What is radio imaging and why should it be used?

What is radio imaging and why should it be used?

People might not have a clue about radio imaging yet it might be something that they are exposed to on a daily basis. This helps to define the identity of the station and give it a unique personality by using a specific kind of actor to help set the stage.

Lots of choices in stations

Most people have a favorite or several favorite stations that they listen to on a regular basis. While some people may favor satellite stations, a great many people will always tune to local stations as these have local news, weather and traffic. For people that commute long distances and/or in large metropolitan areas, these are a necessity of life.

Many people have a favorite style of music that they prefer such as oldies, country, progressive or classic rock, classical or blues. People may also be interested in something more intellectual in nature such as talk radio, or religious programming. In some areas of the country, there can be only one station in each style but in other areas there may be many different stations that all feature the same kinds of music. How can stations keep listeners loyal to their brand and keep the market share of listeners they need to satisfy sponsors? The answer is by using branding, otherwise known as radio imaging.

What these voices do

The voices are often used to announce the station’s ID throughout the day. An example of this might be something like, “You are listening to (station name), your place for great oldies in the Central Valley.”

The style of the imaging can be almost anything and some kinds will be more unique than others. Some station’s formats such as active rock formats benefit from using very high-energy voices. Other stations may be looking for someone that sounds very knowledgeable or sophisticated or that has a sultry or sexy vibe in the voice. Sometimes the voice may have a specific accent such as a Southern accent paired with a country western station.

The voices may be used in what is called a “dry” environment meaning the recording is a voice-only. At other times it can be with music and often with sound effects like car crashes, sirens, or other things that help to capture a listener’s attention.

How to find these specialists

Some of these people have an agent and work independently. The majority of people will work for agencies. This can be the best way to compare different voices and see how they sound. This tends to offer the biggest range of service providers in one area. 

For more information, visit http://mccoyproductions.net/content.php?contentID=7

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