes and contrasts of a script or program. The changing qualities (volume, speed, emotional tension) of a script which make it alive rather than static.

Echo....A special acoustic effect that gives a hollowness to sound, voice, or music. Produced by a reverberation chamber.

Editing....The deletion or addition of material from or to a recorded talk, interview, or discussion. The rearrangement and reorganizing of such a recorded talk.

Engineer....The technician who operates the control board or the transmitter.

Establish....To allow an effect to be heard clearly before diminishing it in volume. Sound effects and music are "established" so the listener may have time to identify them.

ET....Short for electrical transcription. See Transcription.

Fade In....The gradual increase in level of sound, music or speech as regulated in the control room by the engineer.

FCC...The Federal Communications Commission. The government agency that regulates American electrical and electronic communications. The authority that licenses radio stations.

Feed....Transmitting a program over telephone lines or through the air to stations or groups of stations. To "pipe" a program from point to point.

Feedback....Oscillations set up by the interaction of speakers and microphones, causing a squeal or howl.

Filter....An electrical device used to change tone characteristics of sounds, speech, or music by eliminating or overemphasizing certain frequencies.

FM....Frequency Modulation. A system of broadcasting characterized by high fidelity and freedom from interference, fading, and static. The audio sounds cause the carrier wave to vary in frequency rather than strength as in AM — which see.

Foreground....That aural position closest to the mike and opposed to Background. The position that gives the listener a sense of "presence" or proximity to the action.

Frequency....The rate of vibration of an audible sound or an electrical impulse. The "oftenness" which an object, wave, or impulse vibrates in times per second.

Gain....Amplification. See Riding Gain

Groove....The spiral channel cut in the surface of a record or transcription by the recording stylus, or pressed in by a master disc.

Head....The pick-up or reproducing device on play-back equipment. To reproduce sound from discs the head contains a stylus or needle and converts the variations in the groove of the recording into electrical impulses.

The device on a disc recorder which converts electrical impulses into motion, causing the stylus to cut a modulated groove in the surface of the disc.

Impedance....Opposition to the flow of electrical current.

In....Writer's term to indicate the introducing of sound effects or music. See under.

Incidental Sounds....Sounds which are not absolutely necessary but which serve to add realism or depth to a scene.

Instrumentation...The combination and relative prominence of musical instruments used to play a given piece of music. The process of preparing music for playing by instruments. Loosely used to mean orchestration of music.

Jumping a Cue....Beginning a cue too soon.

Kill....To cut out a cue.

The director's verbal remark to an engineer to cut out an effect immediately.

Lap....To allow separate cues to run into each other. To start a speech or an effect purposely before another speech or effect is finished. Montages make use of lapped cues frequently.

Lead-in....The number of turns of dead groove at the beginning of a record of ET preceding the modulation.

Level....The amount of volume as audibly noted or as electrically measured by the volume indicator on the engineer's control board. See Blast and Balance.

Libel....Defamatory statements made either in print, writing, or in most States, on the radio.

Line....The cue or speech to be read by an actor.

A telephone wire between studios and transmitter or between several stations for transmitting programs.

See Feed.

Live....Having considerable reverberation

Not transcribed or recorded

Live Mike....A microphone that is "hot," "open", turned on, plugged in.

Manual effects....Hand-operated sound effects as distinguished from recorded effects.

Microphone....A device for transforming sound into electrical energy.

Mike Fade....A change in volume and perspective caused by moving into or out of range of a microphone. A studio fade. See Moving on or off. See Fade on, Fade off.

Moderator....The person who serves as host and guides the discussion on a roundtable or forum.

Modulation....Sound; the absence of silence.

The electrical impulses corresponding to audio sounds impressed on a carrier wave.

The change in the grooves of a recording caused by music, speech or sound.

Monitor....To check a program by means of audio equipment.

To listen to a program for purposes of studying it or reporting on it.

The loudspeaker in the control room through which the producer hears the program.

Montage....A special effect in which brief scenes or sounds and music are linked together.

A succession of sounds or voices often overlapping or fading into each other.

Mush Up....To lack definition or clearness, as with an orchestra when the microphones are too close or are not correctly set up with relation to the sound source.

Music Sheet....Forms showing music used, method of performance, composers, publishers, affiliations, etc., for all music on a given program.

Nemo....Radio jargon for a remote broadcast

Network....A combination of radio stations joined together by telephone lines in order to affect the simultaneous broadcast of a radio program. (NBC, CBS, MUTUAL, ABC.)

A combination of stations who rebroadcast and relay one another's signals for the same purpose.

A combination of radio stations supplied with identified programs for simultaneous broadcasts by transcription.

Off Mike....A position from which a sound effect or spoken line is not delivered directly into the microphone. Out of range. In the area of minimum sensitivity of the mike.

On Mike....The opposite of Off Mike. Sound effect or spoken line delivered directly into the microphone. On the beam. In the area of maximum sensitivity of the microphone.

