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A typical program director's day
- Thread starter ticoSD
- Start date
J
jack
Guest
> If you are or were a PD, what is a typical day like?
>
Hell on earth.
(What do I win?)
>
Hell on earth.
(What do I win?)
Hell on Earth is a pretty good summary somedays...
I get in around 8:30, answer emails, talk to my morning staff, make a few phone calls, and hit the studio at 10. During my shift I schedule music on Selector. At 2 it's return calls, emails, etc... The next few hours is usually phone calls, meetings, writing/producing imaging, talking to sales staff about promotions, airchecks, etc... The day usually wraps up between 5 and 6pm.
This, of course, is a Cliff Notes version. No two days are usually alike.
> If you are or were a PD, what is a typical day like?
>
<P ID="signature">______________
The power is yours!</P>
I get in around 8:30, answer emails, talk to my morning staff, make a few phone calls, and hit the studio at 10. During my shift I schedule music on Selector. At 2 it's return calls, emails, etc... The next few hours is usually phone calls, meetings, writing/producing imaging, talking to sales staff about promotions, airchecks, etc... The day usually wraps up between 5 and 6pm.
This, of course, is a Cliff Notes version. No two days are usually alike.
> If you are or were a PD, what is a typical day like?
>
<P ID="signature">______________
The power is yours!</P>
> If you are or were a PD, what is a typical day like?
>
Every day is different. Here are some of the tasks many PDs do.
Schedule music. Schedule several days ahead of weekends.
Check new music if you play currents.
Review call out or street or phone surveys if you do currents.
Talk to record ducks if you do currents
Aircheck talent. This can be a significant portion of the day if the station allows personality.
Work on promotions
Check budgets
Talk to sellers about sales promotions, advertiser needs.
Do HR and EEO paperwork for vacations, sick days, hirings, filings, etc.
Get replacements for the sick or hung over.
Do your own airshift unless in a big station.
Take listener calls aobut why you play or don't play, or say or don't say certain things.
Resolve engineering issues about equpment needs, broken stuff, remote needs, audio processing.
Supervise production and write or refresh liners, sweepers and promos.
Look at ratings reports and tables, read trades
And that is just part of it.
>
Every day is different. Here are some of the tasks many PDs do.
Schedule music. Schedule several days ahead of weekends.
Check new music if you play currents.
Review call out or street or phone surveys if you do currents.
Talk to record ducks if you do currents
Aircheck talent. This can be a significant portion of the day if the station allows personality.
Work on promotions
Check budgets
Talk to sellers about sales promotions, advertiser needs.
Do HR and EEO paperwork for vacations, sick days, hirings, filings, etc.
Get replacements for the sick or hung over.
Do your own airshift unless in a big station.
Take listener calls aobut why you play or don't play, or say or don't say certain things.
Resolve engineering issues about equpment needs, broken stuff, remote needs, audio processing.
Supervise production and write or refresh liners, sweepers and promos.
Look at ratings reports and tables, read trades
And that is just part of it.
K
KMRichards
Guest
> > If you are or were a PD, what is a typical day like?
> >
> Hell on earth.
>
>
> (What do I win?)
You weren't the 22nd caller. Sorry.<P ID="signature">______________
</P>
> >
> Hell on earth.
>
>
> (What do I win?)
You weren't the 22nd caller. Sorry.<P ID="signature">______________
</P>
S
SamBuca
Guest
My typical day
1) Snooze 15 mins past the time critical wakeup point
2) Pick up random articles of clothing off the floor and search until I find the least smelly stuff
3) Show up for work 25-36 minutes late
4) Bark and snap at everybody until I consume 2-5 cups of coffee
5) Read radioinfo for the next 2 hours
6) Take an early lunch
7) Come back, but realize I don't want to be around anyone so I go "fix the transmitter"
8) After overdosing on RF exposure for the day, I break something at the site that needs to be fixed later on at night for job security
9) Waltz back into the station just long enough to shut off my PC and take a dump (while reading FMQB or the WMFO technical manual). Sometimes I flush.
10) Decide I'm too lazy to fix whatever I broke so I call another engineer in the area to do it for me
11) Talk online with friends until 3am complaining about my job
PDs have it easy. They push the "generate" button on their music selection software and then whine to the MD that the music sucks, whine to the production guy that the imaging sucks, and whine to the promotions chick that she's not showing enough cleavage at remotes.<P ID="signature">______________
</P>
1) Snooze 15 mins past the time critical wakeup point
2) Pick up random articles of clothing off the floor and search until I find the least smelly stuff
3) Show up for work 25-36 minutes late
4) Bark and snap at everybody until I consume 2-5 cups of coffee
5) Read radioinfo for the next 2 hours
6) Take an early lunch
7) Come back, but realize I don't want to be around anyone so I go "fix the transmitter"
8) After overdosing on RF exposure for the day, I break something at the site that needs to be fixed later on at night for job security
9) Waltz back into the station just long enough to shut off my PC and take a dump (while reading FMQB or the WMFO technical manual). Sometimes I flush.
