Radiodocu

Radio Documentary Radio Feature Radio Magazine Mrinal Chatterjee, Ph.D Professor Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC) [email_address] [email_address]

What is a Radio Documentary
A radio documentary is a documentary programme devoted to covering a particular topic in some depth, usually with a mixture of commentary and sound pictures.
Some radio features, especially those including specially composed music or other pieces of audio art, resemble radio drama in many ways, though non-fictional in subject matter, while others consist principally of more straightforward, journalistic-type reporting – but at much greater length than found in an ordinary news report.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio_documentary

What is a Radio Feature
Radio Feature resembles a documentary in its making approach, but differs in its larger scope and subject/time variability.

What is a Radio Magazine
Radio magazine is a programme on a umbrella subject, which can have several programmes- documentary, features, interviews, music etc.
There has to be a content synergy in the programmes.

Why radio? Why documentary?
“ No other medium can provide me with more freedom of creation and investigation. It meets my urgent interest in reality and the desire for a 'musical' expression. The material ( der Werkstoff ) is sound. And sound always surrounds us. And: I'm not so much interested in the description of stable situations, but in processes. Our medium is not space, but time; our stories are not glued to the ground, but have motion, life ... That's why!"
(Helmut Kopetzky, German author)

Is there any demand for Radio documentary/Feature/magazine
Yes. And the demand is growing.
Consider the radio world in India

Radio in India: Government domain
AIR today has a network of 232 broadcasting centers with 149 medium frequency (MW), 54 high frequency (SW) and 171 FM transmitters. The coverage is 91.79% of the area, serving 99.14% of the people in the largest democracy of the world. AIR covers 24 Languages and 146 dialects in home services. In External services, it covers 27 languages; 17 national and 10 foreign languages.

Radio in India: Private domain
Entertainment driven FM stations
The number of private FM radio stations in India: 100+ ( By May 2007 it was 69)
Community Radio Stations.
Campus Radio Stations
For a list see http://www.asiawaves.net/india-fm-radio.htm

Our Agenda
Good listening experience for the audience
Public Service
Education
Information
Entertainment

Challenges
Attracting audience
Pressure of Revenue earning
Competition from Private players
Image of sarkari -media
‘ New idea-unfriendly’ work atmosphere

Ways to meet the challenges Ideas…ideas
Can we make want/need-based programme
Can we provide information that people want/need
Entertainment driven/ centered/ focused
Off beat subject
Common subject with a new angle
Can we think out of the box
Use new technology in recording/editing
Use new delivery platform/convergence

For good documentary Think story, not tools
Writing is still key
Tell engaging stories
Here is an example..

Here is a radio documentary following the lives of two of London’s 400 cycle couriers, whose working day is spent delivering packages across the city. The job is badly paid and the risk of serious injury is relatively high, yet there is a thriving sub-culture of people who have chosen the freedom of the road above the security of the office. BBC Radio 4 documentary: City Messengers September 2, 2008

Technology has provided us new opportunities for storytelling
Faster dissemination of information
Clearer recording devices
Faster editing tools
Here is an exmaple.

14.30 hours, January 15, 2009 A plane plunges into Hudson river

1 st phone from scene

News on radio within 5 minutes Documentary by 120 minutes Features by dozens Radio magazine covering various aspects of the incident

Be creative
Get ideas from other industries: advertising, technology, social networking.

Think out of the box
Let’s play a game

Research
When developing a documentary, especially on social awareness project, doing the proper research is mandatory! The information dispersed by such a show must be accurate, reliable, and current.
Research can be accessed via the Internet, library, educational/research institute.
Doing research for the radio documentary may also involved finding people who have something to contribute to the documentary, either by providing an interview, a story, or any other bits of material that can give the show some added substance.

Use data
Data provides credibility
However, overuse of statistics makes programme boring.
Provide a human face to the numbers

Write a script
Writing a script gives a control over the subject.

Provide need based information
People listen to programme that gives them information-they need.

Provide resources to the audience on a sustained basis
Examples:

Focus on sound
Maximize use of ambience audio, music where appropriate

Make it interactive
Involve the user

Integrate media
Don’t fixate on one medium; seamlessly integrate text, audio, video, photos, interactivity, graphics. For Visual Radio.
Supplement radio programme with print/web content.
Unfortunately that is not being done. FM Gold has its website. But it does not have audio programmes.
http://allindiaradio.org/index.html

Have a broad base of skills

Pool your resources
Combine existing work on the same topic into a cohesive package
Be comfortable working in teams

Resources
AUDIODOCUMENTARY.ORG .
"Audiodocumentary.org is a first-of-its-kind guide to free radio and audio documentary content on the web. There are thousands of great audio stories available for free but many of the sites are not well known. And even great mainstream stories can get lost in the shuffle. This website strives to be part of a curatorial effort for all that great content. Basically we bring you links to stuff that we think is interesting and which might otherwise fly below the radar - that great piece from NPR, that unknown Podcast, or any other audio documentary content we want to bring to people's attention."
RadioCollege <http:// www.airmedia.org/PageInfo.php?PageID =3>
An excellent radio training Web site.

Interesting sites for radio
http://www.hindiradios.com
http://www.planetradiocity.com
http://allindiaradio.org

Sites for good radio documentaries
http://soundportraits.org
http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts
http://www.abc.net.au/rn/radioeye/
http ://transom.org | A showcase of public radio. Has a sample of radio documentary, which you can listen to.

For courses in Radio Documentary..
http://www.albany.edu/faculty/gz580/documentaryproduction/index.html
http://www.salt.edu/programs/radio/
http://web.jrn.columbia.edu/studentwork/radio/

Radiodocu

by Dr. Mrinal Chatterjee on Aug 28, 2009

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