Radio - Lecture 2 + 3

Successful Radio Interviews

There are a few simple but effective techniques which result in a successful radio interview:

1. Sensible Questioning

- Good interviews sound like unscripted chats

- Jot down a few question but don't wrote long lists

- Avoid close questions

- Ask questions one at a time not multiple questions!

- Listen carefully to the answers to develop upon areas of interest

- Nod silently to encourage the interviewee

- Always be polite but in control

2. Use the recording equipment correctly

- Check batteries are fully charged

- Be fully aware of the controls

- Sounds daft but make sure it is actually recording!

- Microphones should be held about 6 inches away, don't move too much hold it firmly and avoid rustling paper

- When recording don't keep switching the machine on and off during an interview nor press the pause button just let it run, and at the end hold the mic still for a few more seconds to give an ambience at the end rather then an abrupt stop.

3. Choose the place to record wisely

- Don't always go for a quiet room, consider sounds around you as they will add texture to the audio.

- Avoid rooms with obvious echo, stand next to a curtain which can help deaden an echo. 

- Try keep away from heavy traffic, and turn your back from noise or wind

- If forced to record in a noisy place manually set the recording levels and hold mic really close to the mouth. 

Radio News Writing

We have been assigned a radio news project which entails producing a news bulletin of around 4-5 stories.  Rizzo set us off with some radio news writing techniques:

1. Grab attention immediately - get straight to the point.
2. Keep it short, cut out the waffle - no long words, complicated sentence structures or repetition.
3. Avoid Cliches melodrama and emotive language
4. Express yourself clearly
5. Remember your target audience
6. Say it out loud

Here is the news story I wrote in class, however it may need tweaking or changing, but its an example:

A murder suspect has been found hanged in his cell whilst awaiting trail.

Barry Morrow was accused of killing his landlady and her mother in Merseyside at the start of December last year.

A post-mortem is due to take place in Manchester later.

The mechanics:
- Have 1 1/2 line spacing
- It should only be one sided, because the microphone will pick up the rustle
- It should never be hand written

Using the Radio Cubicles
1. Turn on the mixer, the switch is on the back panel on the right
2. Make sure the two master faders are all the way up (These are the grey faders on the right labelled 'main mix'
3. Left hand fader is the mic
4. Turn on the laptop and open Adobe Audition
5. Record by pressing the red record icon on the transport controls at the bottom of the edit view. It will offer a new waveform window - select 44100 as your sample rate, then stereo channels - 16 bit resolution
6. Play back what you recorded, shut the mic fader on the mixer.
7. Remember when recording to switch the speakers  off, and then back on for play back.