UNIT-2

PROGRAMME FORMATS

RADIO ANNOUNCEMENT & LINKS –

When you read a popular magazine, you will come across various things. There will be an
attractive cover, advertisements of different products, stories or articles on issues ranging
from politics to sports and cinema, interviews and other features.

Similarly, a radio station also broadcasts programmes of different types. Think of the
different types of programmes you have heard on radio. You would probably remember film
songs, phone in programmes, talks, discussions, news, cricket commentaries etc. These
different types of programmes are called formats. Most of what is spoken on radio is written
down. What is written for radio is heard and is referred to as ‘spoken word’ as against the
‘written word’. But the spoken words on radio are written down or what is generally called
‘scripted’.
A Radio format can be split into three parts: They are:-
(a) Spoken Word or Human Voice
(b) Music
(c) Sound Effects

These are specifically written clear messages to inform. They can be of different types. For
example station/programme identification. These mention the station you are tuned into, the
frequency, the time and the programme/song you are going to listen to. As mentioned already
you find in today’s commercial radio channels, these announcements have become informal
and resemble ordinary conversation.
A radio announcer provides relevant information about a particular programme such as its
topic or title, format and name(s) of the participant(s) before and after the broadcast. These
are opening and closing announcements which are the most basic of the radio
announcements. Besides announcements about programmes, the identity announcements of
the station/channel are also repeatedly given so that listeners know which station they are
tuned into. Radio announcers keep on telling time also and these are called time-check
(sometimes with scheduled commercials). Many other announcements of public utility such
as information about road traffic, train timings etc. are also made regularly.
Compering is a format which can be deemed as informal announcements. Its basic function is
that of announcements only but it is done in a more friendly, natural and intimate manner.
Earlier, this was confined mostly to special audience programmes such as programmes for
women, children, rural audience, youth, industrial workers, etc. but now often the preference
is for announcements to be done in compering style. Compering now has many popular
styles. The term radio jockey or RJ has caught on in a big way. It has its genesis in the term
‘disc jockey’ or DJ which meant a person playing music records with some interesting
chatter. Sometimes, somewhat serious subjects too are moderated in chat shows by the
presenters. This is called ‘anchoring’
This is straight information given to individual listeners or group of listeners. Programme
summary, slogans, weather reports and outlook, railway time, government plans and policies
etc. are covered under announcements. These announcements are re-drafted from the original
texts received for better comprehension. Announcement is specifically written clear messages
to inform. They can be of different types. For example station/programme identification.
These programmes mention the station you are tuned into, the frequency, the time and the
programme/song you are going to listen to. These days, these announcements have become
informal and resemble ordinary conversations. There can be more than one presenter in some
programmes like magazines. “The art of announcement is not the art of speaking. It is the art
of talking”. Radio announcements are also spoken at the beginning and end of a programme.
Public Service Announcements are an example of radio announcements.

Sample of Opening Announcement

Opening Announcement for a Cricket Match: “This is All India Radio. This is the Delhi
Station of All India Radio.
We now take you over to Rose Bowl Stadium, Southampton, England for the live broadcast
of the first day’s play of Fourth Cricket Test Match being played between India and England.
Our Commentators are Praksh Wakantkar and Dr. Milind Tipnis in English & Vineet Garg
and Dileep joshi in Hindi.
Our Scorer is Jatin Sood and Statistician M. Venkat Balreddy. Over to Commentary Team

Sample of Closing Announcement:- Closing Announcement for a Cricket Match:

“You had been listening to the live commentary of the Fourth Cricket Test match being
played between India and England at Rose Bowl Stadium, Southampton, England.
Our Commentators were Praksh Wakantkar and Dr. Milind Tipnis in English & Vineet Garg
and Dileep joshi in Hindi.
Our Scorer was Jatin Sood and Statistician M. Venkat Balreddy.
May we remind our listeners that All India Radio will broadcast the live commentary of the
second day’s play of Fourth Cricket Test match being played between India and England at
Rose Bowl Stadium, Southampton, England tomorrow from 3:15 pm onwards on the same
frequencies.

