XpressionFM
Presenter Training Guide
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Table of Contents
Why should I get Presenter Trained? ............................................................................................... 3
The Traing Process............................................................................................................................ 3
The Desk ........................................................................................................................................... 4
Outputs in Control 1……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………4
Outputs in Control 2……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………5
Monitoring …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………6
Sound …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………7
The Software .................................................................................................................................... 8
Learning to PFL ................................................................................................................................. 9
Pre-Fading in Action: Songs……………………………………………………………………………………………………….10
Beds ................................................................................................................................................11
IDs and Promos ..............................................................................................................................12
Voice Discipline...............................................................................................................................14
CD Player ........................................................................................................................................15
Record Player..................................................................................................................................17
Telephone .......................................................................................................................................18
News ...............................................................................................................................................20
Using Automation……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..21
The Pad…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….24
Instant Carts ...................................................................................................................................25
The Test! .........................................................................................................................................26
Presenter Policy ..............................................................................................................................30
Acknowledgements…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..31
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Xpression Training Guide 2015/16
Why Should I get presenter trained?
1. To learn how to Drive the Desk
2. To learn Voice Discipline
3. So you can get your own show
The Process:
#1: Training [5-6 weeks]
Over about six weeks you’ll be taking part in a one hour session every week in the Xpression FM
Studio with your trainer and another trainee who also wants to become a presenter.
Over the course of the programme you’ll be equipped with the basic technical and organisational
skills to present your own show, unaided. You’ll also receive some advice about how to make your
show sound good and you can take part in advanced sessions to bolster your radio expertise.
#2: Test
The training programme ends when your trainer feels you are technically ready and confident
enough to take your test. The test is a relaxed process in which you get the chance to showcase
your skills to a trained member of Xpression FM who isn’t your trainer. This is so the test is
unbiased and fair.
Your Achievement:
By the time you’ve passed your test you’ll be ready to go live on air! You’ll be able to apply for a
show by getting in touch with our Programmes Controller, become a trainer yourself when you
feel ready, and it’s also a great skill to have for your future.
Whether you want to go into radio or not, being an Xpression FM presenter shows that you are
technically talented, committed and hard working with skills outside of your academic degree.
Good luck! And enjoy!
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The Desk
Sitting down at a desk for the first time can be daunting; however, once you have the
know-how it will all seem very simple.
Outputs in Control One
The desk in Control One is the desk you will present your show through, and it has four possible
output selections which are located on the far right of the desk.
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
‘ON AIR’ – Press this to put the desk live on air

‘CONTROL 2’ – Puts the desk in Control Two live on air

‘PRODUCTION’ – This button will put the production desk on air

‘COMPUTER’ – Transfers control to the computer taking the desk off air
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Outputs in Control Two
The desk in Control Two is where your training will take place, and this desk also has a number of
outputs in the top right hand corner of the desk.

‘ON AIR’ – Press this to put Control Two live on air

‘CONTROL ONE’ – Makes the desk in Control One live

‘PRODUCTION’– Transfers control to the Control One computer taking the desk off air

‘DO NOT USE’ – (has no function)
To make a transition sound professional prepare either the original or destination desk to continue with an
identical output or change in output. This means that when you press the output selection there will be no
obvious break in the broadcast
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Monitoring
In the studio, what you hear is not necessarily what is going out on air; therefore you need to
make sure you monitor what is and you can do this by using The Control Monitor. Listening to
the right thing via the Control Monitor is important.
The Key Facts:
Where?
The Control Monitor is a series of small buttons located next to the Output Selectors.
When?
It is essential that you monitor ‘Off-air’ at all times
Why?
This is so you can hear what is being broadcast to your listeners (more than one person has tried
to do a show but put out silence because they were monitoring the output from the studio and
not the ‘off-air’ input – Don’t be that person!)
How?
Currently we only use the two buttons ‘AIR’ and ‘PGM’.
Press ‘AIR’ to hear what’s going out on air.
The ‘PGM’ button should only be used when the desk
is not live. By pressing this you will hear what is coming
from the desk, rather than what is being broadcast.
NB:
The ‘AIR’ button is taken from an FM tuner tuned to
87.7 FM, so you are hearing what listeners are, except
there is a small time delay. This is caused by the action
of the processor which may sound like an echo to you,
but this delay is not heard by the listener. Be aware that
as we are listening to a VERY low-power signal, and the transmitters are a long way away, at times
you may hear other stations (usually foreign) breaking through. THIS IS NOT A FAULT- it just happens.
If it bothers you, monitor from ‘PGM’ until things settle down!
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Sound:
Control Speakers


