CUNY Intro to Radio Class 2cdn.journalism.cuny.edu/blogs.dir/447/files/2012/08/CUNY...Know your...

CUNY Intro to Radio Class 2

What did you Hear?

•  Outside? •  On the Radio?

Assignments Listening: Compile a list of three radio outlets, listen to at least ten minutes of each.

MUST INCLUDE--One local, One national, One podcast Field Work: Bring in example of three foreground ambient sounds you hear between leaving

school and returning in the morning. Readings: Writing for the Ear: A Personal Approach-Scott Simon and Dart Center article WEBSITE: Write a few paragraphs about your listening assignment, include available links

to the audio you heard. What did you hear? What did you like? What didn’t you like? What got your attention?��

Soundcloud

Website

Need to Know

Take out a pen and piece of notebook paper

1.  What do most soldiers in Iraq eat for breakfast according to Scott Simon?

2.  What did the radio station in the Chile Earthquake zone convert its recording studio into?

3.  Interviews are better recorded in Mono or Stereo?

Equipment Review 1. Turn it on What’s the battery situation? 2. Install Headphones 3. Install Microphone 4. Listen-Are you getting sound? 5. Check the levels on the recorder-is it registering? Check the volume

on your headphones…is it too high/low? 6. Sample Recording- •  Pause Rec •  Rec •  Stop 7. Listen back-is it there? How does it sound? 8. Repack your kick and, YOU’RE OFF!

Field Recording Record a short interview with 3 people. Name-if they will give it Age Where they are from (have them say these details all at once)

Press Conference: Once Upon a Time

Press Conference

•  What is a Press Conference?

Press Conference

•  Exercise in collecting information •  Opportunity for official statements •  Opportunity to expand on existing stories •  Opportunity to learn about new stories •  Opportunity to Network •  Opportunity to contribute to a newscast •  Opportunity to contribute to a news archive

Press Conference Press conferences are a building block of radio news. •  People expect immediacy from radio. •  Press conferences offer immediate news to share.

Press Conference

•  For Radio You are looking to collect 1. Soundbites on the record about press conference 2. Soundbites on the record for other stories. 3. Additional information and audio for feature

reports or to post on the web.

Press Conference

Read Fax, Daybook or Email thoroughly. Be clear on

1.  Topic 2.  Time 3.  Location Is the information essential to your work? Double Check with your News Director Will it be used in a Feature Story? Newscast?

Daybook

Preparation Do You Have: 1.  A Clear Idea of Your Goals? 2.  Properly Functioning Equipment? 3.  Printed Questions? 4.  A Clear Idea of Where You Are Going?

(Maps, address, phone number, etc.) 5.  Notepad and Pen

Preparation 1.  Recorder 2.  2 Hand held Mics(if possible) 3.  Mic stand 4.  Extension cable 5.  Headphones 6.  Notebook and Pen 7.  Questions-additional research on topic 8.  Press Release 9.  Money for Transportation 10.  Identification (ID, Press Pass, Letter from News

Director)

Preparation •  Get to Press Conference 20 minutes early •  Mult Box: Check to see if they have Multiple cable

feed. Plug in your extension cord. *To record from a MULT, you have to switch your

recorder input to LINE-otherwise it won’t work. •  Podium: If they don’t have Mult, stake out Mic space

on podium or table. •  Check Sound Levels!!!: Test Recorder, make sure

sound feed is adequate and your recording levels are good.

•  Ask to see if there are any informational handouts, copies of speech, etc..

Preparation

If there is nobody there to test the sound system, find a Print reporter, ask them to get on the microphone and say a few words.

Mic Stand

•  GET ONE!!!

Preparation

•  Get Close—sit in the front row if you can. •  Make sure you are as close to your

equipment as possible, so you can monitor batteries, recording, and audio intake.

Podiums

Microphone

If there is NO direct feed (MULT box), or if the MULT is full, Improvise.

•  Bring a Mic stand •  Lay Mic on the podium if you don’t have a

stand(not ideal). •  Hold your mic up as best you can. •  Find a speaker to record from

Microphone

•  DON’T sit a few feet away and hold your mic in the general direction of the speaker.

•  For PROFESSIONAL SOUND always be within a foot of the speaker

Preparation •  Begin recording a minute or two before PC starts in

earnest. Listen back to recording for quality. •  Make sure you have your headphones on, that way

you know what you are hearing is what’s being recorded.

