What is a Section Director?

Section directors have the important role of deciding the output of different parts of the station. Depending on the station, there can be a number of different section directors. Some of the most popular include sports, news and music. Here is all you need to know about each section director.

News directors are also known as editors. They are in charge of scrutinizing headlines, stories and scripts as well as making sure that bulletins are factual and comply with the law and industry standards.

They are in charge of the news team and making sure that all reporters have tasks and are doing them to the best of their ability. News directors set the agenda of reporting in accordance with the station’s style, brand and listenership.

They need to have an ear to the ground in terms of local events. They also need to double-check information and follow up with interviewees. It’s essential for news directors to have good communication as they will be required to liaise with reporters, other departments, the heads of the station, celebrities and members of the public.

Good organisational skills, analytical skills and a desire for investigation are at the heart of the role. They must motivate the reporters and be able to delegate tasks for them to do. The news director is the ideal role for anyone who is interested in journalism and in leading a team to be the best.

Find out more about news directors here.

The role of the sports director is quite similar to that of the news director. Sports directors are in charge of any sports coverage done by the station. They handle the play-by-play coverage of local sporting events.

They will oversee any sports reports done by sports journalists at the station and will make editorial judgement, just like the news director will. The sports director will make sure that every report is accurate and not in breach of any laws.

They will coordinate and conduct interviews with sportspeople and relevant bodies, as well as critiquing and editing work done by sports reporters. They must ensure that sports bulletins that will follow the news are neat and well-written.

Music directors work closely with overall program directors in selecting the music to be played on air. They go through the tracks submitted by record companies and select what will be aired. This ensures that the station’s music is always up to date and competitive with other stations play.

They organise the station’s music library in accordance with what people want to hear and what music the station generally plays.

DJs work with music directors in terms of what music they can and can’t play. Music directors are responsible for submitting music royalty returns. They ensure that the station has paid the correct amount when it comes to the music they play.