This broadcast came to you from the Delhi Station of All India Radio.”
Public Service Announcement (PSA)

Radio, more than any other medium of mass communication reaches more than 95% of the
public and hence its use in making PSA is more effective than that of newspapers and
television.
If PSAs are carefully and precisely worded for broadcast over the radio medium, they are
likely to reach a large segment of our population and to be equally well understood by it.
Communications which urge its audience to implement or support some kind of social or
economic cause deemed beneficial by the consensus of the general public is Public Service
Advertising.
We can look at the theme from three aspects-regular PSA, current PSA and Public Service
Campaign.
They all deal with affairs related to our daily living, social issues and information on essential
matters.
Over the radio, these PSAs reach out to all segments of society all over the country.

For the PSAs to make an impact on the listeners and for them to be effective, the time of
broadcast, and its duration are of considerable importance and the message has to be precise
and in unambiguous terms.

Regular PSA: While preparing the text for such announcements, care is to be taken to provide
correct information and details so as to leave no doubt in the minds of the listeners. For
Instance- Employment News, Weather bulletin, Market rates/ Bazaar rates, Announcement of
new policies, programmes and proposals on important days. Book reviews, Highlights of the
day's broadcast programmes.

Current PSA: On the Radio, there are specific times allotted to such PSAs.
Usually these announcements are sandwiched between two programmes i.e., at the
conclusion of a programme and before the commencement of the next programme.
Under this category, information and announcements relating to basic daily amenities are
given:
Water supply at low pressure in certain areas,
Warning about weather-floods/storm/ hurricane/ Earthquake etc.
Latest sports results,
Blood donation for a patient in need in a hospital.
Public Service Announcements / Campaigns: This does not provide information, but
is more in the nature of persuasion.
The aim is to make the listeners aware of certain basic issues and principles
Governing the health and welfare of the society.
For example, given below are a few of such PSAs:
Use/ Waste of water
Observation of traffic rules
Blood donation
Eye donation
Family welfare
Health and Environment
Wild Life
Scripting a PSA - The following points are to be borne when preparing the announcement:
Easy language simple and direct sentences
Precise and clear diction
A certain degree of friendly appeal without being casual and informal
While writing slogans, the following points have to be kept in mind:
Extreme precision
Clarity of expression
Appeal to emotion
Friendly intimacy
https://www.scribd.com/presentation/120432154/Public-Service-Announcement-PSA
 RADIO TALK

Radio talk can be called as the basic format of the radio spoken word programmes. It is
almost the same as an article or essay in written word. The person presenting a talk is called a
talker. Talk is generally a systematic as well as lucid exposition on a given subject or topic,
which can concern a large number of fields such as current affairs, culture, history, economy,
environment and ecology, development activities, legal and legislative matters, etc. Earlier
AIR used to have a kind of standard time duration of 10 to 15 minutes for its talks.

As our pace of life has increased, the patience, attention span of the audience, particularly the
younger segment has been reduced and hence now the general trend is for shorter duration
radio talks. Moreover interviews and dialogues are now preferred over straight single voice
talks.

Tips for presenting a Radio Talk

The words of a radio talk need to be kept simple and familiar, yet descriptive and
powerful.

Care should be taken to keep close to the rhythm of ordinary speech when writing the talk,
and also when recording it.

All that the listener expects from them is that they should be interesting and informative.

Speak in a moderate tone

Listen as carefully as you speak

Be yourself

Keep your message simple and repeat it often

Avoid long pauses

Find out what topics and subjects are current, newsworthy & topical

Avoid jargon and specialized language.

RADIO INTERVIEW AND DISCUSSION

In the media, is it the newspaper, magazine, radio or television, journalist’s use this technique
of asking questions to get information. There can be different types of interviews in terms of
their duration, content and purpose.

Firstly, there are full-fledged interview programmes. The duration of these may vary from
10 minutes to 30 minutes or even 60 minutes depending up on the topic, and the person being
interviewed. Most of such interviews are personality based long interviews with well-known
people in the field of public life, literature, science, sports, films etc.

