Telling stories for radio
- Different medium from television
- Radio is a much more intimate medium
- Often radio is listened to when people are doing something else
- Silence is very powerful in radio
- Oldest electronic media form
- Radio is fitting into the new social media through podcasts
- Radio = creating pictures with words
- Radio = the theatre of the mind
- People can tell when some people are lying and the audience picks up on it
- Radio has been able to retain and grow listeners because people are time poor and need information quickly
Keys to a good interview/radio story
- Important to let listeners feel included in the interview and presenters must facilitate that
- Conventional conversation = 1 hour interview
- The key to a good interview is a safe environment for the subject so they can open up and share their story
- The subject needs to have trust in the program and the interviewer so as not to be ridiculed
- Good to let the subject have some space and explore about what they want
- Give the subject the opportunity to pause and reflect
- Want to be useful to listeners and provide a public service
- Annunciation does matter – cant speak like you would on the street
- Trying to communicate clearly and effectively (bring down the barriers for listeners)
- What does the audience want?
- Empathise vocally to the subject to gain their trust and create a rapport
- Pose a simple question to the audience to create debate
- Don’t do anything on radio that you wouldn’t do in real life
- Human/emotional/experience responses
- Night time radio = talk less and listen more
- Respect people by listening to them
Keys to being a good Radio Journalist
- Keep asking questions
- Stay open minded
- Expose yourself to different currents of thought
- Expand your worldview
- Remain humanised
- If you really want it, don’t give up