On the Nose....On time or on schedule. On the button.

Overplaying....To exaggerate a character. To play with too much emphasis, too much of everything.

P.D.....In the Public Domain. Not covered by copyright.

Pacing....Achieving a feeling of motion by careful attention to the inherent dynamics of the script.

Vitalizing a script through the rhythmic use of pauses, emphasis, changes in tempo and emotional tension.

Padding....Unimportant words provided at the end of a line or speech to prevent the loss of important words during a fade.

Patch....A temporary and removable control room equipment connection.

Peak....The highest level of volume reached on the volume indicator during a given program, or by a particular actor.

Perspective....The spatial relationships of program elements. See Foreground, Background, On and Off Mike.

Picking Up Cues....Allowing no lag between separate speeches or cues.

Platter....Radio jargon for a record or transcription.

Point.....The director's cues to persons in the studio indicating when they should begin a line, sound, or music cue. To "cue in" an actor.

Pot....Short for Potentiometer. The volume or gain control with which the engineer reduces or increases volume. A fader.

Producer....The director of the program, sometimes called the production director.

Production Aids....Music, sound effects, and continuity supplied to stations as part of their transcription library.

Production fade....A total simultaneous fading of all audible effects by the engineer.

Program (the function of the)....Arranging the sequence of programs in a given unit of time. The function of the program department of a station in planning, scheduling, or producing programs.

Project....To add carrying power to the voice to make it audible at a distance.

Provisional cuts....Material in a script which may be cu our or left in on a moment's notice for timing purposes. Also called tentative cuts.

Public Service Programs....A program, usually unsponsored, which is of general, cultural, or informative value to the public at large. More recently called public interest programs. To secure a license, a station agrees and obligates itself to broadcast in the "public interest."

Punch....Strong emphasis. Usually achieved by increasing the force with which the line is delivered.

Quick Cue....A line or sound that comes instantaneously on the heels of another cue. Usually an interruption of the previous speech.

Read-y....Lines that sound as if they are being read instead of spoken.

Remote....A radio program that originates at some point outside the central studios of the station.

Restricted Music....Music not available for broadcasting, sometimes only temporarily banned.

Riding Gain....Controlling the volume in the control room by manipulating the pots or faders on the control board to prevent wild peaks and blasting.

Royalty....The fee paid to the copyright holder for permission to perform or reproduce copyrighted material.

RPM....Revolutions per minute

Saw-tooth.....A type of studio well designed to reduce reverbations, characterized by non-parallel surfaces.

Script....written material read or presented by talent; the drama itself on a dramatic broadcast. Loosely, interchangeable with Continuity --- which see

Seque....A musical transition from one mood to another without a break. Not to be confused with cross fade.

Shock Chords....Strong, loud musical chords which punctuate speech or other effects. See Stinger.

Sneak (in or out)....The bringing in or taking out of music, sound, or biz unobtrusively behind speech.

Sotto Voce....Part whisper and part vocalized delivery of words. Half voice. The technique by which "asides" are delivered in radio.

Sound effects....Electrical, vocal, or mechanical sounds suggesting real sounds, reproduced either live or on records.

Sound Look....An arrangement of doors at the entrance of a studio so as to form a small soundproof enclosure. To enter, the outside door is first closed before the studio door is opened. This prevents unwanted sounds from leaking into the studio, and prevents feedback from nearby loudspeakers outside the studio.

Sound truck....An elaborate phonograph with two or more turntables and arms which permits mixing of recorded sound and music effects. Also called a "cocktail bar."

Soupy....Mushed up. Confused. Unintelligible or unclear.

Stab....see stinger

Stand by....A warning to performers to get ready to take the air.

A standby program — a substitute.

Stinger...A Shock Chord. Sometimes called a "stab."

Swell....A smooth but fairly rapid increase in sound or music.

Tentative Cut....See Provisional Cut

Theme....Distinctive music that regularly identifies a program.

Throw-away line....A line delivered casually without significant interest.

Transcription....A disc, usually 16 inches in diameter, and revolving at a speed of 33 1/3 rpm, made for broadcast purposes, and having high fidelity, used in radio stations.

Transition....The change from one dramatic scene to another by means of a musical bridge, a sound effect, a fade, or simply by dead air.

Under....Music, sound, or voice which is carried at a lower level than another effect. In the Background. To reduce the volume of an effect.

Up....At a higher level. To bring an effect up is to increase its volume. In the Foreground. At full volume.

VI....See Volume Indicator

Voice Test....A special audition for a single part.

Volume Indicator....Electrical meter, showing on a calibrated scale, by means of a needle, the relative volume peaks of different elements of a program. The control room meter used in riding gain, to prevent blasting and distortion, and to adjust balance.

Wow, wowing....The effect produced by a turntable revolving at uneven speeds, causing the sound to waver in pitch and intensity.

Releasing records and turning the volume up before the records have gained the proper speed.

The sound heard as a record picks up speed.