Secondly, there are interviews which are used in various radio programmes like
documentaries. Here the interviews are short, questions specific and not many. The purpose
is to get a very brief, to the point answer.
Thirdly there are a lot of interviews or interview based programmes in news and current
affairs programmes. With phone-in-programmes becoming popular, you might have heard
live interviews with listeners. These interviews have been made interactive.

There is another type of interview based programme. Here generally just one or two
questions are put across to ordinary people or people with knowledge on some current topic
to measure public opinion. For example the railway budget is presented in the parliament,
people representing radio go out and ask the general public about their opinion. Their names
and identity may not be asked. Such programmes are called ‘vox pop’ which is a Latin phrase
meaning ‘voice of people’.

The interview – an exchange between a journalist or presenter and a source of information is

a difficult art.
It requires good preparation, knowledge of technique, heightened people skills, in other
words paying attention to others.
The aim of an interview is to provide, in the interviewee’s own words, facts, reasons or
opinions on a particular topic so that the listener can form a conclusion as to the validity of
what he or she is saying.
This format is to elicit cream from expert or knowledgeable personalities, public figures
whose views and actions affect societal behaviour or development.
In a radio interview the important thing is to encourage the person that you have chosen to
interview to give interesting answers.
A radio interview is always intended for a third party, i.e. the invisible audience.
There can be different types of interviews in terms of their duration, content and purpose.
Personality based Interview: Firstly, there are full-fledged interview programmes.
The duration of these may vary from 10 minutes to 30 minutes or even 60 minutes depending
up on the topic, and the person being interviewed.
Most of such interviews are personality based.
These are long interviews with well-known people in the field of public life, literature,
science, sports, films etc.

Vox Pop: Vox pop’ which is a Latin phrase meaning ‘voice of people’.

Here generally just one or two questions are put across to ordinary people or people
with knowledge on some current topic to measure public opinion.
Interviewee or people’s names and identity may not be asked.
 For example when the general budget or the railway budget is presented in the
parliament, people representing radios go out and ask the general public about their
opinion.
You have to be very inquisitive and hard working to be a radio interviewer with good
general awareness and communication skills.

Informational interview: The purpose of this kind of interview is to impart information to

the listener. The sequence in which this is done becomes important if the details are to be
clear.

There may be considerable discussion beforehand to clarify what information is required and
to allow time for the interviewee to recall or check any statistics.

Topics for this kind of interview include: the action surrounding a military operation, the
events and decisions made at a union meeting, or the proposals contained in the cities newly
announced development plan.

The interpretative interview has the interviewer supplying the facts and asking the
interviewee either to comment on them or to explain them.

The aim is to expose the reasoning behind decisions and allow the listener to make a
judgement on the implicit sense of values or priorities.

Replies to questions will almost certainly contain statements in justification of a particular

course of action which should themselves also be questioned.

The interviewer must be well briefed, alert and attentive to pick up and challenge the
opinions expressed.

The essential point is that the interviewer is not asking for the facts of the matter, since these
will be generally known; rather he or she is investigating the interviewee’s reaction to the
facts.

Examples in this category would be a government minister on the reasons for an already
published economic policy, why the local council has decided on a particular route for a new
road, or views of the priest on proposals to amend the divorce laws.

Emotional interview: The aim of the emotional interview is to provide an insight into the
interviewee’s state of mind so that the listener may better understand what is involved in
human terms.
There is praise and acclaim for asking the right question at the right time in order to
illuminate a matter of public interest, even whenthe event itself is tragic.

Specific examples would be the feelings of relatives of people trapped in the trash of an
earthquake, the excitement surrounding the moment of supreme achievement for an athlete or
successful entertainer, or the anger felt by people involved in an industrial dispute

Documentary based Interview: These different categories of interview are likely to come
together in preparing material for a documentary or feature.
First, the facts, background information or sequence of events; then, the interpretation,
meaning or implication of the facts; finally, their effect on people, a personal reaction to the
issue.
The documentary interview with, for example, a retired politician will take time but should be
as absorbing for the interviewer as it will be for the listener.
The process of recalling history should surprise, it should throw new light on events and
people, and reveal the character of the person.
Each interview is different but two principles remain for the interviewer – listen hard and
keep asking ‘why?’

