Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
- Questions about The 'Burg
-
Radio Terminology
- Ad-Lib
- Back-Selling (Back-Announcing)
- Board
- Buzz Phrase
- Copy
- CMJ (College Music Journal)
- Discrepancy Log
- Drop-In
- Front-selling
- Imaging
- Indecency
- Legal I.D.
- Levels
- Liner
- Live Read (Live Copy)
- Obscenity
- Production
- Profanity
- Program Log
- Promo
- PSA (Public Service Announcement)
- Ramp (Post)
- Remote Broadcast
- Request Line
- Rotation
- Segue
- Specialty Show Promo
- Spoken Basics
- Spot
- Stager
- Stop Set/Break
- Train wreck
- Questions about Axia Audio
- Questions about Streaming Audio
- Questions about Pod Casting
1.0 Questions about The 'Burg
1.1 What is The 'Burg?
The 'Burg is the college radio station for Central Washington University based out of Ellensburg, Washington. The history of The 'Burg starts back in 1958 when small broacast facility, KCAT, started broadcasting on 880 AM. The 'Burg, now KCWU, has flourished into a state-of-the-art broadcast facility.
1.2 Where is The 'Burg Located?
Ellensburg, Washington. The 'Burg or KCWU-FM is an officially recognized department at Central Washington University. We are about 2 hours east of Seattle, and almost in the dead center of Washington.
1.3 What type of musc does The 'Burg play?
The 'Burg plays the freshest in new music today.
1.4 What are The Burg's call letters?
KCWU. The call letters for The 'Burg used to be KCAT. Then in May of 1998, KCAT was switched to KCWU because "KCAT" already existed in Pine Bluff, Arkansas.
1.5 What frequency does The 'Burg play on?
88.1 FM in the Ellensburg Area. Before the days of The 'Burg, KCAT transmitted over 880 AM, and later on FM cable at 91.5 FM. Then on March 3rd, 1998, KCAT obtained a construction permit to build a 500-Watt, non-commercial educational FM broadcast station at 88.1 MHz. Shortly there after KCAT changed its' call letters to KCWU
1.6 How can I request a song?
You can either request a song by calling (509)963-2311 or by e-mailing the burg your request. We expect regular line on-air talent to rsume by October, 2006.
1.7 How can I contact the 'Burg?
Phone: (509)-963-2283 (Main Office)
E-mail KCWU
Mail:
ATTN: Name of person you are conntacting
400 East University Way
Ellensburg, WA 98926-7594
2.0 Radio Terminology
2.1 Ad-Lib
Extemporaneous speaking - without copy. Outlines or some kind of brief written info is usually used as a guide.
2.2 Back-Selling (Back-Announcing)
Telling the listener what he/she just heard. It's okay once in a while, but
it does get repetitive, especially if you front-sell and back announce the same
song.
See Also: Front Seeling
2.3 Board
A device designed to control and route audio. Also known as a mixer, console, or a control surface, these units are found in virtually every on-air and production studio. Volume controls called faders (slide pots) are used to adjust the level of each audio input channel and mix all audio channels into a main output.
2.4 Buzz Phrase
A memorable slogan used in conjunction with the station Liner, designed to
identify and highlight the station's primary music format.
ie. "Your Music Central"
2.5 Copy
Script that is either read live over the air or produced in the Production Studio. Copy is usually written in all capital letters, and double-spaced for easy reading.
2.6 CMJ (College Music Journal)
The magazine listing the weekly top 200 college radio albums, as tallied from The top 30 selections played every week by college radio stations nationwide.
2.7 Discrepancy Log
The first page of every daily Program Log. If something goes wrong while you are logged on-air, enter it on this document - missed PSAs, equipment breakdown, accidental obscenity being aired, power failures, and so on. This is a legal document. Entries made on this document will be reviewed on a daily basis, addressed by management, and filed for FCC compliance purposes.