When you start your show set the speaker volume to a comfortable level using the
‘CONTROL SPEAKERS’ knob in the bottom right-hand corner of the desk.
To monitor accurately it is important to have a consistent volume in the speakers.
Therefore if you need to reduce the volume, for example when you are using the phone,
use the 'DIM' button so you don't lose your reference level.
Control Headphones


To adjust the headphone volume use the ‘CONTROL PHONES’ knob.
Whilst listening to ‘CONTROL PHONES’ you will be able to hear what’s live on air, plus PFL
and talkback.
Guest Headphones
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
To adjust the guest headphones, use the ‘GUESTS PHONES’ knob.

GUEST PHONES will only be able to hear what’s going out on-air.

Most guests will probably be more at ease WITHOUT headphones, as it’s quite off-putting
to hear your own voice over headphones if you’re not used to it.
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The Software
Now you’ve conquered the desk, let’s take a look at the equally complicated, yet deceptively
simple, Myriad. Some things you need to know:
Myriad System

All of Xpression FM’s computers run the P2 Myriad play-out and automation software.

Most of the time as a presenter you will be using Myriad as it allows you to select a vast
array of music, jingles, positioners, promos, sound effects and other sound bites.

The four play-out channels which are displayed on-screen are linked to the four channels
on the desk (the yellow faders).

By dragging a ‘cart’ (audio file) from the Myriad library into one of the channels you are
then able play the audio file on air.

The content stored on Myriad is divided into helpful categories which can be viewed by
pressing ‘Other’ at the top of the screen.

All Playlist songs, promos, jingles and more can be found in their own separate categories.
Tip: The ‘Find’ function
allows you to search for
any files that are stored
within Myriad
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Learning to PFL
One of the roles as a presenter is to monitor the output level of the station. To ensure all inputs
have the same output volume it is important to pre-fade your levels before you play anything on
air.
How do I PFL?
FIRST: (With the fader down)Press the ‘PFL’ above the relevant fader allowing you to listen to the
source without the sound going out on air.
THEN: Using the red ‘TRIM’ knob you can set the level of the sound by turning it up or down (left
or right).
VOLUME:
-
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The levels for MUSIC, IDENTS and ADVERTS should be set between four and five which
you can monitor using the ‘mono’ meter.
VOICE LEVELS should be set between five and six. This volume is slightly higher because
music is compressed, making it seem louder.
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-
BEDS should be set between two and three. The Bed needs to be much quieter than your
voice.
The pre-fade meter is located at the top of the desk next to the LEFT and RIGHT meters which
monitor the level of the output that is going to air.
PFL: Songs and Beds
Songs:
This is a guide to pre-fading a song from Myriad, such as a song from the A list:
1) Drag a ‘cart’ (audio file) from the Myriad library into one of the channels at the bottom of
the screen.
2) Begin to pre-fade the track by pushing down the appropriate fader and pressing the PFL
button above the relevant fader.
3) Skip to the loudest part of the song by right clicking in the middle of the track duration
bar.
4) Using the TRIM knob adjust the volume of the song until it’s between 4 and 5.
5) Once you have found the right volume take the track back to the start. Then push up the
relevant fader.
6) When you’re ready to play the song on air do so by pressing the ‘ON’ button underneath
the correct fader on the desk. You can also start a song by pressing play, but be aware
that if the mic is up, the sound of the mouse click will be picked up.
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Tip: Myriad can also help with your transitions, as it will tell you how long a song’s intro is and
whether it has a ‘hard’ ending or a fade-out. This can be found in the bottom right hand corner
of a cart (just after the length of the track). Each letter corresponds to how the song ends: F Fades E- Ends suddenly SF - Slow Fades SE- Sustain Ending.
Beds
Beds are pieces of music used to underline longer vocal links or to distinguish a particular feature.
The important part of the bed is the end of the music that wraps up the bed.
DON’T be obvious/lazy- Try not to, for example use ‘Wimbledon’ theme for tennis, or ‘Top gear’
theme for motoring- or worse yet, ‘The chain’ for F1- BE ORIGIONAL, you’re not on the BBC.
1) Go to the ‘BEDS’ tab of Myriad.
2) Drag one of the carts into a channel at the bottom of screen.
3) Begin by pressing the PFL above the relevant fader.
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4) As your bed needs to be quieter than your voice, using the TRIM knob above the choose
fader, set bed levels at approximately three.
5) When you’re ready to play the song on air do so by pushing up the relevant and pressing
the ‘ON’ button underneath it.
6) The length of the bed will sometimes not correspond to the length of time that you want
to speak for. If the bed gets towards the end and you have not finished speaking, rightclick back to the middle of the track. As long as your bed is not too loud no one should
notice.
ALTERNATIVELY – better? Keeps the pace up of music stations. Maintain that it’s a music station.
you can set the level between four and five, and then use the fader to control the volume by not
putting the fader all the way up. This can give you more on-air control.
Remember: Beds do not make a link more interesting. Be careful, as they can encourage waffle
and can become annoying with too much use.
IDs, Promos and Adverts
Since September 2012 XpressionFM has produced its own in-house sound. The Heads of
Production and their team make a series of IDENTS, adverts and positioners. IDs are used to define
and identify things to the listener, be it a station, a show, or a feature.
When to use an ID:

