Thank You for Listening

Ideally I would have loved to present this blog purely in audio form, however my severe lack of technical ability limits this over blogger. To be honest, coming into this lecture I expected some sort of sensory deprivation experiment showing the benefits of presenting from purely an audio standpoint, as such, I was surprised (perhaps let down) that it was just two interviews with radio presenters – albeit very insightful interviews (especially the one done by my tutor Carmel – ace job for sure!).

During the course of this lecture, the main things discussed were the differences between radio and other forms of media, as well as the optimal way to get the most out of your interview source.

With radio, the audience is usually listening to it in the background while multi-tasking or alternatively to stay up-to-date in a relaxing manner. Unlike other media forms, radio seems to be very personalised; almost as if the interview or discussion topic being presented is directed at the listener. As such, the radio content shouldn’t be about what the presenter wants to talk about, it’s what the audience wants to hear, with the presenter merely a facilitator between the audience and the guest on the radio show.

The most important part of radio, like most other forms of media, is the pre-production. There are no images or visual stimulants to detract attention when the conversation dries up so the interviewer must know what ask and how to get his subject to open up and respond – to me this sounds a lot easier said than done! This comes down to making the subject feel safe and comfortable, or alternatively on talk back radio, posing simple questions to evoke a response from the audience.

As was heard in the lecture, people don’t necessarily just want facts and rationality, they want emotion. Sensory deprivation allows us to interpret the subtleties in the human voice; we can connect with the emotions of someone we’re listening to and even interpret dishonesty simply through the radio – and when that fails, silence can be more powerful than words in any situation.

Contrary to what I thought, radio is doing fairly well compared to most other traditional media forms. With increases in podcasts and social networking, radio is still a force to be reckoned with in the growing pool of information sources. Is radio something I want to get into? Probably not – no one wants to hear my watered-down American accent for longer than they have to!