2.8 Drop-In
A production piece ranging in length from under 10 seconds to 30 or 40 seconds. Drop-ins usually contain sound effects or humorous bits taken from the Internet, television, movies, or other sources. They are used as a tool to accentuate programming, either in between songs or during specific program features. They must be used sparingly and with discernment, so as to be relevant to the surrounding audio content.
2.9 Front-Selling
Announcing music or other events in advance (usually, what you'll be playing
next).
See Also: Back Seeling
2.10 Imaging
Production designed to give the station an on-air image - Liners, Promos, Legal I.D.s, Stagers, etc.
2.11 Indecency
Any broadcast material, either spoken or in music, which "depicts or describes sexual or excretory organs or activities," and/or which is considered to be patently offensive to the average person as measured by contemporary community standards for the broadcast medium.
Indecency, while sometimes protected by the First Amendment, is not legally permissible for broadcast outside the hours of 10pm to 6am, (known in the industry as the "Safe Harbor" period--times when children are not likely to be listening). At KCWU-FM, indecency is not permissible at any time. See "Obscenity and Indecency Policy" in Section 4 of this Handbook.
2.12 Legal I.D.
Official station CALL LETTERS, and city of license
(LOCATION) - NOTHING IN BETWEEN! Required by the FCC to be
broadcast at the top of the hour (or as close to the top of the hour as
possible). Failure to broadcast a Legal I.D. is cause for a $1,000 FCC fine,
per incident.
ie. K-C-W-U Ellensburg
2.13 Levels
Amount of audio volume; gain; degree of amplification.
2.14 Liner
A short and common station identification announcement, often used in between
songs to create smooth transitions. A liner is also typically the first thing
a DJ says coming out of music, and the last thing they say before returning to
music.
ie. Eighty-Eight-One The 'Burg
2.15 Live Read (Live Copy)
A dated announcement of an informational or public service nature, on behalf of a campus, local, regional, or national organization. Live Reads are scheduled throughout the day and are read live on the air-hence the term "Live Read."
2.16 Obscenity
As defined by the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Miller v. California [413 U.S. 15 (1973)], obscenity is broadcast material that is not protected by First Amendment Freedom of Speech rights, and which the FCC believes the "average person," applying contemporary community standards, would find fits all three of the following descriptions:
- The material, as a whole, appeals to the prurient (sexually depraved) interest
- The material depicts or describes in a patently offensive way sexual conduct specifically defined by applicable state law; AND
- The material, taken as a whole or in context, lacks serious literary, artistic, political, scientific, or redeeming social value.
2.17 Production
Any pre-recorded piece of audio produced for on-air playback. The Production Director oversees all such production (public service announcements, promos, underwriting announcements, etc.). Production may contain any number of elements (voice, special effects such as echo and flanging, music beds, sound effects, and audio from video clips, to name a few).
2.18 Profanity
Language, as defined by the FCC, that denotes "personally reviling epithets naturally tending to provoke violent resentment or denoting language so grossly offensive to members of the public who actually hear it as to amount to a nuisance."
2.19 Program Log
The daily on-air schedule, produced by the Assistant Program Director, that indicates when station announcements ("breaks" or "stop sets") are to be broadcast. Every Program Log should begin with a Discrepancy Sheet on the front. Logs will be produced either electronically or in hard-copy format.
2.20 Promo
A pre-recorded advertisement for a station, campus, or community event of primary interest to the station's target audience. Promos are distinguished from PSA's in that they typically advertise entertainment-oriented events, while PSA's typically promote significant social causes and public services.
2.21 PSA (Public Service Announcement)
PSA's are announcements (usually pre-produced) offered for free to CWU clubs, organizations, and departments, local/regional non-profit organizations, individuals, and syndicated companies such as the Ad Council. PSA's are designed to raise public awareness and promote the services, events, and campaigns addressing social causes and concerns relevant to the local population.
