Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) recently held a day workshop on FM radio broadcasting at its head office on Kairaba Avenue, which brought participants from FM radio stations across the country.
In his presentation on the theme “Technical Aspect of Community Radio”, Rodine S. Renner, Spectrum Manager of PURA, introduced the process involved in broadcasting, saying the PURA Act 2001 and IC Act 2009 mandate PURA to efficiently manage and monitor the spectrum in The Gambia since June 2009.
Spectrum Management is the planning, allocating, assigning, monitoring and controlling the usage of the electromagnetic radio frequency (spectrum) in an efficient manner to avoid harmful radiation and interference.
According to him, the process of making and broadcasting radio programs combines teamwork, creativity, punctuality and technology.
He said the process is done so that every part of the chain has to work correctly for the program to be of good quality and for it to reach the listeners on time.
Transmission/Broadcast- Sending the program out over the airwaves, so that listeners could listen to it on their radio sets.
Microphones: Typically, the broadcast studio should have at least a minimum of two high quality voice microphones - one for the host presenter and one for the guest.
Headphones and monitors: The usual rule is to have a pair of headphones for each speaker in the studio.
The headphones are used to monitor the audio going on air and to preview a new source before its sound is actually mixed.
Two CD players would be very useful for a broadcast studio, allowing pre-recorded materials to be smoothly mixed with each other without gaps in transmission.
Yankouba Tourary, Technical Management ICT adviser, said the principal objectives of broadcasting are to educate, inform and entertain, adding that to achieve these objectives there must be a medium of program of production.
The principal function of the transmitter in the broadcast chain is to convert the audio signal into RF-signal through the process of modulation.
