• PURE FM AGM
• The Positions
• The Committee
• The Awards

The candidates have now been announced! See http://forums.purefm.com/index.php?showtopic=2551 for their manifestos and attend the AGM to vote for them.

Station Manager

As station manager you have overall control of the station, and point the station in the direction that you (and your committee) see best. There is a lot of organisation in the roll, at many levels, whether it be sitting back overseeing your committee or getting stuck in with setting up an outside broadcast. You will spend a lot of time liaising with the media and publications sabb, radio development officer, communications manager and sometimes chief executive at the union. As station manager you also hold overall responsibility for the station. Any complaints will usually directed to you, as well as many general inquires. Your main purpose is to lead the committee and station in the best way posible!

Skills essential for the job:
A very good knowledge of the station, how it works and experience in Pure FM preferably in a committee role. This means you will have established a reputation and contacts within UPSU, members of the SRA and with the members.
Good people skills and being able to talk to people on every level of complexity.
Good management skills, being able to keep a cool head when the committee have their annual argument and sort out the problem
Being well respected by the members, but at the same time approachable enough for the shyest of freshers to confide with you.
Keeping a smile on your face even if life is poop!

 

Treasurer

As the treasurer your first role will be to find out what the committee plan to spend their money on over the next year, compile it and get it agreed! You will also be involved in sorting out all purchases for the station, getting the purchase forms signed by a committee member, the SADO, and union finance. You have to be persistent as some staff will not be in every day so it is best to keep the form on you.

You also need to make regular trips to the finance office to find out the balance of the A & B accounts.

The Treasurer will be accountable for all monies paid into the account, so you need to make sure you are around at Freshers & Refreshers fayre to deal with it. You also need to keep a record of receipts for purchases.

On the committee you will be mostly working with the Station Manager and Secretary throughout the year. A good working relationship with them and the SADO/ Union Finance is essential.

 

 

Secretary

The secretary basically does everything that the Station Manager needs them to do! They act as an unofficial ‘assistant station manager' to try and take some of the pressure off the station manager when there is a lot going on, but the role has none of the glamour of being a station manager !

Weekly, they need to be able to attend every committee meeting and write the minutes. This involves picking out the jobs that need doing or items that need further clarification/permission and ensuring a specific person is assigned to making sure this is done! On the same night at the committee meeting, the newsletter is sent out to inform members of new opportunities etc.

The secretary also keeps the member database up-to-date and sends out most of the mass emails reminding members of important dates, as well as organising mass texts to be sent out - there is a lot of organising involved!

The selling of tshirts, hoodies and headphones is also down to the secretary who needs to take orders from members, order them from the relevant companies and distribute the tshirts.

The secretary also monitors the office email account closely, which involves replying to emails or knowing who to forward them on to. The IRN (news service!) and SRA subscriptions are also my responsibility.

The secretary needs to:

• Be able to communicate well with both the committee and members
• Have good timekeeping skills and be able to keep to a deadline
• Make sure others keep to their deadlines!!!
• Be very very organised!

 

Technical Manager

The technical manager is responsible for running the servers and website, and maintenance of the audio equipment and for employing a team to help them do this!

Weekly jobs of the technical manager include:

• Updating the website
• Maintaining the forums
• Overseeing any development work done in the week

 

Occasional jobs of the technical manager:

• Getting the station up and running if the servers go down (or trying to stop them doing this!)
• Running the technical side of outside broadcasts
• Computer and equipment maintenance - building, fixing and installation.
• Technical advice
• Ensuring committee members have access to the admin areas of the site and monitoring privileges on the forums, then use them appropriately!

The technical manager liases with all committee members for any information that needs to be put on the website, in particular the programming manager when the schedules are ready to be published, and the training manager in regards to the audio equipment. They also liase regularly with the Support team (a groups of past Pure FM members who have graduated but are lovely enough to volunteer their time to help us out!).

Personnel/Training Manager

• Organises and carries out training of all old and new DJs at the beginning of each semester and top-up training throughout the year. This includes training members in computer programs for editing music, designing products for marketing etc. and training members how to put together a show.
• The personnel/training manager must know or be prepared to learn the rules and regulations at Pure FM and regulating bodies like Ofcom (its not much more than common sense!)
• Dealing with disciplinary matters both internal and external
• Acting as the point of interaction between the DJs and the committee

• Regularly listening to shows to ensure quality in content

And generally help out wherever possible. After the first 2 or 3 weeks of each semester the work load is limited, thus it's nice to help out the members and committee out where possible.

The training manager liases with the secretary for members' contact information and the Programming controller to arrange a suitable timetable for training and retraining as well as a timetable for the committee to help monitor shows.

