Structure and functioning of television

channel
General Manager

The general manager supervises the station's management and operations tasks. The general manager

establishes and implements station policy and often has the final word in decisions affecting the station's
programming and production work. If the station is an affiliate of a nationwide network, the general manager
coordinates local programming schedules with the network to prevent any scheduling conflicts. The general
manager also works with the news, sales and technical staff members to ensure that the station's operations run
smoothly.

News Director

The news director coordinates the station's news-gathering efforts. The news director may be called on to write
news stories, edit stories from reporters and coordinate schedules for covering breaking news stories. For
stories with nationwide impact, the news director for the local station coordinates efforts with the network
news staff and determines how to cover the story to show its affects on the local community. The news director
is also in charge of activating the Emergency Broadcast System in the event of a natural disaster.

Sales Manager

Commercial television stations rely on advertising to generate revenue. The station sales manager works with
the ad sales staff on lead generation, sales techniques and client relations to sell the station's available
commercial time. The sales manager hires and trains new sales staff, finds the best sales opportunities for the
station's programming and creates sales plans and objectives. The sales manager works with the general
manager to determine the station's revenue needs and the best methods to meet those needs.

Production Manager

The production manager supervises each live local newscast and assigns news stories to anchors. The tasks of
the production manager includes setting the order of stories for each newscast and selecting when and where
any live remote reports occur. The production manager works in the operations booth, alongside the director
and technical staff, to ensure that the lights, camera angles and sound cues all work together to present a
professional and informative program.
Corporate Structure of a Radio Station
By: Rose Mathews

Updated September 26, 2017

Wavebreakmedia Ltd/Wavebreak Media/Getty Images

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The Organizational Structure of a Radio Station

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Radio stations require high energy on-air personalities but also need behind-the-
scenes employees to bring listeners music, news and talk. The corporate structure of
a radio station, whether it's commercial or nonprofit, includes managers, salespeople
and technical staff whose combined efforts keep a station on the air and fiscally viable.

Management and Administrative

The general manager oversees the entire station. Her duties include hiring and firing
managers, managing the budget and approving and executing strategic plans.
Management is supported by administrative workers, including human resources
professionals who handle payroll and benefits; an accountant or comptroller who
oversees finances, including tax compliance; an office manager who directs the day-
to-day running of the office; and administrative assistants who help with clerical work.

Programming
The program director makes decisions about what listeners hear on the air. He may
influence the station's format, and he oversees all departments responsible for
producing radio content. If the station offers news, that department will be run by the
news director, who supervises and edits the work of reporters, anchors and producers.
If the station offers music, it might have a music director who decides which recording
artists are featured on the station. Announcers, or "DJs" offer banter, announce
recordings and read promotional materials on the air. The radio station will also have
an online presence that requires Web and social media producers.

Sales and Marketing

Those catchy radio jingles that help pay for the station's personnel and programming
are on the air because a salesperson went out into the business community and
convinced media buyers to advertise. A manager oversees the sales staff and can
decide which prospects to approach. Under the manager's guidance, salespeople do
the legwork of building contacts and creating advertising packages that will be
attractive to business owners. The marketing department makes sure the radio station
is well publicized; its duties include initiating community events and partnerships.

Technical
The chief engineer oversees the technical elements of the broadcast. This involves
transmitter maintenance and troubleshooting, as well as managing all equipment,
such as the sound board, microphones and recording gear. Depending on the size of
the radio station, the chief engineer may oversee a team of technicians who assist in
this process. The technical staff includes board operators, or board ops, who manage
the sound levels of a live broadcast, cue tape and monitor the length of on-air breaks
so the announcer leaves time for commercials.