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IDs should be played regularly throughout your show as they make you sound more
professional and remind the listener what station they are listening too. This is especially
important as the average listener will only tune in for about fifteen minutes at a time.
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


Try to vary the jingles you play and make it relevant to something you have just said. For
example, if you are doing a feature where you want listeners to call the studio, why not
play an ID which includes our phone number?
You can find IDs in Jingles section of Myriad.
Although IDs can be short you still need to set the level of them between 4 and 5.
Play IDs in between songs for smooth transitions. For a much more exciting alternative
try playing an ID during the intro of a song.
Tip: Don’t repeat what the ID has just said, ID to give info and pace. You don’t need to repeat
the information you just played.
How?
1) Choose a song with a long intro; you can see the length of an intro in the top right hand
corner of the cart.
2) Drag the cart into a channel and pre-fade the song, taking it back to the start when you
have set the levels.
3) In the IDENT section of Myriad choose an IDENT of a similar length to your song intro.
4) Drag the cart into a channel and pre-fade the IDENT. Be aware that if you let the IDENT
run to the end it will disappear from the cart, which can be annoying as IDENTs are much
shorter than songs.
5) When on air, start the song with the fader half way up.
6) Press the ON button to play your IDENT so it plays over the top of your song intro.
7) Once the IDENT has played put the fader all the way up.
Alternatively, you could use the same technique but talk over the intro of your song rather than
playing an ident. You can experiment with different IDENTS and songs by using pre-fade.
Promos and Positioners
Promos
Promos are used to advertise or promote something. At Xpression, this could be the whole station
or a specific show. They could also be used to promote a certain section of shows such as our
Elections Coverage, society events or guild initiatives.
Positioners
Positioners are like montages. They are meant to tell the listeners the position of the station (i.e.
what “market segment” the station caters to). As a student radio station that primarily plays
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music, our positioners tend to be music-based. Occasionally, we do make “speech-based
positioners”, for example, Guild Election Candidate Positioners, or football commentary.
To maintain station unity and to support other members, in a one hour show you need to play at
least two promos and one positioner.
Hooks: Hooks are used to let the listener know what songs you have coming up on your show. A
Hook is a very short snippet of a song which is about ten seconds. To cue a hook you need to right
click on the cart, select hook, then cue hook. You can then use the hook like a bed, giving you the
chance to play the clip of the song whilst informing listeners what music you have coming up on
your show.
Voice Discipline
Voice Discipline is incredibly important as the voice is the greatest and most versatile tool of
any radio presenter. A lot of newcomers struggle to adapt to speaking comfortably in front
of a microphone and stutter, go round in circles, or use the same phrases repeatedly.
Although speaking on air doesn’t come naturally for everyone, practice and speaking on air
regularly improves your voice and will give you more confidence.
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#1: Plan and Write Short Prompts
Such as what is coming up next & people’s names and dates. This will help you to feel more
comfortable on air and avoid the dreaded “dead air”. Although there is very little worse than
on-air silence, if you do make a mistake – which you will - don't pause, or apologise, just correct
yourself and keep talking as if nothing happened.
#2: Always think of the listener whilst you are on air:
Avoid sounding like you are reading a script and don’t waffle just to fill the link – your lecturers
