Few will argue with the statement that NPR journalists know how to use audio, so it’s no surprise that when they’re producing audio slide shows, they focus on sounds before pictures. Producer Andrea Hsu has worked on multiple projects and developed her own technique. “I took photos of everything and then figured out what fit …
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Sometimes you’re just stuck conducting an interview by phone. Many of the same rules of interviewing apply, but if you want to use the audio for a story, you’ll need to handle some aspects of the the conversation a little differently. 1. First, be sure the person you’re interviewing knows you’re recording the conversation. In …
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I’ve always been a huge Robert Krulwich fan. His stories on NPR and ABC News break through the standard news blather thanks in part to his memorable delivery. Unlike so many reporters who tend to “announce” their scripts, Krulwich just talks, or at least that’s how it appears to the listener. But don’t be fooled. …
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So, how do you get more than 5 million people to watch your story? Take a look. 1. The content is compelling. Many people, including me, have entered into this debate and the student producer, Patrick Romero, used a simple point-counterpoint approach to shaping the story. 2. The audio is audible. If you read Advancing …
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For years, Soundslides has set the standard for audio slide shows, but it’s certainly not the only option. Andrew Lih, who teaches at USC, says he’s been using Final Cut Pro (FCP) to teach student journalists the same principles. He recently posted the following on the Facebook page for educators in the Online News Association: …
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Is your campus radio station threatened? A couple of high-profile cases lately have spotlighted what some college radio supporters call a trend of universities selling their FM licenses and moving their campus stations online. The most recent case involves Duquesne, which sold the license for WDUQ to a community radio station in Pittsburgh and laid …
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It’s one of the trickiest things about delivering a broadcast story: You have to practice sounding natural. Media consultant Joanne Stevens says on the RTDNA website that the trick is to think about “cognitive chunks.” According to Stevens, you should be deliver your copy as chunks of related information. Here are her examples: Example 1: …
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With all the new demands on TV reporters these days, who would have thought that going live over the phone would be a challenge? Turns out that it is, at least for Marissa Pendergrass, a reporter at WHBF in Rock Island, Illinois, who started work there about six months ago. Writing on the RTDNA Rookie …
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When you record narration for a multimedia story, do you sometimes hear yourself gasping between phrases or sentences? Those audible intakes of air can be a distraction for the audience and can also make you sound nervous, undercutting your credibility. What’s the solution? It depends in part on the cause. Some people only breathe audibly …
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A lot of the best writers in the broadcast news business come out of radio, says CBS’s Harvey Nagler, “because you need to think on your feet and write concisely.” Want some examples? CNN’s Candy Crowley, ABC’s Robert Krulwich and NBC’s Andrea Mitchell all started in radio. What they learned was how to write for …
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