10) Decide I'm too lazy to fix whatever I broke so I call another engineer in the area to do it for me
11) Talk online with friends until 3am complaining about my job
PDs have it easy. They push the "generate" button on their music selection software and then whine to the MD that the music sucks, whine to the production guy that the imaging sucks, and whine to the promotions chick that she's not showing enough cleavage at remotes.<P ID="signature">______________
</P>
W
wannabenewsboy
Guest
Re: My typical day
> 4) Bark and snap at everybody until I consume 2-5 cups of
> coffee
Instant PD, just add coffee!
> 7) Come back, but realize I don't want to be around anyone
> so I go "fix the transmitter"
How far away from your transmitter are you? Mine's roughly 45 minutes one way to the AM, and at least 20 one way to the FM. Plus I take one of the station vans and pop in a CD for the drive... it's nice when I just want to escape for a while. Or when I'm in the mood to kill/maim a member of the sales staff.<P ID="signature">______________
</P>
> 4) Bark and snap at everybody until I consume 2-5 cups of
> coffee
Instant PD, just add coffee!
> 7) Come back, but realize I don't want to be around anyone
> so I go "fix the transmitter"
How far away from your transmitter are you? Mine's roughly 45 minutes one way to the AM, and at least 20 one way to the FM. Plus I take one of the station vans and pop in a CD for the drive... it's nice when I just want to escape for a while. Or when I'm in the mood to kill/maim a member of the sales staff.<P ID="signature">______________
S
SamBuca
Guest
Re: My typical day
> How far away from your transmitter are you? Mine's roughly
> 45 minutes one way to the AM, and at least 20 one way to the
> FM. Plus I take one of the station vans and pop in a CD for
> the drive... it's nice when I just want to escape for a
> while. Or when I'm in the mood to kill/maim a member of the
> sales staff.
5 mins. It's like 3 miles but I have to go through some traffic.<P ID="signature">______________
</P>
> How far away from your transmitter are you? Mine's roughly
> 45 minutes one way to the AM, and at least 20 one way to the
> FM. Plus I take one of the station vans and pop in a CD for
> the drive... it's nice when I just want to escape for a
> while. Or when I'm in the mood to kill/maim a member of the
> sales staff.
5 mins. It's like 3 miles but I have to go through some traffic.<P ID="signature">______________
</P>
T
TXengineer
Guest
Re: My typical day
> PDs have it easy. They push the "generate" button on their
> music selection software and then whine to the MD that the
> music sucks, whine to the production guy that the imaging
> sucks, and whine to the promotions chick that she's not
> showing enough cleavage at remotes.
Whine to the engineer that the signal sucks, and he/she can't hear it 150 miles out of town when visiting his/her parents house, and asks if the engineer can raise the power to nuclear levels.
> PDs have it easy. They push the "generate" button on their
> music selection software and then whine to the MD that the
> music sucks, whine to the production guy that the imaging
> sucks, and whine to the promotions chick that she's not
> showing enough cleavage at remotes.
Whine to the engineer that the signal sucks, and he/she can't hear it 150 miles out of town when visiting his/her parents house, and asks if the engineer can raise the power to nuclear levels.
> You weren't the 22nd caller. Sorry.
Ha ha, nice.
My typical day as a PD "was" (haven't been one for a couple years now):
5:00a - Arrive at station to finishing preparing for morning show
10:00a - Take a break by scheduling music. (ha!)
11:00a - Review new music that has come in
12:00p - Grab lunch with the PM guy when he arrives
1:00p - Aircheck session(s) for an hour or two depending on the day
2:00p - Reply to emails, voicemails, labels, etc.
3:00p - Talk to sales peeps about promotions, NTR, etc.
4:00p - Start show prep for next day's morning show
Usually left between 5 and 6 - 12 hour day was the norm
Ha ha, nice.
My typical day as a PD "was" (haven't been one for a couple years now):
5:00a - Arrive at station to finishing preparing for morning show
10:00a - Take a break by scheduling music. (ha!)
11:00a - Review new music that has come in
12:00p - Grab lunch with the PM guy when he arrives
1:00p - Aircheck session(s) for an hour or two depending on the day
2:00p - Reply to emails, voicemails, labels, etc.
3:00p - Talk to sales peeps about promotions, NTR, etc.
4:00p - Start show prep for next day's morning show
Usually left between 5 and 6 - 12 hour day was the norm
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