don’t like it in your essays and your listeners won’t appreciate it either! [what is interesting to
you may not be them]. Therefore, engage the listener. Don’t be exclusive, always try and
include your listener. If you’re presenting a show in a pair always remember to keep your mind
outside of the studio, rather than inside it.
#3: One tool that will help you to monitor your links is the PGM timers.
Located on the meter bridge, the upper timer resets to zero whenever an ‘ON’ button is
pressed with its fader up - for timing intros, duration of music etc. The lower timer resets
and starts when a microphone is opened and stops when it is closed. These PGM times will
make sure you don’t ramble - as a guide line try not to speak for more than two minutes!
Try to remember the popular broadcasting phrase: If you’ve got nothing to say, say nothing!
Just a note: It is also important that our phone number is relayed to listeners in the same way each time,
and as such should be said in the following way: 0-1-3-9-2; two-six; three-five; six-eight.
News
CD Player
As well as playing songs through Myriad you can also play music using the CD Players. There are
two CD players in each studio and they operate off the two channels (with the green faders) next
to the computer channels. To make things confusing the CD players in Studio 1 and Studio 2 both
operate differently.
Control 2:
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1. Press the ‘PFL’ button on the correct channel, select the track and press ‘Play’ on
the CD player or the ‘ON’ button at the bottom of the channel.
2. To skip forward to the louder part of the track press and hold the ‘fast-forward’
button on the CD player
3. Check the levels and how long the intro is.
4. Press the ‘Auto-Cue’ button.
5. Push the ‘skip’ button to skip back to the beginning of the track.
6. The fader can now be pushed up so the song is ready to go when needed.
7. To start the track you can either press ‘Play’ on the CD player or the ‘ON’ button
on the desk.
Once the intro has played, press the ‘Time Mode’ button twice so that a countdown of the track
is displayed rather than time-elapsed. This will show when the track is about to end.
Control 1:
1. There are two inputs to the channels the CD player is connected to, so first make
sure that the CD player is selected. To do this, press the ‘INPUT’ button at the top
of the channel to change between input A and B. The correct input is listed
underneath.
2. To pre-fade press the ‘PFL’ button on the correct channel, select the track and
press ‘Play’ on the CD player or ‘ON’ at the bottom of the channel.
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3. As with Myriad, because songs are often quieter at the beginning, you need to
skip forwards to the louder part of the track. Press the ‘Search’ button on the CD
player so that a red light is displayed.
4. Then use the wheel to skip forwards in the song
5. PFL the song and work out how long the intro is.
6. Whilst the track is still playing press the ‘CUE’ button.
7. Push the fader up so the track is ready to go. To play on air press ‘Play’ on the CD
player or the ‘ON’ button on the desk.
USB
Using the CD player you can also play tracks of your USB Stick. Select USB on the Selector. The
CD Player will then scan the USB stick in the same way it scans a CD and you can then select a
track, PFL and play on air.
Auto-what? Whilst pressing ‘play’ on a CD player doesn't immediately result in the music starting our CD
players have an auto-cue function which finds where the sound begins on a track and plays from there. If
you forget to press auto-cue two seconds dead air can seem like a very long time on radio.
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Record Player
Xpression FM has an extensive record collection, and if you have song requests from pre-1990
then you are most likely to find it on vinyl. Each control room is fitted with two vinyl decks which
are secondary inputs to the desk on the channels on the far left. The two makes of decks differ
slightly- you will be taught using control 2, but if you want to play out vinyl on your show (we
