Chapter 1What is a radio format? A radio format, or programming format, or programming genre refers to the overall content broadcasting over a radio station. Some stations broadcast multiple genres on set schedule. Over the years, formats have evolved and new ones have been introduced. In today's age of radio, many radio formats are designed to reach a specifically defined segment or niche of the listening population based on such demographic criteria as age, ethnicity, background, etc. ‘The popular formats for radio are: A Jingle- Lasts about 30 seconds to a minute, summarising the identity of a station, or an advertisement or a social message. A Report- Talks about hard facts, lasts anywhere between 5 minutes to 15 minutes. News- Summarises local events A Drama- Can be used imaginatively, needs actors, a well written script and coordination amongst actors. This can be episodic as well. A Documentary- Longer radio format, which usually explores an issue in great detail, with in-depth analysis etc.A Feature- Can address soft stories, human interest stories and is slightly longer than reports An Interview- Involves two or more people, one asking questions and the other/s answering questions. A Panel Discussion- One person coordinates and facilitates a discussion between two or more people who usually differ in their opinions A Debate- One person facilitates a discussion between two or more people who have opinions, in support and against a given issue A Phone in program- One or two hosts sitting at the studio can invite phone calls from the listeners, usually on a single issue. There are many other radio formats that we can talk about, but this production toolkit focuses mainly on the ones that are highlighted: What is a Radio Drama? A Radio drama is a form of audio storytelling broadcast on . With no visual component, radio depends on , and to help the listener the story. Radio drama achieved widespread popularity within a decade of its initial development in the 1920s. By the 1940s, it was a leading international popular entertainment. With the advent of in the 1950s, however, radio drama lost some of its popularity, and in some countries, has never regained large audiences.What is a Radio Documentary? A radio documentary is a radio programme devoted to covering a particular topic in some depth, usually with a mixture of commentary and sound pictures. Some radio documentaries, especially those including specially composed music or other pieces of audio art, resemble radio drama in many ways; and it is sometimes called a docu-drama, 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. A radio documentary provides more creative freedom and investigation. It meets urgent interest in reality and the desire for any expression. The best Radio Documentaries capture in sound - a neglected and underestimated field - something of life, of the world, of its characters and situations, which cannot or may not be able to be heard elsewhere, or for that matter even depicted by other media. What is a Radio Live Show? A radio live show is a programme transmitted live by the broadcaster as it actually takes place, instead of being previously recorded and edited later. Live shows are always difficult but great to make because you do not have a second chance. It is live.Research Once you have an idea or a concept, it is always very important to do research. As a writer, it is your job to ensure you have the correct facts before you write. This avoids many problems in the future. Being accurate while showing your professionalism is what your reputation will be based on. Giving inaccurate information is detrimental to your career. One wrong piece of information and you will no longer be considered a credible reporter/writer. When it comes to writing any material, be it creative articles, essays, content writing for websites or even any type of paper, a thorough research on the topic in question is important if one has to produce an exemplary well put paper. Your information will be much more useful to the listeners if you have done your research. Giving the listener more information is great but only if you know what you are talking about. You may receive bad quality information if you only look up the subject on one web page. It takes much more work than this to get the quality information that you are seeking, It is advisable to rely on books and websites that offer professional advice rather than those of a hearsay. These often contain misinformation that can make your work appear to have been poorly executed. You cannot write about something that you don't know anything about. Writing on a subject that you have little or no knowledge about will destroy your reputation. Getting yourself involved in research teaches you something aboutthose things that you are unaware of. Therefore, research before writing is essential and quite useful as the information you will gather on the internet or in books, you will be sure it will be received as an informative, well done project by the client or by the people the content is intended for. While doing the research, you need to be skilful, use the right keywords in case and the right search engines. Then read the contents thoroughly to get the right insights on what you want and do not forget to make a draft of the key point you intend to use on your final copy. Writing is a very in-depth job. It requires a lot of knowledge and even more research. Finding information on something that isn’t general knowledge is what you are all about. If you cannot pass on information that can change something or help someone then you are not going to be an effective writer. If you keep your research up, you will be the most effective writer. Definitely do research before you write. Writing for the ear and creating pictures Although this will be discussed in the different production formats in the other chapters of this book, it should be stated that writing words to be listened to is very different from words that are to be seen on TV or read in newspapers. Your lay out of sentences, their order and construction has to be thought through in order to be totally clear and not confusing for people to listen to. Your story plays once and the listener doesn’t have the possibility of re-hearing something that has passed. It must make sense to the listener who is hearing it for the first time. And this places a special responsibility on whoever wants to become a radio writer. It doesn’t matter whether we are writing a 30-minute talk, a 30 second radio commercial or an insert in an interview, the basic rules of radio writing and the pitfalls need to be simply stated.Know who you are talking to The listener comes first. You must know who you are talking to, in other words you must know your target audience. Are you writing for a special audience - like children, adults only - or is it for the general, unspecified listener? In passing, it could be argued that there is no such thing as the ‘general listener’ since, for consumer research purposes, we are all categorised by one or more of a number of criteria. For example, socio-economic group, religion, race, age, gender, demographic location, social habit and so on. The style of radio productions and live shows are different from one another; others are pacey and others are more relaxed. The language will be different but will