Tips for conducting an Interview

The technical aspects must be constantly monitored.
The aims of the interview must always be kept in mind.
The supplementary question – it is vital that the interviewer is not as preoccupied with the
next question as to fail to listen to what the interviewee is saying.
The timing of the interview must be strictly adhered to. This is true whether the interview
is to be of half an hour or two minutes.
To obtain sufficient briefing and background information on the subject and the
interviewee.
To have a detailed knowledge of what the interview should achieve, and at what length.
To know what the key questions are.
By anticipating likely responses, to have ready a range of supplementary questions.
Know the guest before his arrival and ensure the topic and area of interest.
Do not submit question in advance but discuss the area of question with the guest
Make the guest feel at home
Do not pre-interview the guest to keep intact spontaneity
Never refer conversation held before recording
Do not interrupt with meaningless comments
Avoid questions that invite ‘yes’, ‘no’ answers

RADIO DISCUSSION

In radio, is used this technique to let people have different points of view on matters of public
concern. Radio discussions are produced when there are social or economic issues which may
be controversial. So when different experts meet and discuss such issues, people understand
various points of view. Generally, these discussions on radio are of longer duration-say 15 to
30 minutes.
Two or three people who are known for their views and a well-informed senior person or
journalist who acts as a moderator take part and discuss a particular topic for about 30
minutes. The moderator conducts the discussion, introduces the topic and the participants and
ensures that everyone gets enough time to speak and all issues are discussed.

The topic for a broadcast debate should be a matter in which there is genuine public
interest or concern.
The aim is for the listener to hear argument and counter-argument expressed in
conversational form by people actually holding those views with conviction.
The broadcaster can then remain independent.

Tips for conducting a Radio Discussion:-

Introduce the topic briefly and comprehensively
Clarify the focus of the discussion
Introduce the participants and clarify why they are eligible to speak on the issue
Present a question or statement
Choose a participant to respond to it
Go round the table to make sure that everybody gets a chance to speak
Bring together differing points of view in interesting juxtapositions
 Encourage the participants to speak by being interested.
The subject must be researched and the essential background information gathered and
checked.
Accepting the existence of an opposite view and logically explaining why you believe it
to be wrong is one of the best ways of sounding convincing on radio
The moderator should have everyone’s name, and his or her designation, written down so
as to be clearly visible – it is amazing how easy it is for one’s mind to go blank, even
when you know someone well.
After having an opinion strongly expressed, that speaker should not be allowed to continue
for too long before another view of the matter is introduced.
The moderator must obtain clarification of any technical jargon or specialist language
which a contributor may use.
The chairman has to watch for, and correct, alterations in the balance of voices that was
obtained before the programme began.
It is rarely desirable for the chairman to attempt a summing-up.
If a summary is required, it is often better to invite each speaker to have a ‘last word’.

NEWS: Among all the spoken word formats on radio, news is the most popular. News
bulletins and news programmes are broadcast every hour by radio stations. In India, only All
India Radio is allowed to broadcast news. Duration of news bulletins vary from 5 minute to
30 minutes. The longer news bulletins have interviews, features, reviews and comments from
experts.

Radio is identified as the fastest medium for getting information. There are manylisteners
who start the day with listening morning news bulletin. Radio News is basically a spoken-
word item. Radio News is different from a newspaper ortelevision news. The reader of a
newspaper can select news items of his/herchoice, which is not possible with radio news.
Moreover, one can leave a story andgo back to the previous one, which again is not possible
with radio news. Althoughthe radio news is written in advance, it is 'presented' and not 'read'.
Radio is amedium of voice-to-ear, not news-to-eye as in newspapers. Radio news ispresented
in different formats, viz., News Bulletin, News Magazine, Newsreel etc.

Concept of News - Several newspapers, editors, news reporters, eminent journalists and
many mediaeducators have attempted to define news, but these definitions have not
alwaysmet the test of the time.