normally only teach vinyl for background information), ask you trainer for details of the
differences.
How to play a vinyl (Control 1):
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
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Press the ‘INPUT’ button at the top of the channel to switch to ‘Vinyl’ (input B).
Open the turntable lid and put the vinyl on the deck with the correct side facing up.
Select the correct speed on the deck (the playback speed will be written on the vinyl).
Make sure that the Stop Smart is on, on the vinyl deck, and the light is on.
Ensure Fader start on the relevant channel is enabled (pressed)
Begin pre-fading by pressing the ‘PFL’ button on the correct channel/fader.
Place the needle in the middle of the track and press the ‘Stop/Start’ button on the desk
to start it playing.
Set the volume level for the track using the ‘TRIM’ knob.
While the record is still spinning pick up the needle and put it back at the beginning of the
track.
When the music starts press ‘off’ on the desk and use your hand to spin the record
backwards (anti-clockwise) until you reach the beginning of the song.
Once you have heard the music stop move the vinyl a further quarter of a turn further.
Remove PFL .
When you wish to play the track bring the fader to the top of its travel as quickly as is
reasonable; turntables take a finite amount of time to speed up, by the time you hit the
top of its travel, the disc should be up to speed.
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Telephone
Whilst you can communicate with listeners through social media and emails, the telephone is a
great way for your listeners to really become a part of your show. Whether you use the phone
simply to receive calls from listeners or during features to make calls, you need to know how to
link the phone and the desk so the caller can speak live on air.
At no point in Control One will the phone ring, instead, the white light will flash. In Control Two,
the phone will only ring when the mic is not live. When the phone rings (or flashes) lift the
receiver and find out whom the person is and if they’re a listener. If they are, find out whether or
not they want to speak on air. If they do, follow these simple steps:
1. Press the ‘HOLD’ button on the phone channel on the right-hand side of the desk and
replace the receiver – the caller has now be transferred to the desk and will hear the
desk output.
2. Press the ‘PFL’ button on the phone channel, now the caller hears you alone.
3. Talk to your caller off air and pre-fade their voice level between 5 and 6. Try just having
a chat with them, or ask them about their day.
4. Once you have pre-faded their voice, push the phone channel ‘PFL’ button to take them
off pre-fade – the caller is now on hold again and can hear what is going out live on air..
5. When you are on air and want to speak to your caller, bring up the phone channel fader
and ensure that the ‘ON’ button is still lit– they are now live on air.
Once you have finished with your caller, bring down the phone and mic faders, lift up the phone
receiver and then press the ‘HOLD’ button to return the call to the handset.
Always remember that if you have callers on the show then you are responsible for their actions
when on air. As a legal requirement you must warn them that they will be live on air, as well as
instructing them in the relevant behaviour protocol – don't swear, no contempt of court, etc.
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News
There are three ways we broadcast the news: Live news read by the news team, through a
bulletin, or through IRN. However it is done, it must be played on the hour, every hour in
accordance with station policy. (Playing news on the in-between hour of the show is optional for
evening specialist shows but should still be played at the beginning and ending hour.)
In-House News
The News Team come into the studio three times a day to record the news which is then available
for broadcast after 9am. The news bulletin can be found under the ‘News’ tab in Myriad. The