2.22 Ramp (Post)
An instrumental intro at the beginning of a song, before vocals come in. Most on-air announcers try to keep the music flowing by talking on ramps. Talking up to the vocals on a ramp is called "talking up to the post".
2.23 Remote Broadcast
A broadcast originating from a location outside the radio station, wherein audio is sent back to the station via telephone lines, radio link, or internet.
2.24 Request Line
The station phone line on which we take listener requests. Listeners may
also e-mail their requests to on-air staff at:
request@881theburg.com.
ie. (509)963-2311
2.25 Rotation
Rotation is our station's new music library, administered by The Music Director. The majority of the rotation comprising our weekly top 30 charts is new rock, seasoned with other influences such as Indie, Punk, and Electronica. On-air staff promote the new music in rotation to educate listeners about the bands and artists producing the music. Rotation is played during non-specialty show hours. CDs may be in rotation for 2-3 months. Stations such as ours help make or break new artists and determine whether they have the potential to cross over into the mainstream market. Some examples of artists we've played before they've "crossed over" include Alanis Morrisette, The Donnas, Good Charlotte, Pete Yorn, Ryan Adams, Junior Senior, and The White Stripes.
2.26 Segue [seg-wey]
A transition from one song or program element to another.
2.27 Specialty Show Promo
A pre-recorded production piece designed to promote station specialty programs.
2.28 Spoken Basics
Every time you first open the mike as a beginner, get the spoken basics done first...
- Liner - "88-One, The 'Burg"
- Your Name
- Time (in digital form) and/or temperature outside
- Station website address: http://www.881theburg.com
2.29 Spot
The common broadcast industry term for "commercial." Spots at commercial stations generate advertising revenue to keep them operational and profitable. Spots at non-commercial stations such as KCWU-FM are typically informational and/or entertaining in nature (Public Service Announcements, Promos, etc.). Underwriting and other Sponsor acknowledgements are typically broadcast in exchange for financial contributions, but they may never legally cross the threshold of becoming a commercial advertisement.
2.30 Stager
A longer, more complex station identification announcement, often including music, sound effects, or other textual elements in addition to the basic Liner. Stagers are designed to catch the listener's interest after a stop set and prepare their ears for the transition back into regular programming.
2.31 Stop Set/Break
This is when you stop the music, TALK, then take a break to play spots as scheduled on the Program Log.
2.32 Train Wreck
A bad-sounding segue. This occurs when two songs or program elements don't transition well from one to the other (such as going directly from Tori Amos into Rammstein).
3.0 Questions about Axia Audio
3.1 What is Axia Audio?
Axia Audio is a Telos company that has pioneered the development of high quality, uncompressed, low delay audio of ethernet. This revolutionary technology has been named LiveWire. Livewire allows for a modular, dynamic, and scalable implementation of high quality audio. This technology satisfies the needs of radio, and adds other functionality that wouldn't be achieveable otherwise. More informatoin can be found at http://www.axiaaudio.com.
3.2 What is LiveWire?
"Livewire is a new protocol developed by Telos, that allows transport of real-time, "live" audio, plus program associated data (PAD) and machine remote control over a switched Ethernet network. The same network can also carry file transfers, messaging and other routine traffic."
In essence, LiveWire is a integration of the computer world and the audio world.
3.3 What are the benefits of LiveWire?
LiveWire offers a multitude of benefits, The most prominent being the follwoing: standardization of cable; modularity; scalability; high-quality audio; simplicity; computer and audio integration; and ease of maintenance.
3.4 Are there any problems with LiveWire?
We here at The 'Burg have not found any problems with LiveWire yet. The biggest hurdle may be the learning curve required for both the network engineers and the radio engineers.
3.5.0 What technologies are used in LiveWire?
The main technologies that need to be impletmente to make LiveWire a successful solution are Category 6 cable, a network switch, TCP/IP, 1000Base-TX, and 100Base-TX.