•  See if Press Conference Organizers have a print out of what’s going to be said. Grab one.

Press Conference

When Press Conference begins: •  Watch your audio levels, make sure

everything sounds good. •  Take notes during PC, mark time in

notebook when possible sound bites occur.

Press Conference

•  While you are listening to speech--come up with three questions for post PC. They don’t have to relate to the topic at hand, get the information YOU need.

Questions

Be FIRST, Be LOUD, Be PERSISTANT Reporters are SINGULARLY MINDED, they aren’t going to wait for you. They are on DEADLINE.

Post Press Conference

Scope out the room, who is there? Anybody else of interest you can speak to before or after press conference?

Post Press Conference •  Is your sound saved? •  Do you have the proper pronunciation of the

person’s name? •  Do you have their correct age, title, and any other

pertinent personal information? •  If relevant write down some details. What does

the person look like? What is going on in the space? What does the space look like?

•  Record at least 2 minutes of ambient sound from location for later production.

Post Press Conference •  Sometimes little of interest is said at PC. When the PC is over, see if person is taking additional questions. Grab 2nd mic and jump in the mob.

•  Talk to other people of interest who may be at PC. •  If you can get comment for a different story you

are working on, go for it. •  Check to make sure Recording is safe and sound. •  Head back to the radio station to log tape and file

stories.

Post Press Conference

•  Listen back to your audio •  If something happened to your recording,

and its not there, get another reporter to share their audio with you.

DON’T Don’t worry about your status or experience level. You have EQUAL RIGHTS to get a good recording, information, to ask a question, and get a quote. Don’t let more senior reporters bully you. Be polite, but have your elbows ready.

DON’T

•  Don’t leave a press conference without meeting and getting the contact information for the person who organized the event.

•  You might need their help in the future, for a follow up quote, interview, event, etc.

DON’T

•  Don’t leave a press conference without making sure your sound is safe, saved, and your equipment safely secured in your equipment bag.

•  DON’T BE SLOPPY. That’s when you lose things…including respect.

DON’T

Do Keep it rolling The golden rule of radio is that the best moments always happen right when you've stopped recording. There's a reason for that: As soon as you push stop, people relax and are more themselves. Natural, truthful moments are priceless. Tape is free.

Keep it rolling.

Press Conference Rut Don’t Just Cover the Press Conference!!! Have a particular goal in mind. Look for the story behind the event. What else is

going on? Don’t just get the official comment on the issue,

talk to people who are affected. The Fact that somebody is having a press

conference doesn’t mean there is news. Do your homework! Go because you have a story, not because some politician wants you to listen.

Ready, Set…

What Happened?

Press Conference Success

1.  Focus Know what you are looking for. Have a working plan.

2.  Patience Be willing to get their early and stay late.

3.  Emotion Listen for personal, emotional, animated sound bites.

4.  Take Good Notes When you get back to your radio station, you have to work quick. Good Notes can save you time.

Press Conference Success •  Unlike TV-Radio reporters have to do it all

at a PC. Run equipment, take notes, ask questions, etc.

•  That’s an advantage. You are in control of the whole process. You get to write, choose voice cuts, and decide what information gets used.

Off the top of your head

•  If you had to send your newsroom one soundbite from the press conference, What would it be?

ABCs of Radio

•  Handout

Know your audio elements Actuality (Acts, Ax): Short excerpt of recorded interview you will use in

your radio story. Normally typically 8 - 20 seconds. Alt: Voice cut, cut. (In TV: bite, soundbite)

Ambient Sound (Ambi): Recorded sound of environment in which an event or interview takes place. Used in mix under acts and tracks. Alt: Natural sound, nat sound, room tone.

Button: A short (5 - 30 seconds) of music that serves as a transition between programming, often before commercial breaks or between segments. Alt/Similar: Zipper, Curtain, Bumper

Sound Bed (Music Bed, Ambi Bed): A track of audio that is layered under narration or program audio so the audience hears a reporter speaking over sound of an event he is not at anymore, or a host talking over music.

Tracks: (1) Reporter narration for a spot, wrap or feature. (2) Can also refer to the horizontal rows where sound files are displayed in your digital audio editing software. (3) As a verb, to record your narration.

Types of Radio Stories Host Reader (Reader): A news script written by reporter but read by program

host, usually during a newscast. Alt: copy, host copy Spot: A recorded news story during a newscast written and spoken by a reporter.