Bulletin is loaded into the bottom left hand corner of the page and to play, simply drag into a
cart, pre-fade, push up the fader, and press the ON Button.
If you’re lucky enough to have a news team member assigned to your show then they will read
the news live for you. If this is the case you can put them on air through the guest mic (found in
the middle studio if your show is going through Control 2). Make sure you pre-fade them, and
play the INTRO and OUTRO before and then after they have spoken.
IRN
In the studio we have a connection to the Sky News Centre. This can be accessed on the grey
fader next to the phone channel and starts exactly on the hour.
1. Check that the correct input is selected on the news channel – you want IRN 1 which is
on input B.
2. If you press the ‘PFL’ button you should hear a beep every few seconds which lets you
know that a feed is being received. If you press this again with only a couple of minutes
to the hour you will hear random talking. (If you don’t hear a beep or talking, check the
input and then press the ‘ON’ button as the ‘OFF’ button may have been knocked.)
3. Under the ‘News’ tab on Myriad you will find a 10 sec long ‘News in 10’ jingle which you
need to pre-fade and have ready to play.
4. Going by the clock on the wall, at exactly 10 seconds to the hour play the ‘News in 10’
jingle and while this is playing bring up the grey fader on the news channel.
5. If you have timed it correctly the Sky News bulletin should start straight after the jingle.
6. The bulletin lasts for 2 minutes exactly so you need to be ready with a jingle or hour
opener. As soon as the news has finished, bring down the grey fader as there are often
adverts played afterwards. NB- NEVER play music- or anything else-under the IRN/Sky
news- FORBIDDEN!(by sky/IRN)
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Using Log
When there is no presenter in the studio, Xpression FM uses a function of Myriad called Log. We
call this Automation and it will play songs, jingles and promos at any time of day according to a
pre-determined list. When referring to this on air, you need to call it ‘Xpression Non-Stop’.
If there is not another presenter on before or after your show then you will need to disable/reenable Automation, and thank or introduce Xpression Non Stop’.
Disabling Log:
1. Click on the “LOG” tab on the left hand side of the screen.
2. To turn off Automation function off, press the red ‘power’ button, in the top right hand
corner of the screen.
3. Click on the “Audio Wall” tab on the left to return to the A-list, Exe-List, etc.
Enabling Log:
1. Before you begin, ensure that all four yellow faders are fully up, and the corresponding
pre-fade dials are at the 12 o’clock’ position.
2. If you’re presenting a weekday show, play the News Bulletin on the hour.
3. Either during this bulletin or a subsequent song, or if you’re presenting a weekend show,
after your last song, go back to the “LOG” tab.
4. You then need to tell the Log what time/date it is. To do this press the “Goto” button to
the left of the Log to find the current hour. Next, click on the song/jingle that is nearest in
time to when your current song is going to end. This as a very important step, don’t just
start automation in any place.
5. To activate Automation, click on the “AutoFade” button at the top of the screen.
6. A message will come up on screen, press “Yes” to this, to start Automation after your last
song has finished playing.
Wait until the first song of Automation has started playing before you leave – to make sure
you’ve set it up correctly.
Important: If the “AutoFade” button is not available click the On-Air Control menu in the top-left
hand corner of the screen. Then click “Take Control”. This should then bring up the “AutoFade”
option. This is important as AutoFade trims the ends of songs so that the news goes out on the
hour.
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Advanced
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The Pad:
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
The ‘Pad’ allows continuous playback of a series of carts with no interference from you.

