It all starts in the studio. Presenters talk into a microphone.
The words they say create soundwaves – vibrations that pass through the air.
The microphone changes the sound vibrations into an electrical signal. In a TV studio, the TV cameras record what’s going on in pictures and change those into electrical signals.
The presenter’s spoken words are mixed with the music using a mixer – a board with a lot of buttons to twiddle or more modern, a computer programme!
At the back of the mixer are cables that go all the way through the building – through some computers which make the signal nice and loud – and then into the wall!
Telephone or internet cables then carry the signals all the way to the transmitter. Sometimes they’re sent over the airwaves by microwave or even via space by satellite!
Because there are thousands of listeners and only one stream of signal at the moment, they’re gonna need a way to create more streams to reach a lot more people but THAT’S what happens at the transmitter.
You can hear The Speakers: Transmission on Fun Kids Radio or listen to the series below!
The Speakers: Transmission with support from Arqiva.
The Speakers
They've a lot to say – but how can they get their message across? The Speakers explore ways of communicating!
More From The Speakers