Clearance Protocol

To be considered for an on-air position at WKNC you must:

• Complete the WKNC DJ class. This requirement may be waived by the general manager if the prospective DJ has significant prior radio experience;
• Complete in-studio training with a current WKNC DJ;
• Pass the written operator’s exam with a score of 80% or higher;
• Pass the board test given by the general manager, program director or other designated Board of Directors member. Even after you pass you may be asked to do some additional on-air training or submit an air check; AND
• Complete job agreement and have it signed by the general manager.

Now That You’re A DJ

After passing your operator’s exam and board test and completing your job agreement, you’re ready to be a DJ. You will receive your login and password to the WKNC Intranet. Your user name will be your Unity ID, but please be aware that your Intranet account and Unity account are in no way linked. You will also be subscribed to the WKNC staff e-mail list, where you will receive regular e-mail communication.

You are now eligible to substitute for another DJ at any time. Anyone not able to make a shift will send an email to the listserv. The first one to “reply all” to the listserv claiming the shift gets it. Make sure you follow the shift’s assigned format. Daytime, Chainsaw, Afterhours and Underground all have music in AudioVault. Specialty shows are often played off CD or computer, so you should check with the show’s regular host to determine if there is a sufficient amount of music available at the station or if you will need to bring music from your personal library.

Shortly after the conclusion of the training class, the program director will contact new DJs about signing up for open shifts. Check the schedule online, paying attention to the format assigned to each time period. Any timeslot without someone’s name on it is available. New DJs should co-host whenever possible.

To be scheduled for a regular air shift you need to have a DJ name. The program director cannot physically schedule you without one and you may lose the shift you wanted to someone with a name. Log on to the WKNC Intranet to edit your DJ profile, adding your DJ name and telephone number.

How To Get A Key

Keys are issued by the Student Media Business Office Manager in 323 Witherspoon (just down the hall from the studio). He or she will have a list of DJs eligible to receive keys. Keys may only be issued in person on week days during regular business hours. This is important to remember if you need a key to do a weekend air shift. Please don’t wait until Friday at 4 p.m. to ask for a key because you might not be able to get one. The standard issue WKNC key opens the front door to the Witherspoon Student Center, the front stairwell door, the front door of WKNC and the open production studio. You are required to recheck your key at the end of every spring semester and turn it in if you will be gone for an extended period of time (if you leave Raleigh for the summer or study off-campus for a semester).

What To Do If You Lose Your Key

Don’t lose your key! If you do there is a $35 charge to replace it. This will be charged to you personally. Lost keys must be reported immediately to the radio station adviser, who will ask you to notify the police if the key was stolen. You may be liable for missing/damaged equipment if you do not notify the staff of your missing key in a timely fashion.

All keys are property of N.C. State University. It is illegal to make copies of university keys. Students who do not turn in their keys upon graduation, resignation or termination from the staff will have their records placed on hold, prohibiting them from receiving a diploma/transcript and from registering for classes.

How To Get On The Payroll

Some WKNC staff members, primarily those on the Board of Directors and executive staff, are compensated for their role at the station. To be placed on the WKNC payroll:

1. You must be enrolled as a full-time student at N.C. State University;
2. You meet all eligibility requirement set forth in this manual, by N.C. State Student Media and North Carolina State University; AND
3. You must complete a payroll package and meet with the Student Media Office Manager to complete your package. You may need to bring specific documents with you, as specified in the payroll package.

Air Check

New DJs wishing to be considered for on-air shifts for specialty programming should submit an air check to the program director. Your air check should be no more than 10 minutes and in digital format. Include a music playlist for all the material you use. The program director may request additional material before approving any specialty show proposal.

The music playlist should list all songs played on the air check and at least 10 more you would use during your show, in the order you would play them. Arrange these extra songs into sets that demonstrate your knowledge of music and its presentation. Thematic or historical approaches may be used for the various sets. Feel free to spend some time in the music library to familiarize yourself with our collection.

The areas for evaluation of your tape include announcing, production and program content. We realize you are new and largely unfamiliar with the “on-air” experience. We are looking for a basic, standard level of competence for air clearance. We want you to be as prepared as possible before going on air solo, so both you and your listeners will enjoy the programming. Until you can demonstrate this basic level of performance in a production setting, you are not ready for air clearance. If you sincerely work on your skills and demonstrate patience and determination in your efforts, you will be able to succeed and pass this clearance step.

During the evaluation of your tape, the following questions are considered:

• Are you generally relaxed and clear when speaking? Do you sound natural?
• Is your pacing and style appropriate to the kind of show you’re doing?
• Do you identify yourself and the radio station?
• Do you operate the equipment competently?
• Are the segues well-executed; does the music flow appropriately?
• Do you follow an existing format on WKNC?

Your air check should sound like a “mini-program” with a distinct beginning, middle portion and closing. Listed below are the program elements to be included in your demo program.

• Mic breaks – intro and outro your show; in between music sets where you backsell and talk about the music; station announcements; weather; at least one legal ID.
• Music sets – plan at least four sets of songs of at least three songs each. Telescope the songs, to present ONLY the opening 20 seconds and closing 20 seconds of each song. Always include ALL segues.

Before submitting your tape, give it one more listen – is it really the best you can do? Take yourself and your work seriously enough to be objective and self-critical, and to receive criticism of your production in a professional manner. Our common goal is for WKNC to have the best air-sound possible. Teamwork and mutual support is the only way for us to reach and maintain that goal.