Course: COMM 1560
Division: Fine Arts, Comm, and New Media
Department: Communications
Title: Radio Performance I
Semester Approved: Fall 2022
Five-Year Review Semester: Summer 2027
End Semester: Summer 2028
Catalog Description: Students contribute to the Snow College student radio station, KAGE-FM. Lecture and lab situations combine to provide students with the background and skills required to meet the needs of the radio communications industry. Students are exposed to both 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, resume, and related materials. Emphasis will be placed on voice, performance, and adapting to an audience.
Semesters Offered: Fall
Credit/Time Requirement: Credit: 3; Lecture: 3; Lab: 0
Justification: This course covers creating, developing, producing, and presenting audio programming elements for broadcast. Emphasis is placed on the proper operation of professional audio equipment and the study of basic physical behavior and perceptual effects of sound.Upon completion, students should be able to correctly operateaudio recording and playback equipment and demonstrate anunderstanding of the basic components of sound, which is a marketable skill. This course will transfer as a COMM Elective to other USHE institutions.
Student Learning Outcomes: Students will learn the techniques and disciplines of radio field and studio production through hands-on experience. As part of assignments, students will operate radio production and studio equipment. These skills will be assessed through classroom discussion, scripts, radio assignments, exams, and student evaluations.
Students will understand and undertake the jobs necessary to produce remote programs. These jobs include: planning, scripting, rehearsing and executing a recording session. Students will be evaluated through a completion of remote set-up, assignments, and remote radio productions aired.
Students will understand the importance of completing work on a deadline. This ability to complete work on a deadline will be assessed through assignment completion before work is due to air on KAGE radio.
Students will demonstrate an understanding of the physics of sound, as students produce commercials, public service announcements, and promotional announcements. These skills will be assessed through classroom discussion, radio assignments, exams, and student evaluations.
Content: This culturally diverse class encourages students to think and broadcast from many different lenses. In a group setting, everyone's differences add to the unique communication dynamics of culture. This diversity is similar to the classroom environment. Students will be encouraged to discuss diverse perspectives on topics such as media culture and radio production. Students will learn how different perspectives shape how we see and interact in various settings. Understanding individual perspectives on media, media experiences and differences are keys to a successful understanding of the content of this course.The following topics will be covered in class: Terminology for broadcast news; Elements of radio broadcast news; Fundamentals of audio recorder operation; Digital editing techniques and principles; Performing techniques for reporters; Electronic newsgathering.
Key Performance Indicators: Scripts 20 to 30%
Audio projects including set-up & aired programs 40 to 50%
Radio miscellaneous assignments 10 to 20%
Final Exam 10 to 20%
Discussions & Evaluations 10 to 20%
Representative Text and/or Supplies: No text required
Pedagogy Statement: This course uses a variety of pedagogical approaches to engage and support learning for all students, acknowledging that students may have different learning needs. In addition, students are introduced to recognizing group members' strengths, differences, and abilities and embrace these through radio. Students actively participate in scriptwriting, editing, producing commercials, public service announcements, and newscasters 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.
Instructional Mediums: Lecture
Maximum Class Size: 15
Optimum Class Size: 12