It has no actualities but does require a host intro. Alt: Voicer Two-Way: A conversation on-air between host and reporter, usually scripted by

the reporter. ROSR: (pron: rose-err) Radio On Scene Report, in which a reporter delivers a

story by standing on location with the sounds of the place audible behind him/her.

Host reader w/tape: News script read by host but written by reporter that includes an actuality or Ambi. Distinct from a wrap. Alt: cut & copy, cut/copy, tape & copy, cut & script

Wrap (Wraparound): A news script written and read by a reporter that includes an actuality. The reporter’s voice comes before and after the act, “wrapping around” it. Like spot w/ actuality.

Feature: A longer, more in depth report that includes actualities, tracks (narration) and usually sound of some sort, including ambi. Typically 2 minutes or longer.

Vox-Pop: No narration. Several actualities from different people mixed together. Used often to convey reaction from average people to a news story or event. Alt: MOS (Man On the Street)

Field Recording Off Mic: #BadAudio Sound soft and distant because the source is not

close enough to the mic. Overmodulated: #BadAudio Happens when recording levels are too

loud. Voices sound distorted or garbled. Similar: Hot. Levels are hot when too loud.

Plosive: #BadAudio Distortion caused by air hitting the microphone do to incorrect mic placement. Happens on sounds like P and B.

Mono/Stereo: Audio is mono if it has only one track. Stereo if there are two tracks, a left and a right. Most recordings are in mono for radio reporting. Recording in stereo requires a stereo mic or input, files will be twice as large.

Post Press Conference:��What to do with your tape?

Get back to the newsroom

1.  Check in with your news director and on-air host

2.  Organize your equipment and notes on your desk

3.  Put your cab receipts somewhere safe 4.  Get a snack and some water 5.  LOG that tape!!!

Quick Turnaround

•  Live 2-way

•  The Host wants you on live to talk for a minute about the press conference, and to play a soundbite.

In your notebook organize the press conference information accordingly-

Quick Turnaround

•  Take your notes and choose a quick soundbite to send to your newsdesk.

•  Include MOST important information from the press conference so host can introduce the soundbite.

Quick Turnaround

•  If you can send your entire audio remotely: Send soundfiles to your newsroom and people can…

1. Post it 2. Begin logging it 3. Pull soundbites 4. Air it

Getting great soundbites ��

Great soundbites convey emotion, opinion and personal experiences. Be sure you get this by asking questions that go beyond the facts.

Get people to talk about what they think and how they feel. In polite conversation people back off when someone signals that a subject is too difficult to talk about. Reporters can’t back off.

Don’t be afraid to press for emotional details. Be respectful, but keep digging deeper.��

Great Sound Bites •  Facts and Figures usually don’t make a

great sound bite. You can write those in your script.

•  Emotion works best for Radio. Listeners need to hear the urgency or the passion of the information.

•  They need to hear the importance of what somebody is trying to tell them.

Great Sound Bites

Great soundbites convey a sense of conviction, urgency, passion or persuasion. Sometimes it helps to play the devil’s advocate during parts of an interview, to challenge the source, so they will answer in an interesting and compelling tone of voice.��

Great Sound Bites Don’t get in the way. Silence can be golden. Sometimes you don’t need to ask a follow-up question. Just stare. An awkward silence will prompt the interviewee to keep talking, revealing important information. ��

LOG Name, Age, Title Date Location Track # In Out

LOG Go Win, 23 years old, Burmese Fisherman June 13, 2011 Chomburi, Thailand Track 3 In :05

if we are working as a seafarer, we need to have friends, we need to take care of our friends. I have no relatives, no brothers or sisters, so my friends are my family.

Sometimes when we are at sea, we have health problems, but the ship owners never stop the boats, to let us get medical care. They just carry on, and sometimes people die, and they just push them to the sea. Have to pay for their own health care if they get hurt on the ship. He had Malaria at one point…wasn’t allowed to get help. Came straight to Chumburi when he arrived, and started working straight away at 16 years old. Has worked for 13 different ship captains. 3 of them have been good.

