My personal radio dictionary:
Aircheck: is a recording of a radio or television broadcast made on either professional or consumer level equipment from a tuner, modulation monitor, post audio processor or a direct live feed from the station's broadcast audio console (a.k.a. "mixer" or "board"). Airchecks are often used to demonstrate a DJ's talent; think of it as an audio or video resume. Radio airchecks may be scoped (shorthand for telescoped): music and commercials removed isolating the DJ's contribution or unscoped: leaving music, commercials and other elements unedited as originally broadcast.
Dub (noun or verb): simply means copying from one tape to another. Often advertising agency radio spots were delivered on a small (usually 5") reel then transferred to cart for use on-air, Local commercials were recorded on reel-to-reel then the master take was dubbed to cart as well. A dub (noun) is such a copy.
Cart: is radio shorthand for audio tape cartridge. Cart tapes were widely used in broadcast from the late 1950's through the early 2000's when replaced by digital technology. They were commonly used in radio for music, commercial spots, and other audio elements where immediate fast cues were desired. Carts resemble the 8-track tape consumer format in that they utilize a continuous loop of 1/4 inch audio tape encased in a rectangular plastic case. The similarities end there; carts use a wider tape track and higher speed for sound superior to the lowly 8-track. Carts were available in various sizes and length with the familiar AA size most common available in lengths of 40 seconds to 10 minutes. For more information see: the Wikipedia "Fidelipac" article.
CHR: Contemporary hit radio is a radio music format geared to a young demographic that focuses on playing current and recent popular music as determined by the top 40 music charts. It was a term coined in the 1980's by Radio & Records magazine. It features DJ's with rapid vocal delivery over tight cues of music, sound effects, etc. A sub-genre of this format, Christian CHR, was reported by CCM magazine and others in the mid-80's. I called it Christian hit radio on my radio shows and demos.
Contemporary Christian Music (CCM): is a sub-genre of Gospel that is a marriage of lyrics expressing a Christian message with the sound of mainstream pop and rock. Sadly, to my young ears in the 80's, CCM didn't quite have the punch of its mainstream "secular" counterparts. Production values were slow to catch up. At WWJD I believe we failed to capture a mass audience due to this gap in perceived musical quality. Today many Christian stations have marketed themselves as "positive" music for the "whole family" dropping the word "Christian" altogether.
Generic aircheck: is an aircheck (from the console) that the DJ intends to rebroadcast repeatedly. Time of day, weather forecasts and specific mentions are omitted so the recording can be played again at any time without listener notification. I used these vague recordings with success at WWJD-AM when my broadcast hours were extended in 1986.
Netcheck: is a combination of the words Internet ('net) and aircheck. A term I coined to denote a recording made of an Internet radio show as opposed to aircheck which is sourced (usually) from the broadcast airwaves
Rebuild: the process of taking an original recording and remixing it by adding new sounds and/or effects (i.e. EQ, reverb, compression), music bed, etc and sometimes removing original sound elements for the purpose of making the original sound better. A recent example would be a stereo rebuild of a monaural recording of one of my shows. I isolated my vocals and added stereo versions of the songs by digitally synchronizing them to the mono original, which was recorded soundboard direct.
Southern Gospel: is a form of Gospel music marked by traditional quartet harmonies rooted in the late 19th century brought about by the shaped note singing conventions common to that era. The form has evolved some, but remains true to its roots. I have noted this style appeals mostly to an aging audience, like myself.
Spec spot: (spec, an abbreviation of speculative) is a professional audio presentation or demonstration (demo) made for potential or current ad clients as a "pitch" of a commercial or show idea: a mock up of how the final commercial will sound.
Spec check: is a term I coined that is a combination of speculative and aircheck. It is a studio recording of a simulated aircheck that presents a format idea not intended to be broadcast. I made two spec checks of WWJD-AM J900 fashioned after the secular Contemporary Hit Radio format popular in the 80's, but I haven't presented them publicly until now.
see also: Radio Glossary from the University of Delaware Department of Communication
