What Is a Station ID?

A station ID is a short piece of produced audio that identifies a radio station by name, call sign, frequency or slogan. It is played at the top of the hour, between songs and in and out of breaks so listeners always know what they are hearing. A produced ID lasts two to five seconds and combines a processed voice, effects and often an impact hit.

Legal IDs and produced IDs

In many countries broadcasters are required to identify themselves at set intervals. In the United States the legal ID is the call letters followed by the community of licence, typically near the top of each hour. That requirement is why the station ID exists as a format.

Most IDs heard on air are produced IDs rather than legal ones: brand-name versions such as "Hot 97" or "Capital" with a slogan, delivered by the station's imaging voice with full production. They run far more often than the legal minimum because they are the station's brand stamp.

What a station ID contains

• The name: call letters, frequency, brand or all three.
• A slogan of three to six words, optional.
• The imaging voice: processed, confident, consistent across every piece of the station's audio.
• Effects: reverb tail, stutter on the first syllable, echo on the last word, sometimes a pitched-down double.
• A bed or hit: an impact under the name or a short riser into it.
• Consistent loudness so the ID is never quieter than the music around it.

Station IDs for DJs, shows and streams

The same format works for anything with a name that recurs: a radio show, a podcast, a mix series, a club night, a Twitch channel. DJs who host shows use a show ID at the open and after breaks; streamers use a channel ID as a bumper. The content is a name and a slogan, and the production is identical to a station's.

Making a station ID in Club Ready Music

In the Drops studio, the DJ drop tab produces IDs directly:

1. Write the script: the name plus a short slogan, within 200 characters. Spell unusual names phonetically.
2. Choose the Imaging voice style, which is designed for station IDs and processed reads. Hype suits a club-brand ID; Smooth suits a late-night or jazz station feel.
3. Keep Reverb tail and Stutter on, add Echo for a slap on the last word, and Pitch down for weight.
4. Pick Impact hit as the bed for a classic ID, or Dry if the ID will be played over music.
5. Choose 3 seconds for a tight ID or 5 seconds with a slogan.

Club Ready Music renders three variations so the ID can be rotated and does not wear out, levels each at -8 LUFS, and provides a dry voice version alongside the produced one for further processing. For a sung ID, use the Jingle tab instead; a 6-second sting is the sung equivalent of a station ID.