 

Programme controller (Scheduling)

The main role of the programme controller is to create the PureFm schedule for the year. The easiest way to do this is to collect all the show proposal forms and sort them into different genres and then decide which ones deserve a slot - Look for shows that have unique features and good content. Specialist shows should really be given slots after 7pm and each day of the week should ideally be a different genre (rock, drum and bass, R'n'B and dance etc). The schedule changes each semester, however in the second semester it is usually easier to organise, as you will know what certain shows sound like and so can base the decisions around performance.

 

Another part of the programme controller's job is to pick Dj's to go on the Takeover on ExpressFm. This occurs Monday-Thursday between 1-2pm. To make it easier, it is usually better to have at least one or two permanent shows, however they must be good! This then leaves one or two slots free each week for other members to have a go.

 

Once the schedule is completed, the programme controller has to oversee show monitoring. It is best to share the shows fairly between committee members and try to give them music genres they like, that way more shows will be listened to.

Finally if a problem arises with a show it will be up to you to decide whether you as programme controller deal with it (e.g. show content/ swear words in songs) or if the personnel manager deals with it (e.g. eating/drinking in studio, never turning up).

 

Music Liason Manager

The Music Liason Officer is an awesome job which allows you to have contact with loads of record labels. Building up these contacts means that you can get HUNDREDS of cds sent to you at the station which you can dish out to your music team members. You also get updates on gigs (and sometimes the offer of free tickets!)
With the free tickets you can sometimes get to interview bands which make great write-ups for Pugwash Magazine as well as podcasts for Pure fm.
There's a lot of reviewing involved which means a few hours a week logging onto the record label websites and giving them your opinions on the cds they've sent you. This helps them greatly and also gives them something back for the mounds of free music that they send the station.
The thing I love most about this role is the amount of diverse music that you get to listen to and the tickets to gigs are fantastic if a band happens to playing that you really love but can't get hold of tickets yourself.
There aren't really any cons at all because it's such an enjoyable job if you really love music!

 

Music Playlist manager

 

• Work closely with liaison officer (especially if they're very cool)
• Compiling 3 primary playlists, A,B and C. Averaging 17 in A, 15 in B and 10 in C. And 2 further lists, an upfront list and a new music list. (weekly)
• Decide track of the week. (weekly)
• Constantly updating Jazler with new and old music.
• Address / edit songs that are disabled on Jazler for whatever reason.

Email playlists off to committee and record companies once compiled.

Production Manager

The production manager is a role with many different responsibilities and tasks that operate at several different levels within the station. Essentially the production manager is the head of the production team.

The production team are responsible for...

• Making radio edits of tracks that are safe for air (no profanity).
• Producing station and show idents.
• Producing radio promos for shows and events that PURE are involved in (Freshers' Fayre, Student Elections, Shows, Special Union events).
• Post-production of podcasts.
• Other show and station production (station and show specific beds for example).

 

The production manager should keep in regular contact with the Music Liaison and Playlist managers to make sure all music that is not safe to air is edited.

You should also try and help out with Outside Broadcasts (OBs) wherever possible.

However the main part about in any kind of position on the committee is being proactive as no-one will be telling you what to do. As management it is your responsibility to know.

Marketing Manager

Key Responsibilities

• Pugwash News - ensuring they have a ‘show of the week' item (photo and description) any ads for upcoming events. Also - ensure an advert goes in for the ‘sports show' (assuming there is one) in the Purple Wednesdays section.
• Website - if you choose to use banners on the website - you must ensure these are produced. This process involves the taking/obtaining of photos of presenters. The production can greatly involve the help of your marketing team.
• Posters - These can be produced for individual shows as promotion. This can be done again with the help of the marketing team. You would also be responsible for these being put up around uni.
• Freshers and Refreshers fayre. These will probably be your responsibility as it relies on promotion of the society to new members and listeners. You may also be responsible for running events on the stage. You will rely much on the help of the Tech manager for this part as they have the technical side of these events.
• Organising OBs - you must ensure the potential of these are maximised - i.e. members wearing society t-shirt, Banner being in a viewable place. The responsibility of this is often shared with other committee members.
• Promotion of other events. For example this year - ‘The Master Class' and '24 hour Broadcast'. The promotion of these falls to you. Will rely again heavily on marketing team for items such as Posters. Would request Tech manager puts info of the event on the Wall for the website. Promotion can also be done using production manager - jingles to be produced and played on shows.
• Come up with new ideas.

 

Would liase with:

Station Manager to ensure all marketing is adequate.

Treasurer to ensure you stick with in budget.

Secretary to request information on events or any requirements (ie. People email photos for posters) go in the news letter.

Production - ensure there are jingles to promote events

Tech manager- mostly on events. Ensuring all the tech side of the planned event is covered.

Social Sec - involved in the promotion of socials to members

 

Social Secretary

• Organise social events - come up with ideas, check dates with the committee, test venues (!) etc.
• Advertise events with the Marketing manager
• Liase with secretary to get mass emails and texts sent to members
• Be sociable! Get people introduced, drinking and talking on socials!!!

Check the forums daily to stay in touch with what the members want and keep people updated.