Generally speaking, news is anything that is new. News is a report of an event thathas just
taken place. News is a detailed account that provides information ordescription. It could also
include depiction (representation), delineation(description), statement (announcement,
declaration), and narration of adevelopment, event, or occurrence (incidents, happenings).
The event is usuallyrecent, fresh or not known earlier. News is something that at a particular
momenthappens to attract and hold the interest of the reader, or listener or viewer.

According to George Hough of the University of Georgia, U.S.A. - News is both a product
and point of view. As a product, news is gathered, processed and packaged. Newspapers,
news services, news magazines, radio, television andcable station and networks then present
news to their respective audiences. A former managing editor of the New York Times, Turner
Cateledge described news as “Anything you can find out today that you didn’t know before.”

In modern times, newspersons and media personalities are likely to define news interms of
what people, readers, listeners, viewers want to know.These definitions can be summed up as:
“News is anything that is timely and significant to audience in respect of their
personal affairs or their relation to society and the best news is that whichpossesses the
greatest degree of this interest and significance for the greatestnumber."Definition of News
for radio depends on -

The scope of listeners

The periodicity of Broadcast (Usually AIR broadcasts news hourly)
The social character and economic base of the listeners
The focus of attention or emphasis of the listeners.

Hence, the News is -

Perishable (Which news is new at the moment but next moment it will old)
Is of interest to a large number of people;
Of unusual events and happenings;
What is new to the public; and
An event put forward by a reporter, as without a reporter, a news item doesnot exist.

Qualities of News - There are some basic qualities of the news. These are accuracy,
balance,objectivity, and clarity.

Accuracy: - Accuracy is basic to any news item. When you fail in accuracy,you lose
credibility. Hence it is important to cross check your facts andinformation. Check figures,
names and facts. Check how names are spelt.Did you get your first name correct? People
are generally offended bywrongly spelt names. If you are paraphrasing a speech from a
text given toyou, make sure you do not change the meaning or quote statements out
ofcontext. Rumours and speculation need to be avoided at all costs.Sensitization of news
must be avoided.

Balance:- To be balanced in reporting is as important as being accurate. Ifyou are writing

about a controversy, give both sides of the story. Whenreporting a strike, for instance, give
the claim of authorities and also that ofthe workers on how far it is successful. A story may
appear to be imbalancedand thus biased, if it has too much of Government's views, or
tends to give,too much foreign news which has little relevance to your listeners.

Objectivity:- You should not mix your opinion in the story. Report only factsand
other people's opinions. You should be a disinterested observer, There are just as many
definitions .of news as there are books and scholars on journalism. Same is the case with
the definition of radio news. However all of them emphasize different aspects of the
subject. There is something to learn from each one of them. Starting from the common
phrase ‘when a dog bites a man it is not a news; when a man bites a dog, it is a news’ we
can go through dictionaries and encyclopedias to know as many definitions. In the present
day world news can also be an account of an idea or a precise description of a problem.
News is current information. But news can also be made out of the indications of what
may happen in the near future. reporting events without taking sides. News must be
presented objectivelyin an unbiased manner and it should not be allied to any selfish
interest.

Clarity: A story must be best in the way it expresses the theme. Yourintroductory sentence
should be short and in active voice to the maximumextent possible. The ideal length of
each paragraph may be 3-4 linescontaining two-three small sentences to facilitate easy
comprehension.

Conciseness:-A news story must be concise. It should not beunnecessarily lengthy. Where
unnecessary details are to be avoided,unnecessary wording must also be pruned out.
Verbosity always kills thepurpose and this is brevity that is unanimously agreed upon to be
the soulof intelligence. Wordy expressions and unnecessary repetition must beavoided.
One-word substitution saves the the space and time, both.
 Comprehensiveness:- It means that complete by all regards and aspects. A news item is
considered comprehensive only when it answers the everypossible question that may arise
in the minds of listeners. As a generalprincipal to make a news story comprehensive and
complete five Ws andone H (what, when, where, why, who and How) are to be satisfied.

Cohesiveness- When we talk of an order, a kind of symmetry, a well-knit,well-planned,

well organized and even end-product, is actually talked ofcohesiveness. It means that the
order of the details to be put in a newsitems must be in proper order. Symmetry suggests
beauty and it must beself-evident in the construction of the news story. Asymmetry mars
thebeauty and the listener does not go on with the bulletin smoothly andcomfortably. It
must not be jumpy and uneven.

