Analysis of Radio Trails

By Hayden Atkins

What is the purpose of a radio trail?

• The purpose of a radio trail is to create a short, often 40 second snippet advertisement, to be broadcast on the radio regarding an important event in the media. Trails can advertise fellow radio shows, TV events such as documentaries, or live sports or even events exclusive to the computer such as Facebook anouncements etc.

Radio Trails research • Typical features of Radio Trails will be essential when we craft our own. We want

ours to have some existing features of professional trails, whilst having our own twist. Here are some existing features of current radio trails:

• Voice-Over- A narrative provided to discuss things going on in trail • Sound Effects- to excite the viewer • Music- In nearly all radio trails, there is the use of a backing track, often

instrumental. Takes some of the emphasis away from the narrative voice over • Time, Date and Channel always given at the end, so the viewer knows when the

programme is on • Title of documentary given at the end • Extracts/material from documentary

What are trails like on BBC 3, the channel our documentary will air on?

• http://www.radiotimes.com/episode/trfd8/crazy-for-party-drugs

• Here is a documentary that is currently being aired on BBC 3, the station our documentary will be on. If I were to make a trail for this documentary (Crazy for Party Drugs) ,I would ensure that the features would match the audience viewing it. The backing track would be upbeat, with interesting material from the documentary itself, an interesting catch line that will make viewers think “I want to watch that” and a voiceover that explains the documentary.

Our Radio Trail

• When we make our radio trail, it will have certain aspects of radio trails that you would expect to be shown on BBC 3 (a channel stereotypical of showing documentaries to an age range of around 16-24).

• However, because our topic is a serious one (Health and Fitness), we want to ensure that the backing track is not upbeat, but has meaning to go with the serious message that we wish to portray.