WJCU Operator Exam

Frequency Modulation

The "FM" in FM radio is short for

Tim Russert Department of Communication

Where is WJCU housed within the University

Business-driven

What is NOT a characteristic of a non-commercial station?

Connectivity

Which is NOT one of the three main goals/interests of WJCU?

WTOP (W is east coast, K is west coast)

Which of the following call letters are most likely to belong to a station on the East Coast of the U.S.?

A hybrid

Which of the following best describes WJCU's program offerings?

Second Medium-we often use it while doing something else

Radio is best described as a

False (Transmitter does that)

T or F:

The antenna on top of the clock tower converts WJCU's audio signal to an RF Signal?

88.3

Which of the following is an example of a frequency in the educational part of the FM band?

-93.5

-107.3

-88.3

-97.5

True

T or F:

Most WJCU listeners are not affiliated with JCU

24.1 (Between 23.5 and 24.5)

Give a meter reading number (in Kilowatts) that would be within WJCU's normal range

Plugola

If you were to say "come to my next standup comedy show at the Funny Stop" on the air, that would be an example of

"I like Rascal House way more than Papa John's"

Which of the following may NOT be said on WJCU or any other commercial radio station

-"Bad Hooks will be playing at Brite Winter this Saturday"

-"I like Rascal House way more than Papa John's"

-"Make sure to go out and vote today!"

-"The Black Keys are the best band that ever lived!"

JCU

Who is the licensee of WJCU?

WJCU, University Heights

Write the correct legal ID for our station

The Mayor

Who is NOT authorized to request a signoff of WJCU?

-The Mayor of University Heights

-The Director of WJCU

-The Chief of JCUPD

-The Chairperson of the Department of Communication

None of the Above

What type of content is permitted at WJCU?

-Obscene

-Indecent

-Profane

-None of the Above

False

T or F:

It is acceptable to distribute mp3 copies of your show if they contain a copyrighted music

True

T or F

Royalty free music must be used as the background music in WJCU promos, jingles, and announcements

Studio Technician

The Simian computer crashed and we can't put music on the air without it

Chief Engineer

Who do you call if a transmitter reading is outside the normal tolerance

GM

Who do you call if airing regularly scheduled programming is not possible

Operations Director

You have a programming emergency, it's during business hours, and you can't get ahold of the GM

18

You must be ___ years old to win most WJCU contests?

30

You can only win a WJCU giveaway once every ____ days

GM

Ensuring that WJCU maintains full compliance with FCC regulations is the responsibility of the:

-Operations Director

-Chief Engineer

-GM

-Studio Technician

Operations Director

The ombudsman for WJCU's student staff is the:

-GM

-Operations Director

-Webmaster

-Studio Technician

Studio Technician

Who is on call for emergencies related to the on-air studio?

-Chief Engineer

-Operations Director

-GM

-Studio Technician

Chief Engineer

Who is on call for emergencies at the transmitter site?

-Chief Engineer

-The Operations Director

-GM

-Studio Technician

Heights Music Director

Decide what songs get added to Heights rotation

Sports Director

Train and assign play-by-play and color commentators for JCU Sports

Genre Music Director

Maintain a rack of new CDs in the studio

News Director

Produces daily weather forecasts for The Heights

Production Director

Add new PSAs, sweepers, IDs, and station promos to rotation

Web/Social Media Director

Post to the WJCU Instagram

Promotions Director

Handle ticket giveaways

Events Director

Provides DJ services for campus groups

Curriculum-

Community-serving the community of license by offering programming in the public interest

University-serving as a liaison between the community and John Carroll University

What are the three parts of WJCU's mission? Give an example for each part

WJCU, University Heights

What is WJCU's Legal ID?

Emergency Alert System

What does EAS stand for?

That was The Black Keys with Gold on the Ceiling

Which is an example of a proper backsell:

-That was The Black Keys, you have to buy their new album!

-That was The Black Keys with Gold on the Ceiling

-That was The Black Keys. You should go see them at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse

-That was Gold on the Ceiling by The Black Keys. That song is terrible!

True

T or F:

t's OK to call the Studio Technician in the middle of the night if there's a true engineering emergency at the station

True

T or F:

When doing a giveaway, it's OK to announce what the tickets would normally cost

2350 watts

What is the transmitter "output power" for WJCU?

-720 watts

-850 watts

-2350 watts

-3654 watts

False

T or F

It's OK to tell your listeners to go to a concert as long as you don't give the exact address of the venue

Plead the fifth and tell them to make an appointment with the GM

What should the operator NOT do if an FCC inspector makes an official visit?

-Plead the fifth and tell them to make an appointment with the GM

-Answer their questions honestly

-If requested, demonstrate that they can perform the basic duties of a station operator

-Grant all facility access and call the GM and engineer immediately

JCU

The licensee of WJCU is

-The Radio Station Board of Directors

-The Radio Committee

-The Director of WJCU

-JCU

Assure that all prerecorded and automated programming is available for airplay

What is one of the primary responsibilities of the Program Director?

