Technical means in radio programme production

Abstract

Arthur C. Clarke used to say that any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. It is probably inevitable that we are often overcome by such pessimism in a world like ours, which is undergoing so many profound changes. The media in general, and audiovisual media in particular, have been under stress in recent years as a result of the process of profound technological innovation that is shaking up media companies and their users. This emerging situation we are experiencing undoubtedly poses a very special challenge for information professionals, who are forced to readapt their professional routines and to incorporate increasingly sophisticated technological tools into their daily professional practice. As is the case with the press and television, broadcasting and its professionals must also face the challenge of technological acceleration in the last years of this century. It might be thought that radio journalists - who are the professionals we will take as a reference here - will not see their work habits affected, as their occupation will continue to be "going out into the street, seeing what is happening and telling the story". However, when going out into the street, seeing and telling the story is affected by a set of technical mediation devices, the professional's obligation is to know and handle these tools; admittedly not with the perspective of a specialist technician, but with the clear awareness that certain instruments play a decisive role in the production of radio programmes. With this perspective, in this communication we describe the technical devices of a conventional radio studio, in the idea that it is precisely the studio that is the nerve centre of radio production and, in a second part, we will recapitulate some of the most important technological innovations that are taking place in radio broadcasting and their effects on journalistic work.