3.5.1 What is Category 6 Cable?
Category 6 (CAT 6) cable is cable that has 4 twisted pair wires, and is one of the best cables currently in use for data communication. The twists in the cable reduce problems such as cross talk and attenuation, which degrade the signal over long distances. In addition CAT 6 cable is the best rated cable currently for use with 1000BT networks.
3.5.2 What is a network switch?
A network switch is a device the can connect many network devices (ie. computer, printer, server) together in a small Local Area Network (LAN). These devices can be use in conjuction with other networking devices to create a Wide Are Network (WAN). What makes a switch unique is more complicated and outside, the realm of this FAQ. More information can be found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_switch.
3.5.3 What is TCP/IP?
TCP/IP Stands for Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol and is also known as the internet protocol suite. It is the protocol suite that is required for any device that is to be connected to the internet. In addition it is the most common protocol suite used in computer networking. More information on TCP/IP can be found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TCP/IP.
3.5.4 What is 100BTX?
100BTX, pronounced 100BASE-TX, stands for 100 Mbit/s over Category 5 (CAT 5) cable or better, this includes Category 6 (CAT 6). This standard of ethernet is defined in IEEE 802.3 by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. More information can be found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/100BT.
3.5.5 What is 1000BTX?
1000BTX, pronounce 1000BASE-TX, stand for 1000 Mbit/s over Category 5 (CAT 5) cable or better, this includes Category 6 (CAT 6). 1000BTX is very similar to 100BTX the main difference being the speed. More information can be found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1000BASE-T.
3.6 How is LiveWire different from Streaming Audio?
The major differnce between normal streaming audio over the internet and LiveWire is that LiveWire is low-delay. Most audio one a LiveWire network will time sensitive and will require extremely low-delay over a very fast network. This is in contrast to traditional streaming audio over the Internet where delays are expected and the material is not time sensitive. In addition, LiveWire audio is not compressed, where streaming audio is.
3.7 Will I notice a difference in the music from The 'Burg
With better sound comes better quality. We hope you will notice an increase in the sound quality of the music we are playing.
4.0 Questions about streaming audio
4.1 What is streaming audio
Steaming audio is compressed audio that is sent over the Internet to multiple clients and listened to by those clients as the audio comes in. Most radio stations will stream their audio in real-time over the Internet so people can listen to their station even if they are too far way to pick up the station with a traditional antenna.
4.2 Does The 'Burg Stream its audio?
Yes, The 'Burg does stream its audtio. You can listen now, by selecting either "Low Quality" or "High Quality" from the left hand bar. "Low Quality" is recommended for those people with slower connection. People who have broadband can choose "High Quality" to obtain a better sound from the streaming audio.
4.3 Why does my music sometimes drop out?
This can be caused by a number of different factors. Your connection speed may not be fast enough to handle the "High Quality" streaming audio and you may want to try the "Low Quality" streaming audio.
This can also be caused by congestion on the Internet. Although, we here at The 'Burg can not control all the factors behind streaming audio, we have developed a guide to help you maximize your streaming audio experience. If you are having problems with your streaming audio please check out the next section entitled "4.4 Can I prevent my music from dropping out?"
4.4.0 Can I prevent my music from droping out?
As previously stated, there are a number of problems that can cause a loss or delay in streaming audio. The following section is provided to help you configure your preferred player to better handle streaming audio so you won't lose in any audio due to Internet congestion.
Many of these solutions require you to change buffer sizes. Whenever you increase your buffer size it will increase the time between when you hit the "Play" button and when you start to hear music.
As with changing any settings on a computer, we recommend you document all your previous settings prior to changing any settings. This way if you encounter a problem you can set the system back to its previous state.