Interesting:- The news story, especially to be broadcast on radio, must bepresented in

such a way that the listener may not get bored. It is quite adifficult task to be managed
when it comes to writing and presenting newsbulletin since news is something that can
never drift away from theprincipals of accuracy and objectivity. What we actually mean by
makingnews bulletin interesting is the reading effect in the tone and style must beavoided
by the newscaster and spoken language is to be employed whichwriting the lines of any
news item.

Types of News Story -Broadly speaking all news items can be categorized under four heads.
They are:

1) General types

2) Simple types

3) Complex types

4) Special types

1) General Types- The following are the news stories which are treated asgeneral types:

i. Personals: These are the news stories about important persons of a society about whom
people want to know. These figures could be from politics,showbiz, sports, or from any walk
of life. The near and dear onesof these celebrities also make news. For instance,

Any minister is admitted to hospital.

Minister visits any market.
Prime minister's mother gets ill.
Minister's son gets married.
Any important figure's near one passes away.
Names of visitors, guests, committee members, conventions.

ii. Briefs- These are short news stories not pertaining to persons but they are related to
different organizations, non-government organizations, associations,trusts, clubs etc. Policy
or progress announcements/ statements of differentgovernment or non-government
organizations or departments etc.

iii. Meetings: News regarding different meetings held or to be hold at differentlevels are to
be covered.

iv. Events: These events may be fairs, or festivals, or exhibition of pictures of arenowned
photographer or of portraits made by an eminent painter orhandicrafts. These events are the
social and cultural activities in any societyand deserve to be covered or to be made a part of a
news bulletin.

v. Speeches: Speeches of leading politicians, religious leaders, any department’s chairman,

minister, prime minister, president are to be covered and givenspace and place according
to their respective importance.

vi. Publications: News pertaining to different publications is also covered if again,they

deserve to be a part of a news bulletin in terms of the eminence of their author and the
importance of the subject matter. The publication may be article,book, or research paper.

vii. Interviews: Important interviews, if revealing anything important that may affector
interest a handsome number of people are also included in news bulletin,especially if the
interview is on any current issue. Some important kinds of interview are –

Personality interviews, Informative interviews,Opinion forming interviews, Illustrative

interviews, Thematic interviews.

2) Simple Types:- These are the news items which require a reporter to be bit interpretative
whilewriting the story. It implies that these stories need a little more interpretation
andexplanation about the personality or accident or incident. The story pertains to
thefollowing are the simple types of news stories.

1. Illness: This news is about the illness of a personality who is enjoyingprominence in a

society. Since the rapid and extensive emergence and growthof media has shrunk the whole
world into a village, some personalities are blessed with worldwide prominence and
importance. While covering the storiesof illness, following points must be given importance.
Name & identification of the person who is ill
Cause of illness
Nature of illness
Condition (fair, serious, critical)
Name of hospital ("local hospital" if private)

2. Death: Following are the essentials of death stories to be covered carefully:

Name and identification of the person died
Age of the person at the time of his death
Place of death
The Time and Date the person died
Cause of death

3. Funeral: Stories about the funeral of any person may be the Follow-up of deathstory of the
same person but not always. The following are the essentials of adeath story to be covered:
Time and date when the funeral ceremony is to be performed
Place of burial
Pallbearers

4. Fires & Accidents: The essentials of the stories of fires and accidents are asunder:
Place where the fire or accident took place,
Causalities
Injured persons
Damages to property
Escapes (experiences of escapes)

5. Crime Stories: No such society exists on earth that is free from crimes. So tokeep people
informed, the coverage of crime stories is very important. The typeof crimes may be the
suicide, murder, kidnap, burglary, robbery, forgery,contempt of court, conspiracy, gambling,
drug trafficking, smuggling, disturbingpeace (riots), rape,
 6. Weather News: In routine weather news items, following areas are covered:
Temperature (highest and lowest)
Humidity
Rain or Sun

