The program director also typically fulfills duties in the realm of direct negotiations with recording labels and other professional management and representation in connection with establishing product or talent exposure goals that are mutually agreeable to all parties. This often requires polished negotiating and communications skills, particularly because the interests of the station and those of artists and their representation may not necessarily coincide (Hall & Hall, 2000).
Finally, the broadcast radio program director must also supervise technical elements of radio broadcast operations, including the production, recording, and airing of programs, (Paro, 2009) and for ensuring that engineering personnel follow strict FCC and other regulatory compliance requirements (Stern, 1993; Stern, 1995). The compliance element of radio operations can be extremely challenging because a radio station program
director must master the terminology and many of the complex legal concepts and standards that govern broadcast media (Paro, 2009).
While the actual legal work is handled by competent legal counsel, law professionals are not necessarily knowledgeable about the nuances of successful radio
(Stern, 1995). Therefore, it is the program director who must bridge the proverbial gap to enable the decisions and concerns of legal representatives to comport as closely as possible with strictly programming-oriented issues within the area of the program director's professional expertise.
Education and Qualifications:
Program directors come from all different walks of life with varied types of prior professional experience and training. Nevertheless, there are various specific types of professional experience and educational backgrounds that are particularly helpful to success in radio programming. Consequently, candidates who can offer the most appropriate and directly related experience will naturally...
Political Science, Psychology, Sociology,
Law, Writing, and Public Speaking minor courses of study are also extremely helpful, both with respect to the strength of one's candidacy for a program director position as
well as in terms of day-to-day responsibilities after hire (Hall & Hall, 2000; Paro, 2009).
Vocational experience (including internships and work student-run radio stations)
perfectly complement the appropriate educational background. Naturally, the less perfectly one's education matches the job description, the more important it is to present extensive practical experience, and vice-versa. In many ways, the successful program director must be a jack of many related trades; therefore, prior experience that emphasized creative writing, advertising, technical production, face-to-face negotiations and client relations, problem solving, and operational decision making are all helpful, even outside of the broadcast industry. Ultimately, even the most qualified prospective candidates must be prepared to start out small and work their way up to a large station.
References
Hall, C., Hall, B. (2000). This Business of Radio Programming. New York: St. Martin's
Press.
Paro, B. (2009). "What is a Radio Program Director" Music X-Press Magazine Retrieved
April 14, 2009 from:
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/167808/what_is_a_ra
Stern, H. (1993). Private Parts. New York: Simon & Schuster.
Stern, H. (1995). Miss America. New York: Regan Books.