4.4.1 I use Windows Media Player 9
In Windows Media Player 9. Select "Tools", then "Options". This will bring up the options menu. Next, select the "Performance" tab and make sure in the "Connection Speed" section that "Detect connection speed (recommeded)" is selected. Then, under the "Network Buffering" Section, select "Buffer" and set it to buffer "30 seconds of content." Finally click "Apply" then click "OK."
Now try streaming your audio again. If you still are having troubles, return to the "Performance" tab and set it to buffer "60 seconds of content."
4.4.2 I use Winamp
In Winamp, selct the icon in the top, left corner. Then select "Options" then "Preferences" (or just hit Control P). Next select "General Preferences", in the "Internet Connection Settings" section "Select your internet connection type" from the drop down menu (always on or dial-up).
Still in the "Winamp Prefernces" window, in the left pane under "Plug-ins" select "Input". Then select "Nullsoft MPEG Audio Decoder [in_mp3.dll]" and click "Configure". In the "MPEG audio decoder settings" window select the "Streaming" tab. Now you can set the "Streaming Data Buffer" as high as you need. Finally, click "OK", then click "Close" in the "Winamp Preferences" windows. We recommend you restart your streaming audio to make sure your preferences take effect.
We recommend you test out your new settings. If you are still having problems with the stream dropping out, try increasing the data buffer some more.
4.4.3 I use RealPlayer
In RealPlayer, select "Tools" then "Preferences". Under the "General" category select "Playback Settings". Find the buffer setting near the bottom of the window. We recommend setting it at 30 seconds to start. Finally, click "OK" and restart your stream to test your new settings.
If you are still experiencing dropouts in your music, increase the buffer setting to 45 seconds or even 60 seconds if needed.
4.4.4 I use XMMS
In XMMS, hit Control P and bring up the "Input Plug-Ins". Next click the "MPEG Layer 1/2/3 Player" and hit "Configure". Then, select the "Streaming" tab. In the streaming tab you can select a buffer from 4 to 4,096 kbps. Click "OK" and then click "Close." Finally test your settings and make sure they are appropriate for your situation.
If you are using XMMS we assume you are an advanced user and may not need as much guidance as some novice users.
4.4.5 I use iTunes
In iTunes, select the "iTunes" menu and select "Preferences" (select the "Edit" menu and select "Preferences" if you are a Windows user). Selecte the "Advanced" tab and with in that tab select the "General" tab. Now you can select between "Small", "Medium", and "Large" for the "Streaming Buffer Size". Select the size that is most appropriate for you, and then hit "OK." Finally restart your stream to test your settings.
4.4.6 I am still having troubles
The final thing you can try is to set your preferred audio player to repeat. In the event of a total drop from the server your music player will attempt to reconnect and stream from the server again. Most of the time this reconnection should happen almost unknowingly to you.
If you are still having dropouts, increase your "Streaming Buffer Size" as needed.
5.0 Questions about Podcasting
5.1 What is Podcasting?
Podcasting is the automatic delivery of prerecorded material, such as a weekly radio show, for vieiwing or listening at a later time. In order to recieve a podcast you must first subscribe to one. The term podcasting comes from the fact that Apple Computers iPod was the most widely used portable music player at the time when podcasting began. The term podcasting is actually a combination of the two words iPod and broadcasting. You can find out more about podcasting at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Podcast.
5.2 What are the benefits of Podcasting?
The main benefits of podcasting is that it is subscription based, and all media is pushed to the user for viewing/listening at a later date. In addition, most podcasts can be viewed/listened to on a mobile player.
5.3 Does The 'Burg Podcast?
No, currently we do not offer any podcasts.
5.4 Will the 'Burg Podcast
There has been some talk about starting to podcast. Currently, we do not have the time or the resources to invest into podcasting. However, in the future it may become a viable option for us.
5.5 Why doesn't The 'Burg Podcast?
Currently, we do not have the resources or time to invest in researching and setting up podcasts. In addition, there are some legality issues that we would have to address before we began podcasting. We would like to get into podcasting, but are unable to at this time.