Sometimes the weather may become the lead story or one of the major storiesof the day. The
weather aftereffects do not disappear with dawn or dusk, so incase the weather story is the
most important or one of the important news itemsin a news bulletin, its follow up story goes
on and on until the repercussions ofthe story get diminished. The story about the weather will
be treated as specialnews item if: The weather results in disaster; floods, hurricanes,
tornadoes,droughts, dust storms, thunder & lightening, blizzards (snowstorm), or
otherweather oddities which cause deaths or serious damages. There are suddenchanges, cold
waves, early snows, heavy rains or other out of the ordinary conditions. Previous records are
broken, like, highest ever or lowest evertemperature, quantity of rainfalls breaking the
previous records. The affect ofbad weather on crops and drought is expected, it will be news.

3) Complex News - These are, as a matter of fact, stories which involve complexities of the
nature ofthe beat, of the language that is to be employed while penning down the news
item,of the jargons which are frequently used in the writings or in the conversation aboutthe
field.These are the news stories which demand reporter's special knowledge about the beat he
is covering. The reporter covering this type of stories must be well versedin the basic
knowledge about the beat. Actually this is where comes upinterpretative reporting to facilitate
people with back and foreground of the eventcovered by the reporter so that they may not
find any lack or ambiguity whilelistening to the news item.

The following are the essentials to be made a part of complex news items by areporter:

Reporter must incorporate extra explanation in the news item.

Technical vocabulary is to be made easy.
Expert knowledge of the reporter about the beat must be evident from thecoverage of the
event like –
I. Court, Trials, Law-suits: Court stories are considered among the most difficult and
challenging stories to report since they involve complexityof legal process. The reporting
of a trial especially when it is underhearing in any court is a pretty sensitive task.
II. Government & Policies:- News stories regarding different department and organ of
government is pretty important.
III. Business & Commerce News: Stories pertaining to business andcommerce also demand a
reporter to equip him with special knowledgeof terms, jargons and economic trends of
business and commercesphere.
IV. Science and Technology: Stories regarding science and technologydemand a reporter to
make special terms easy for listeners.
V. Education: While covering education related news items a reportermust keep following
points in his mind i.e. govt.'s policy on education,change in syllabus, exams of different
classes, results, interviews oftoppers and policy makers
VI. Religion: Reporter covering news items regarding religion needs tohave the adequate
knowledge about the beliefs and traditions ofreligion.

4) Special News - The emergence of so many radio channels has created an atmosphere
ofcompetition and in this competitive era listeners demand more than just what istermed as
hard news. A quality news bulletin is the one that contains as manysegments as it can. The
segment contains something to tell listeners about entertainment, engagement & wedding of
celebrities, life style, fashion, family,foods, social events, sports, art & literature etc.
 RADIO FEATURE AND DOCUMENTARY

Radio feature & documentary is a format unique to the radio. It involves creating a collage of
different sounds with the intent to present a subject in a more effective and comprehensive
manner. It allows us the freedom and the choice to put to use many radio techniques and
styles to suit the requirements of the subject. For instance, issues concerning the climate
change, could be portrayed through a talk an interview or a discussion or even a radio play.
But, for making a radio feature on this very theme one can have sound excerpts of
appropriate concerned people, suitable sound effects and also musical interludes. All these
components are strung together with an evocative narration script to make the presentation
much more effective. Radio feature thus holds a place of eminence amongst the most creative
radio formats with countless possibilities. Radio features have further many distinctive
categories such as musical feature, docu-drama etc.
One of the most popular and respected category is radio documentary which has authentic
documentation on the subject with emphasis on real facts illustrated with actuality sounds of
a varied nature. The difference between Feature and documatary is that documentary has to
have actuality sounds/interviews/ statement whereas the feature can totally be produced in
studio with facts presented in an interesting manner with sound effects, music and narration.
Radio also has this format. Unlike documentary films, radio documentaries have only sound
– i.e. the human voice, music and sound effects. So a radio documentary is a programme
based on real sounds and real people and their views and experiences. Radio documentaries
are based on facts presented in an attractive manner or dramatically. Radio documentaries are
radio’s own creative format. The producer of a documentary needs to be very creative to use
human voice, script, music and sound effects very effectively. Radio documentaries are also
called radio features.