nevertheless be appropriate when you know and visualise who you are writing for. Write directly to the audience you are talking to and make sure you see them as you write. Write as you would be talking to them. Once you have done all of this you are now ready to put your script together. Studio production When people come to the studio to make programmes, make sure they have space and time to rehearse what they want to say. Also ensure they have some paper and pen so they can write down pointers and so on. The studio team can inform them about five minutes in advance so they can get prepared for their programme. First check their microphone level to see if it sounds good, or if there are pop sounds, or if two people are sharing a microphone, then ensure that both voices sound okay. The last thing you need to do is to make sure that you guide the people constantly through the program, give directions to come closer to the microphone, or move further away, etc. If it is a live studio based programme, make sure you explain the rules and regulations of the studio before they go live. This can avoid a lot of trouble later! Also, neverintimidate the listeners by putting up prohibitive signs like “Silence”, or forbidding rules and regulations. Always make the listeners feel welcome, and make them understand that it is their space. This way, they will feel like coming back to make more programmes. Using a field recorder, you can record voices of people outside the studio. Generally, you should keep some things in mind like standing with your back against the wind, guarding against pop sounds and pausing the recording while traffic passes you by. This is the preferred mode for programmes like documentaries, features or just vox-pops. In the case of an interview, make an appointment with the interviewee in advance and be on time for the interview. Inform the interviewer about the questions you are going to ask so he or she can mentally prepare for the interview. This will save time and effort on editing later! Also, make sure you note down all your questions before going to the interview. Although you may not stick to the exact questions, they will help provide a broad framework. When you are doing an interview on the field, find a quiet spot, make sure mobile phones are switched off (not silent mode because it can still interfere. Some field recorders are very sensitive). Introduce yourself to the interviewee, and explain why you want to do the interview and how it will help the radio station and the listeners. It always helps to informally chit chat with the interviewee for five to ten minutes before the interview begins so they are relaxed when the actual interview begins. Always ensure that the interviewee knows what this interview is going to be used for, and where and when it will be broadcast. This means, you should take the community’s/interviewee’s consent before using the recording.Also, please credit the community when you use their voices, unless of course you are making a program on a sensitive issue and they prefer anonymity. While meeting new people, it always helps to have a badge or some kind of identification which proves that you are in fact a producer for a certain radio station, especially when you want to speak to government officials, bureaucrats etc. Once the program is recorded, transfer it into the computer, through programs like Adobe audition, Soundscape, Dalet, Cool Edit etc, and cut out the unnecessary parts. Then add introductions and conclusions if necessary. Also add things like effects, music underlay ete depending on the format of the programme. Roles and responsibilities of a Radio Producer Radio producers are responsible for the audio content of broadcasts via radio, the internet and other mobile platforms. They are involved in the entire process, from generating ideas to managing the audience response after a programme. Producers manage and work with broadcasting assistants, presenters and DJs, engineers and IT staff. Radio producers may also be responsible for the business and commercial management of a programme. Producers may work in the publicly funded, commercial or voluntary sectors of broadcasting, Wherever they work, they are part of a digital revolution which is having a profound impact on the way in which radio is produced and accessed.Specific responsibilities Specific responsibilities vary from programme to programme and station to station, and producers may sometimes also take on the roles of presenters or reporters, but typical work activities include: Generating and researching ideas for programmes, getting them commissioned and contacting potential interviewees and contributors. Developing content, writing material for scripts, bulletins and links. Selecting music appropriate to the programme, the audience and the station. Producing pre-production briefings for presenters, reporters, technical staff and other contributors. Managing the logistics of getting people, resources and equipment together to the right place at the right time. Undertaking interviewing and reporting duties as necessary. Presenting or managing presenters for both pre- recorded and recorded output. Checking that copyrights are cleared and that output meets legal guidelines. Converting text, graphics, video and audio files into other formats. Contributing to and making use of an archive of audio resources which can be re-used. Producing and making use of user-generated content, for example Vox Pops; inserts and so on. Using technology, such as Adobe audition, Soundscape, Dalet, Cool Edit, and Protools etc, for editing and production purposes. Ensuring that health and safety standards and labour laws as containedin LRA, are met. And responding to audience feedback, referring on to other programme departments as necessary;Creativity v/s Business It is always the responsibility of a producer, whether he is self-employed or employed by any institution, to make sure that he saves costs and at the same time ensuring that he/she delivers a good quality product. Conditions Working hours may be long and unpredictable and typically include unsocial hours. Most radio personnel sometimes have to stay away from home overnight or for days. Producers are office or studio based staff but regularly travel to conduct interviews or work on live events. Producers may have to cover other roles, such as reporting and presenting, depending on the nature and scale of the production. In South Africa there is a limited number of radio producers and most of them are men. ‘The age profile in radio is older than in other media. Across the media, organisations are addressing diversity issues in an attempt to increase the proportion of under-represented groups in the workforce. The advent of digital radio and expansion of community radio has increased representation as. different ethnic groups set up their own stations. Working to tight deadlines and on live programmes can be pressurised but many people find compensation in the ‘buzz’ of a working environment where people are excited about what they do. Love it to be in it. Limited financial resources, particularly in non- commercial radio stations, may give rise to creative and production challenges. This is a very sociable and fairly informal working environment where your status is assessed by your last programme rather than what you wear to work.