Lecture note on broadcast programming

1. Broadcast Programming
Elike Ike

2. Areas to be covered today
• Station types: independent, network, syndicated and affiliated
• Mode of presentation: live and prerecorded
• Scheduling: dayparting
• Sources of programming contents (programmes)
• Legal and financial issues: copyright, obscene, adolescents, revenue
and franchise

3. Types of Station
Broadcast stations are media outfit with specific identity that transmit
(air) programmes to the general public. This concept does not apply to
narrowcasting which is the relay of information to a segment of the
public or particular receivers for specific aims. Broadcast stations utilise
radio wave and today are on cable networks and some stream online.
So let us look at its types based on this understanding.

4. Independent stations
a. Independents: these are stations that are owned and operated by a
single or few individuals that have no attachments to other media
outfits. They exist solely, therefore they do not broadcast contents from
any other stations. Most of their contents are produced in-house,
brought by advertisers or got from small media production outlets. For
example Lion FM and most private stations across the country.

5. Network stations
b. networks: these are stations that work often together or collectively
and often having a central management. Though in some cases the
central management is a loose one as major decisions are taken at the
station level. The stations come together to strengthen their
transmission by increasing their reach, having diversity in programmes
and also support each other financially in some cases. They may also
share staff. A programme produced at one of the station can be
transmitted in all. The mother station is the main station where
majority of the contents (about 75%) for the local stations come from.
NTA and FRCN are examples of network stations with their local
stations at the state levels while the mother station in Abuja.

6. Other issues – cable networks
In early stages, cable networks were used to serve the needs of remote areas
where broadcast stations signals could not reach due to distance and
topography. The cable network companies provided the services by
redistributing the stations’ signal through the use of telephone cables and
underground wiring. In return, the consumers pay these companies token as
subscription fees. These companies moved on to increase their number of
stations in order to get higher revenues. Then with time, they started
offering contents like weather reports and news snippets.
Today, due to the emergence of the internet and broadcast digitization cable
network companies have a wider collection of stations and transmit to
homes through satellites. Today, they host both network and independent
stations. Example is dstv, Gotv and startimes.

7. Mode of presentation
Broadcast stations exist to deliver programmes for the viewing and listening audience and
to di so profitably. In its initial stages of development, programmes were transmitted live
until the advent of tapes, disks and other forms of media storage which have led to the
evolution of prerecorded programmes.
• Live Programmes: these are programmes that are presented to the audience just as they
are taking place either in the studio or at a particular location. In live broadcasting, the
events are transmitted without reproduction, the online editing that takes place is in the
framing of the camera shuts such that it might omit some sensitive issues. News and
outside broadcasting are usually presented live.
• Prerecorded Programmes: these are programmes recorded in advance before
transmission. The contents have been organized moments or long before transmission.
There are several reasons for this practice. One is because the activities may require
multiple takes in order to get a precise meaning, two the studio may not be able to
content all the needed talents, three additional contents like sound and visual effects
may be needed to clarify and intensify the meaning of the events. Also, postproduction
editing maybe needed to retime the programme and remove unwanted issues.

8. Scheduling - Dayparting
Scheduling in broadcast is the allocation of available time slots to
programmes. It involves strategic planning and ordering in order to get
the most out of each programme and reach the most suited audience
at peak availability. Thus, the day is divided into chunks. This process is
known as dayparting – breaking down of the day into parts.
Time 7-9am 9-12pm 12-3pm 3-5pm 5-6pm 6-8pm 8-11pm 11-1am 1-7am
Names Early
morning
Morning Early
fringe
Fringe Late
fringe
Access Primetime Late night Overnight

9. Programme Sources
After the day has been divided into tiny bits, contents are needed to fill each hour or moment of tome known as slot. It might be
15mins, 30mins or 1hr depended on hour each part of the day is to be broken down. In order to fill these slots, stations employ the
following means to get programmes.
1. In-house Production: this the practice of producing contents within the station by its staff and in some cases the use of local
talents. These programmes can range from talk show to news, quizzes, documentary and drama. A good example is Channels
TV morning rise
2. Related Media: a station might use a programme produced by a sister station say for instance AIT Kaduna can transmit a
programme from AIT Port Harcourt as a related station. A network might also take up a programme from one of the station to
air it through all the others or produce and distribute to the children.
3. Non-related Media: stations may share contents with one another even though they are owned by different bodies and have
no official relationship. News contents are often shared this way. However, attributions are rightly made
4. Majors and independent: these are media outfit (not stations in themselves) that specialize in the production or acquisition of
contents for sales to broadcast outfits. They have no interest in transmission business. For example Wale Adenuga production.
The majors have their big studios and go into huge production that would have been difficult for a station to engage in while
independent exists as small production house that develop concept and pitch them to the majors or attach to them for
production. One common thing is that the programmes got from them must be run at a particular time as negotiated.
5. Syndicates: these are production houses that acquire and produce contents which is offered at a price to stations for their use
as they see fit. Their interest ends at the sales or the rights to the station without negotiating airing times or frequency.
6. News Agencies: these are also a source for programmes specifically news. The news agency have specialist reporters covering
diverse desks who report and the stories are compiled and offered to the local stations for airing. News Agency of Nigeria
(NAN) is a typical example. News agencies are often with ideological and political lining.