So what are Jingles?
Jingles or station Id's are short items of music sung with the name
of the radio station you are listening to. It's been discovered
that a musical message is often more memorable than a spoken one.
Jingles are also production elements which help the overall flow
of the radio station and is today called radio imaging. They can bridge tempo changes, introduce news
and traffic reports, punctuate promos, and add excitement to special
features. Jingles can and should be fun! Whether it's something
crazy for the morning show, or a romantic sound for late night dedications,
jingles are part of the "showbiz" magic of radio.
Good jingles help create a unique identity that only
your station will have. After all, every radio station builds its
product with the same basic tools: music, information, features,
on-air personalities, contests and so on. But jingles are one way
to put an individual touch on a station's sound. The musical style
and attitude of the jingles tell listeners what they can expect
from the station. And many times a slogan or positioning statement
is delivered most effectively in a musical context with a well-produced
jingle. Jingles have also transferred to TV advertising and most
jingle companies produce jingles for TV and radio.
This page details some of the major Jingle and ID
Production Companies from around the world. Jingles are also collected
for their nostalgia purposes and so there are some links to jingle
collecting sites listed as well. If you want to add a site to this
list feel free to drop me an e-mail. If you want to learn how jingle
production packages are made then check out Jam's
page here.
Jingles
used to be played on the beloved cart machine which has now been
replaced by computer playout systems.
The picture to the left is the cart machine made
by the Sonifex Company. This has now been discontinued
The jingles were recorded onto carts which was a box
with a continuous loop of tape that when played returned to the
start ready for the next time. Ah the memories come flooding back
!!!! Below is a cart and on the right is legendary Rick Dees Jingle
Heaven. :o) Oh yeah and if you listen to jingles and collect them
then you get the prestigious title of ANORAK!
There are different types of jingle as explained below...
Accapella - just the singing without the musical
bed
Donut - singing at the beginning with music in the middle
and singing at the end
Transition slow to fast - the jingle starts off with a slow
tempo then changes halfway through to a fast tempo. Used to go from
one tempo song to another.
Bed - Instrumental musical piece used by a presenter to talk
over.
Stab - short cut down version of a jingle usually
only a couple of seconds long.
Sweeper - usually a voice and sound effects
mixed together and used to transition between two songs.
JAM has created the jingles used by WCBS-FM New York for over 20 years. From 1992 here's New York radio legend Cousin Bruce Morrow. You'll hear the station using the "Do It Again" package.
This song was created by JAM Productions to promote their anniversary creating radio station jingles for some of the most popular stations across the world.
Jingles
used to be played on the beloved cart machine which has now been
replaced by computer playout systems.