Out 1:55 In 2:03 last year, owner of the ship never paid me. For three months I wasn’t paid. I worked in Pathiya, but ship owner

never paid me for three months, so I ran away to Chomburi. I had nobody to help me, so I just ran away. Out 2:26 In 3:39

when I was in Chomburi, one of the ship workers, cut his hand. And the captain didn’t help him get to the hospital. It got infected, spread all over the body, and the boy just died like that. They threw the body into the sea.

Out 4:00

Logging Tape

This is a FUNDAMENTAL task of radio reporting. Don’t ignore it. You will regret that you did.

Be Organized

Logging is about being organized, about being responsible with your information.

It helps you: 1. Organize your story 2. Create an archive of information 3. Avoid misuse of information 4. Be professional

Zakaria strongly denied that any assistant or intern wrote his work, and said that his mistake came from mixing up different notes from different sources. That account does not quite explain how the plagiarized paragraph was so closely aligned with its original source, nor how it was unattributed to the writer, Jill Lepore.

“The quotes in question either did not exist, were unintentional misquotations, or represented improper combinations of previously existing quotes”

Writing for Radio

•  More than anything…Good Radio comes from Good Writing.

Simple Concise Conversational sentences

Writing For Radio Every radio news story you write, no matter how long, should follow this structure:

•  Set the Scene •  Identify the Problem or Issue •  Examine the Solution and Reaction •  Look to the Future

Writing For Radio Every radio news story you write, no matter how long, should follow this structure:

•  Set the Scene-Intro •  Identify the Problem or Issue-Body •  Examine the Solution and Reaction-Body •  Look to the Future-End Where does the Soundbite go?

Writing for Radio

Keep it brief and make it clear: Brevity and clarity are two hallmarks of good radio writing. Make your sentences short, simple and direct

Radio Speak: SVO: Subject Verb Object Somebody(Subject) is doing something(Verb) for a reason(Object)

Mayor Bloomberg(Subject) is planning a new public transportation initiative (Verb) to reduce congestion in the city(Object) .

SVO The focus should be on children when Congress drafts its new health care bill says President Obama.

Re-Write for Radio

President Obama(Subject) wants Congress to focus on children(verb) when it drafts the new health care bill(object).

Writing for Radio

Make it conversational: Radio is a medium for ears, not eyes, so write the way people talk. Avoid jargon, technical speak, and overly academic writing.

Example

The United Nations says the continued detention without charges of political dissidents in the nation of Myanmar violates resolution 1A of its Human Rights charter and that member states need to consider filing formal jurisdictional complaints according to UN procedure.

Example

The United Nations says the continued detention without charges of political dissidents in the nation of Myanmar violates resolution 1A of its Human Rights charter and that member states need to consider filing formal jurisdictional complaints according to UN procedure.

Radio SVO- The United Nations(S) has asked its member states to review claims(V) of human rights violations in the country of Myanmar.(O)

Writing for Radio

Keep it active: Writing in the active voice is far preferable than writing in the passive voice. People listen to the radio for immediacy, for what is happening now. Keep it Present!

Read it out loud Reading your Radio Copy out loud solves most problems. You can HEAR the mistakes, and correct them. Tell me the NEWS, don’t read it… Sound like you are talking to an acquaintance, not like you are reading something out of the newspaper.

One Thought Per Sentence

KISS: Keep It Simple and Straightforward Have one thought per sentence. If there is a second one, make two sentences.

One Thought Per Sentence Avoid conjunctions and clauses: “And”, “Or”, “But”, “Which”, and “Whose” are red flags for sentences that are too long. Eliminate those words and make one sentence two.

Example

The police broke up the rally when protesters began burning effigies in the street and then later arrested hundreds of crowd members who refused to leave the scene.

Example

The police broke up the rally when protesters began burning effigies in the street and then later arrested hundreds of crowd members who refused to leave the scene.

Re-Write

Police broke up the rally when protesters began burning effigies in the street. Hundreds of protesters were later arrested when they refused to leave the scene.

Example

The dean of Columbia College has abruptly resigned over what she called administrative changes that would diminish or eliminate her authority, leaving the undergraduate division of Columbia University without a leader two weeks before the start of classes.

Re-Write

Example New Jersey Governor Chris Christie announced a new initiative yesterday to revive the state’s ailing public school system. Christie cited an independent public school assessment that showed students fell behind federal standards last year.

Re-Write

Activity

Take your log and additional information from the Press Conference and write a Reader with Tape for a newscast.

The Radio Recipe Every radio news story you write, no matter how long, should follow this structure: