W5 Lecture: Sound

This week's Lecture is focusing on sound media, and so Bruce has uploaded an MP3 file with two interviews of radio personalities. Their advice on telling stories for radio are sure to be helpful (warning, this will be wordy.

1. Richard Fidler (Conversations-11am Mon-Fri, ABC local radio Queensland) does Long-form interviews which are a little different, as they last for around an hour, a lot longer than the conventional seven minutes. http://www.abc.net.au/local/sites/conversations/

Radio is a very different media to television: when you try to film a radio broadcast you get dull TV, and when you try to broadcast TV on radio, you get bad radio. Radio is much more intimate than TV; it can seem as if someone is talking in your head.You can multitask while listening to radio. *I confess that I mostly listen to radio while in my car and on public transport etc., or studying. Radio isn't necessarily live- pod casts make it easy to listen to radio programs whenever convenient to the listener.

A good presenter should facilitate listener interactivity by joining the on-air conversation, making them feel included. The presenter needs to be curious and interested in the topics of the interview, because enthusiasm can't be so easily feigned on radio-trying to do so will make everything seem false. The key to a great interview is that the interviewee feels relaxed and confident. If the interviewee feels they can trust the interviewer they may be more open about themselves. A host with an interrogative style will put the guest on-edge, which will make them defensive and less likely to open up. Richard said this may be the right approach to dealing with some people who 'are just bloody-minded and stupid'. *He wouldn't be referring to politicians who just dodge all questions would he? ;)

Teasing guests when appropriate is OK, as it may help to bring a bit of life and human nature into something which they talk about a lot. A really nice moment in an interview is when the guest remembers something they had forgotten, as the resulting story generally conveys delight, making it more engaging. Silence can be golden: "give the guest a lot of space to talk and explain themselves". If a guest is dealing with a topic that makes them emotional, do not interject by comforting, give them the space to work through it.Instead, try to comfort them with physical gestures, such as moving away from the microphone, which shows that you are giving them the opportunity to speak.

According to Richard, radio is the oldest form of mass media. It is also thriving in the digital age, because it has embraced new technologies such as pod casting, rather than competing with them. Richard maintains his empathy and connection to people and interviewees he can't see (on the phone) by picturing who the audience is. The audience are the people to inform about what is going on in the world. Radio keeps people stuck at home, those who need to be cheered up from daily life, and people who want to be contemporary, up to date. It's aim is to be useful to people and to "give them something". Radio is a public service, as the people who pay for it--through their tax--are the listeners.

Richard's pearls of wisdom:

-Worldliness (be open minded, gain experiences and perspectives, be interested in what's going on around you).

- Read the Newspaper!

- Keep asking questions.

- Expose yourself to the ideas of people you don't agree with so you can look at the matter from another perspective.

2.  Steve Austin (Weeknights at 7 on ABC local radio Queensland)

In radio, your enunciation does matter. Don't speak the way you would at Uni or on the street. The aim is to communicate by bringing down the barriers between you and your listeners. Radio is the theatre of the mind because you create images with what you say. Community radio is something like 4zzz etc. and the public/national broadcaster is something like the ABC. What you see, think, and feel as the presenter may be different to what the audience does, so you should try to look at all perspectives. Still mention your own opinions, but ask the audience and professionals etc. too. Know who your audience will be and what they want to know so you can cater your program--as with any communication, whether it's journalism or otherwise.

Radio should be about the audience, rather than you and what you want. As a presenter, you don't want to practise entrapment radio--rather find different ways of finding out answers, perhaps by asking the question differently. In so doing, the interviewee may give away the answer in their tone of voice, use of silence etc. and the audience will pick this up. The audience can tell when someone is lying and when they're being fake through wavering voice, pace, and delivery. Do not abuse a guest's trust once you have gained it, as it does not paint you in a very good light, even if you do get what you want from them. Instead, give the interviewee the space to reveal themselves by using an empathetic voice.

-Steve's gem: Don't do anything in Radio that you wouldn't do in real life. Make it easy on the listener, as you would in a conversation.

In talk back radio, the best way to prompt people to engage is to ask simple questions. Be blunt and provocative. There are some frustrating topics, such as cyclists on the road, that never cease to draw in listeners to comment. The components of a good radio story are being human and going for human experience: humans can be very emotional, and are not always rational. Play on this, as you will elicit a response from the emotive stories. Talk less, especially with someone who has a viewpoint you don't understand. Listening also implies respect, which is essential in the interviewing context. People respond to that courtesy and honesty.

Radio has kept and widened its audience despite the downhill trend in other heritage media audience numbers, i.e. newspapers. People are time poor, so radio--which is very fast-- is very easy to consume.

Some heartening advice particularly pertinent to myself:
If you aren't naturally talented, but you really want it, don't give up.

-Bon