-Assure that all prerecorded and automated programming is available for airplay

-Oversee the day-to-day operation of the station

-Create a training program for new staff

-Arrange underwriting for shows and the program guide

Plugola

A WJCU show host has a DJ gig on the side and encourages listeners to come to her next event at the Beachland. This is an example of:

Smoke is coming out of the audio console

Which of the following is a true engineering emergency?

-Digital clock doesn't sync to computer time

-Broken stylus on a turntable

-CD player won't cue up

-Smoke is coming out of the audio console

Live calls may be aired on The Heights

What is NOT true about WJCU's phone policy?

-Calls should be kept short, polite, and professional

-Callers should be identified by first name and city only

-Live calls may be aired on The Heights

-Before recording a call, you must obtain the caller's permission

True

T or F

The Heights Music Director adds single tracks to the library, while the Genre Music Director adds full albums

92.1

Which of the following is a valid FM frequency?

-108.1

-106.4

-92.1

-100.0

Production Director

Who handles selection of PSAs and the recording of community announcements?

-GM

-Operations Director

-Sports Director

-Production Director

Program Schedule

Which document can NOT be found in the WJCU Public File?

-Station License

-Program Schedule

-Ownership Reports

-Quarterly Issues Reports

On the FCC's website

Where is the WJCU Public File officially maintained?

The operator on duty (the person behind the board)

Who must legally sign in and out on the station log?

-The operator on duty (the person behind the board)

-Anyone in the broadcast studio

-The broadcast engineer

-Every host of every show (even if you have two hosts)

False

T or F

It's OK to remove songs labeled "NEW" from the Heights playlist

False

T or F

Getting drunk before your airshift is OK as long as you won't be behind the board

False

T or F

The antenna on top of the clock tower converts WJCU's audio signal to an RF signal

The station operator must manually begin the alert by pushing the "RUN" button

What does NOT happen when an EAS message is received by WJCU?

-The red EAS light comes on in the studio

-The alert mutes and pre-empts any content originating from the console

-The station operator must manually begin the alert by pushing the "RUN" button

-The station operator notes the time of the alert in the log

False

T or F

It's OK to make a copy of a song in the WJCU music library on your flash drive

Studio Technician

Who is responsible for maintaining the broadcast console and Simian computers?

-General Manager

-Broadcast Engineer

-Studio Technician

-Operations Director

Content is created

-Processor compresses the audio signal

-Transmitter converts signal into RF signal

-Antenna takes RF signal, broadcasts at specific power/frequency

=receiver tuned to station receives signal

How does radio work?

-Public, college, and community broadcasters

-Funded by listeners, nonprofits, underwriters

-Mission drive

Often more free to play varied content

Non-commerical radio

-Format-the overall genre of a radio station's programming

-Block programming-different genres at different scheduled blocks

-Hybrid-mixture of the two

Radio formats

-Frequencies: 88-108 MHZ

-Educational licenses: 88.1-91.9

-Steps: stations are only odd tenths i.e. 88.1, 88.3, 88.5, etc.

Radio naming conventions

-88.7

-Hybrid Format

-In Tim Russert

-Transmitter in Admin 4th floor

-Antenna atop clock tower

-Audience 1.2 million, 98% not affiliated with JCU

-Mostly volunteers

About WJCU

Federal Communications Commission

What does FCC stand for?

-Operator must sign log at every start and end of each on-air shift

-Transmitter readings are every odd hour

-EAS test once per week

Technical requirements

Only one person may be signed in

-Full, legal name

-Blue or Black ink only

Station Log

-Every odd hour

-Should be between 23.5-24.5

-Not between 21.15 and 24.67 call GM and Chief Engineer

Transmitter Reading

-Legal ID is WJCU, University Heights

-ID must be said between :55 and :05 each hour (recorded or spoken)

Legal ID

-Urging the buying of an album

-Urging the listener to go to a concert

-Mentioning the price of an item

-Urging the listener to go to a certain store or club

-NONE are allowed for non-commercial stations i.e. WJCU

Examples of calls to action and which ones are okay?

Payment or compensation for airplay of any programming without disclosure

What is payola?

-The "plugging" of products, events, venues, or services in which you have financial interest without disclosure

-If it sounds like an ad, it's probably plugola

What is plugola?

When talking about products, events, venues, or services, remember:

-No calls to action•

-No comparative claims ("Swenson's is better than McDonald's")

-No qualitative claims ("Melt has the best grilled cheese!")

-No price information (you can mention if something is free)

-No terms and conditions (the fine print)

-No special offers/discounts for listeners

What can't be said on air

-AAA: Adult Album Alternative Music

-Every WJCU staffer has to do one semester on The Heights

-3-6 song added regularly

The Heights

Public Service Announcement

-Raise awareness

-Educate

-Change attitudes or behaviors

What is a PSA

Station Promos:

-Typically pre-recorded spots promoting station: Radiothon promos, Sports promos, Website/social media promos

Show Promos

-Promotes a specific genre show on WJCU

What are the types of promos

-Pre-recorded spot to promote JCU and local events

-non-profit events open to the public

What is a Community Announcement

Jingles

-Musical station identification/promo•

Sweepers/Liners

-Non-musical station identification/promo

What are jingles, sweepers, and lines