To use the pad press View>Display Pad

Drag the files you want, in the order you want to play them, into the Pad and press the
‘Play’ button underneath.

Make sure the faders for those channels on the desk are up as the Pad plays through
empty on-screen channels.

To bear in mind: The Pad won’t start the next file in the list until the previous one is
finished. If there is a long fade-out or silence at the end of a track, this won’t be cut off.

Don’t rely on the Pad too much as it can be unreliable!
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Instant Carts
Another useful function of Myriad is the ‘Instant Carts’ tool.

The button for this can be found in the bottom left-hand corner of the screen

The feature allows audio files to be linked to the coloured numbers 1-9 on the keyboard.

Once Instant Carts has been opened, carts can be dragged and dropped next to one of
the numbers and then when the corresponding number is pressed on the keyboard, that
audio file will be played through channel 4 of the on-screen channels (again, ensure the
faders are up

This is particularly useful for sound effects, IDENTS or sound-bites you frequently use on
your show, or during a feature where the same jingle is repeated a number of times.

As an example of how to use instant cards try using The Pulse. The Pulse consist of a bed,
an intro, an outro and stabs and can be used as a University round up – it’s a summary of
University news with a stab in between each story. This can be found in the News Section
of Myraid.
OR
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Information about your Test
How it works:
There is no rush to take your test. Whilst some people are ready to take their test in a few
weeks, for others it takes longer. Usually a trainee can expect to be ready to take their test after
eight weeks. This means by the end of the term you will probably have passed your test and can
then apply to present a show.
When you can take it:
It is up to your trainer to decide when you are ready to take your test. As experienced
presenters they will know when you are good enough to be on air. At the same time, it is also
down to you to say when you feel comfortable and confident enough to take a try at the test.
How to book it:
Your trainer will arrange your test with another trained member of XpressionFM. At Xpression it
is our rule that trainers are not allowed to test their own trainees to make tests fairer.
What happens if you fail:
The Test you will have to take is detailed below. Importantly, don’t be disheartened if you fail
your test! It is not unusual for people to fail as we have expect a high standard from our
presenters and sometimes it is much easier to do well in your training sessions than in your test.
If you fail, you can simply take the test again whenever you like, until you pass.
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Training Check:
Things to know before you take you test!
Desk:
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Understand the channels on the desk, know each is a control for separate sources
Know where the following are and what they do; pre-fade buttons, Gain/Trim knobs,
Faders, Alternative Input Buttons, Talkback, Monitor Volume and Headphone volume.
Sources of Input:
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Able to pre-fade and play out music, jingles etc. from the computer
Know functions of Myriad – navigation, search, pad, ICs, hooks and intros
Able to pre-fade and play-out music etc from the CD players, understanding function of
auto-cue and time display
Able to pre-fade to play-out and pre-fade vinyl, without spin-up noise at the beginning
Know how to select a source of input using alternative input buttons
Know how to use IRN and feeds from the news room
Be able to pre-fade and play-out phone calls on air
Microphones:
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Be able to pre-fade your voice and position the microphones correctly
Be microphone aware: not leaving fader up etc.
Be aware of background noise, including creaky chairs, mouse clicking & rustling paper
Voice Discipline:
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Be confident at talking on air at the right level
Be aware of content- keeping talking as interesting and entertaining to the listener,
links always delivered with the listener in mind – especially when there is more than one
presenter in the studio
Be aware of broadcasting rules – swearing, libel, guild rules etc.
Be able to use beds and talk over intros at the right level
Control One &Two:
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Know how to select input source and change over seamlessly
Be aware of the differences in Control One and Two
Xpression Training Guide 2015/16
The Test!
As part of the test you need to do a continuous half an hour “show” with the person who is
testing you present. During you need to:
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Play an Hour opener [At the Start of the Test]
Play Computer Tracks using Myriad with links in between tracks
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Play at least one link with a Bed
Play at least one Advert and one Jingle (including a Dry IDENT over an intro of a song)
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A CD Track
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A Vinyl
Demonstrate you can put a caller on air
At the end of the show play the News (Both IRN & a News Bulletin)
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Activate Automation [At the End of the Test]
Some important tips: the most important things are: Make sure you pre-fade
correctly, don’t leave the mic up when you’ve finished speaking and always make
