• 3-minute read
• 20th August 2021

How to Cite a Radio Broadcast in Chicago Footnote Referencing

Have you referred to something you heard on the radio in your essay or dissertation? If so, make sure you do it correctly! In this post, we explain how to cite a radio broadcast in Chicago footnote referencing.

Citing a Radio Broadcast in Chicago Footnotes

The Chicago footnotes system is also known as the notes and bibliography system. In this referencing style, you use superscript numbers in the main text to refer to footnote citations. Your footnote for the first citation of a radio broadcast should include the following information, where applicable:

n. Title of Programme, episode number, ‘Episode Title’, role(s) and name(s) of contributor(s), date aired, station. URL (if available online).

So, an example might look like this:

14. All Things Considered, ‘How Deep Sleep May Help the Brain Clear Alzheimer’s Toxins’, written by Jon Hamilton, aired 31 October 2019, on NPR. https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2019/10/31/775068218/how-deep-sleep-may-help-the-brain-clear-alzheimers-toxins.

If you refer to the same programme again, though, you can use a shortened footnote format. For a radio programme, this will usually mean just citing the title (although you can provide more information if necessary for clarity, such as the episode titles if you’re citing two episodes from the same series).

When quoting a radio show, moreover, make sure to include a time stamp at the end of the relevant footnote citations (like you would page numbers for a book).

Radio Broadcasts in a Chicago Bibliography

Each source you cite in footnotes should be included in a bibliography at the end of your document. The basic format for a radio broadcast is as follows:

Surname, First name, role. Title of Programme. Series and episode number(s), ‘Episode Title’. Other featured contributors. Date aired, station. URL.

Not all of this will be relevant for every radio show (e.g. some won’t have series or episode numbers). But try to include as much detail as possible.

The biggest change from the footnote format here is that you need to give the name of the main contributor first. This is because entries in a Chicago bibliography are listed alphabetically by the author’s surname.

For a radio programme, you should use the name of the main creator (e.g. the presenter, writer or producer), or whomever is the most relevant for your writing (e.g. an interviewee if you are quoting something from an interview).

Our example would appear in the bibliography like this:

Hamilton, Jon, presenter. All Things Considered. ‘How Deep Sleep May Help the Brain Clear Alzheimer’s Toxins’. Aired 31 October 2019, on NPR. https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2019/10/31/775068218/how-deep-sleep-may-help-the-brain-clear-alzheimers-toxins.

As shown above, you should also use a half-inch (1.27cm) hanging indent for each line after the first in all entries in your reference list.

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