Radio Producers

As long as radio has existed, people have been behind the scenes to make sure that what the audience hears is what the station wants them to hear. A wide variety of administrative, programming, and technical people work behind the scenes of radio shows to create a professional broadcast.

Scheduled broadcasting began with a program broadcast by radio station KDKA in Pittsburgh. By 1923, 2.5 million radios had been sold. In the 1930s, radio personalities were household names, and even then, numerous people worked behind the scenes, arranging interviews and coordinating production. Today, radio reaches more than 90 percent of people age 12 and over on a weekly basis, according to a 2014 report by Arbitron.

Before television, radio producers would direct the on-air soap operas as well as the news, weather, and music. With the added technology of today's radio broadcast, radio producers are even more important in mixing the special effects, locations, personalities, and formats in ways that create a good radio show.

The Internet has made the radio producer's job easier in some ways and more challenging in others. Web sites specifically for producers provide a community where ideas can be exchanged for shows, news, jokes, and more. However, with the new frontier of broadcasting on the Internet, radio producers have one more duty to add to their long list of responsibilities.