sure something is going out “On Air”.
Now your training program is completed, and you have passed your test, you are
eligible to apply for a show! Yey, well done! The schedule is divided into daytime shows
and evening specialist shows (which are generally genre specific). If the schedule is full,
there is also the opportunity for you to produce pre-recorded shows and podcasts
which can be broadcast automatically and made available for download on the
XpressionFM website and via iTunes.
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Stuff to bear in mind now you’re a pro presenter:
Don’t forget to plan: When planning your shows, first consider the type of show you are
presenting (e.g. comedy, factual, specialist music, etc) and then plan your show’s music,
discussion topics and features with your genre and target audience in mind.
Don’t waffle or exclude your listener and remember to keep an eye on PGM Timers
Try and find the right balance between planning and improvisation. Planning every word or
having no plan are both likely to make boring radio. If you’re planning a two hour music show
you should spend around two hours preparing it minimum. Bear in mind if you’re also writing
the playlist for your programme it could take much longer!
Try and be original! Bear in mind that if you think it’s a good idea, other people have probably
thought it was a good idea before you!
Visit the very wonderful: http://www.johnthefrog.com/frogisms.htm for some more tips from
our technician Frog.
Xpression FM’s training program will give you the basic skills you need to present, but it is down
to you to find your own style and approach. To help you, you should listen to lots of radio and
work out what is interesting and entertaining, and what isn’t. Below are some radio stations to
give you some ideas:
Triple J –www.abc.net.au/triplej/ - (Aussie equivalent of Radio 1 – hear how much better
national radio can be!)
Xfm – www.xfm.co.uk (commercial alternative station)
Radio 4– www.bbc.co.uk/radio4 (high quality intellectual output)
Heart (Exeter) – www.heartexeter.co.uk (local arm of the nationwide service owned by the
Global Radio group)
Now you’re a presenter, don’t forget you can still get involved in the Xpression FM
teams (sport, news, music and scripted) and other aspects of the station like
marketing. These are all great ways to get more involved in the station and to pick up
lots of new skills to help you present! Production training will also help you out with
your show.
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Presenter Policy
Two of the most important things to remember about working in radio…
1. You are talking to a listener not listeners;
2. The radio station is bigger than any one presenter.
The first one of these means you should imagine you are talking to just one person. This means
you need to relate to your listener and talk about things that they would find interesting. The
second point is all about station unity which means you need to keep to the following rough
guidelines:
• Somewhere at the start of your show say thank you to the previous show. If coming out of
automation then thank “Xpression Non-Stop”;
• Towards the end of your show say the name of the next show and who will be presenting
it. If possible have an on-air conversation with the next presenter about what’s going to be coming
up in their show;
• The station name comes before your show name. “This is 87.7 Xpression FM, you’re listening to
The Afternoon Sessions with me, XXXX”
• Find the playlist from the previous show and make sure you don’t play any songs in your first
hour that they played in their second. This is to keep an even rotation of music. You can see the
previous hour of automation on the Q-NXT tab of Myriad and any songs with a yellow triangle in
their cart have been recently played.
• And perhaps most importantly, we are one radio station with a series of presenters and not a
group of presenters that all happen to be on the same station. Please
plug other people’s shows and Xpression activities, and try and ensure that transitions between
shows are as seamless as they can be, with cross presenter chat where possible.
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Make sure you fill out the relevant paperwork in the studio, including the presenter
playlist form. This is for writing down what tracks you played during your show and the A,
List, B List and Exe List tracks that you play. On the back of the form you can also request
any songs you want added to the playlists.
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As an Xpression FM presenter you need to post at least one message on the Xpression FM
Facebook page, or your Facebook page an hour (whilst on air). You also need to tweet at
least once an hour during your show, either through the Xpression Twitter or through
your own account, mentioning Xpression.

Resist the temptation to bring a friend in once you have initially passed [different voice
too]
Xpression Training Guide 2015/16
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The skeleton of this Training Handbook is based on a previous guide by Edgar Dawkins (Training
Manager 2008/2009). Input into format and content for this handbook was also provided by
Freya Godfrey (Training Manager 2013/2014).
Special thanks to the advice giving by Frog (Xpression FM Technician).
Thanks also to Amelia Jenkinson (Head of News 2012/2013), Matt Bate (Deputy Station Manager
2013/2014) and the rest of the Xpression FM Committee 2013/2014 for their valuable input and
suggestions.
Special thanks to Hazel Morgan (Head Station Manager 2013/14) for compiling this superb guide
together.
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