What are the requirements of a syndicated radio show?

A syndicated radio show needs to be produced to a professional broadcast standard and structured so that it can be aired by multiple radio stations without modification.

Every programme submitted to Syndicast must meet the following requirements. Our engineering team reviews submissions and may reject episodes that do not meet the required technical or production standards.

1. No station IDs, station names, dates or broadcast times

A syndicated programme must be station neutral so the same episode can be broadcast across multiple stations.

Episodes must not contain references to specific radio stations, channels, broadcast dates or broadcast times.

2. Show IDs, jingles and branding

A plain DJ mix is not suitable for radio syndication on its own. Radio stations are looking for radio content, and listeners need to be able to identify the programme they are hearing.

Episodes should therefore include show IDs, jingles, sweepers, voice overs or other branded elements throughout the programme. Ideally, a show ID or sweeper should appear approximately every 5 to 8 minutes. Using them much more frequently can become intrusive for listeners.

Speech or presenter links are not mandatory. However, the programme must have a clear identity and regularly communicate the name of the show and the artist, DJ, host or label behind it.

This is also an important part of the value of syndication. If listeners enjoy a mix but never hear who created it or what the programme is called, there is no clear route for them to discover or follow the show, artist or brand afterwards.

3. Episode duration

Episodes should be either 60 or 120 minutes long, ideally approximately 59 or 119 minutes.

Radio stations work with fixed programming schedules. If an episode is longer than its allocated slot, the station may need to shorten it, may not be able to broadcast it in full, or may decide not to schedule it at all.

4. File format

Episodes must be uploaded as:

• MP3
• 320 kbps
• Without embedded artwork

5. Professional mastering

Every episode must be professionally mastered before it is uploaded.

Radio stations apply their own broadcast processing, including limiters and compressors, so the source audio needs to have an appropriate balance between loudness and dynamic range before it reaches the station.

A correctly mastered programme should sound consistent and professional while retaining enough dynamic range to respond well to additional broadcast processing.

Correctly mastered file:

A properly mastered file should have a balanced and consistent waveform, with peaks not exceeding approximately -1 dB. There should still be a natural difference between quieter and louder sections.

When additional broadcast limiting or compression is applied, the programme should maintain its clarity, impact and overall sound quality.

Under mastered file:

An under mastered programme may sound noticeably quieter or weaker than other content on the station.

When a radio station's broadcast processing attempts to compensate for this, the result can sound unnatural and inconsistent, creating a poorer listening experience.

Over mastered or distorted file:

An over mastered file has too little dynamic range and may already contain clipping or distortion.

Because radio stations apply additional limiting and compression before broadcast, overly aggressive mastering can make these problems even more noticeable. The result may sound harsh, distorted or fatiguing and will not meet professional broadcast standards.

For this reason, Syndicast's engineering team reviews the audio quality of submitted programmes before they are distributed to radio stations.