Radio Feature-An Introduction

The feature programme is not fully true in the factual sense, it may include folk song, poetry
or fictional drama to help illustrate its theme.
The feature is a very free form where the emphasis is often on portraying rather more in
definable human qualities, atmosphere or mood.
Here all possible radio forms meet: poetry, music, voices, sounds – the weird and the
wonderful.
They combine in an attempt to inform, to move, to entertain or to inspire the listener.
The ingredients may be interview or vox pop, drama or discussion, and the sum total can be
fact or fantasy.
A former Head of BBC Features Department, Laurence Gilliam, described the feature
programme as ‘a combination of the authenticity of the talk with the dramatic force of a play,
but unlike the play, whose business is to create dramatic illusion for its own sake, the
business of the feature is to convince the listener of the truth of what it is saying, even though
it is saying it in dramatic form’.
Even when all the source material is authentic and factually correct, the strength of the
feature lies more in its impact on the imagination than in its intellectual truth.
The feature deals not so much with issues but with events, and at its centre is the ancient art
of telling a story.
The work centres on the writing of the script – a strong storyline, clear visual images, the
unfolding of a sequence of events with the skill of the dramatist, the handling of known facts
but still with a feeling of suspense.
Types of Features
There are mainly two types of features: narrative features and dramatized features.

Narrative Feature: In Narrative Features, the thread of narration runs through the entire
programme in which dialogues are avoided.
It includes extracts from a variety of sources including books, memoirs, reports,
dispatches, library recording etc.
Biographical features belong to this genre.
A narrative feature is possible on any subject in which the producer can access material
recorded or printed and create a word picture, through appropriate use of the accessed
material and suitable narration.

Dramatized Feature: It has the characteristics of drama but unlike plays which deal with
fiction, it aims at imaginative presentation of the facts.
To quote Elwyin Evans, a well- known feature producer of the BBC "Invented dialogues in
the mouth of invented characters sometimes express the essence of a human situation better
than any words one can dig out of real people".
A dramatized feature is not merely a talk script read by three or four voices but there is
emphasis on dialogues and presentation by drama voices.

Steps involved in production of a Radio

Feature

Planning

Research

Script

Collection of material

Assembly

Final editing

Radio Documentary- A documentary programme is wholly fact, based on documentary

evidence – written records, attribute able sources, contemporary interviews and the like.
Its purpose is essentially to inform, to present a story or situation with a total regard for
honest, balanced reporting.
Other types of documentary deal with a single person, activity or event – the discovery of
radium, the life of a notable figure, or the work of a particular factory, theatre group or
school.
Essentially these are all to do with people, and while statistical and historical fact is
important, the crucial element is the human one – to underline motivation and help the
listener understand the prevailing social climate, why certain decisions were made and what
makes people ‘tick’.
The main advantage of the documentary approach over that of the straightforward talk is that
the subject is made more interesting and brought alive by involving more people, more voices
and a greater range of treatment.
It should entertain while it informs, and as it illuminates provoke further thought and concern.
Types of Documentary

Radio Documentary is generally of two types; Informative and Investigative.

Informative Documentary: It can be on any subject or theme, person, event, activity or

institution undertaken to widen the horizon of the listeners.
It tries to involve the audience both emotionally as well as intellectually by presenting a wide
spectrum of information.
The subject can be an eminent freedom fighter, AIDS awareness, a research institute or the
discovery of insulin etc.

Investigative Documentary: As the title itself suggests, Investigative Documentary

investigates some issues.
It takes up special problems like street children, bride burning, drug addiction, corruption in
public life, bogus universities etc.

Steps of making a Documentary

Planning

Research

Structure

Collecting the material

Impression and truth

Music

Compilation

Programme sequence

The ending

Contributors
 RADIO COMMENTARY –

If you can’t go to see a football or cricket match in a stadium, you may watch it on television.
But for that you have to be at home or at some place where there is a television. But if you
are travelling or outside, then you may listen to radio for a running commentary of the match.
A commentator would give you all the details of the match such as the number of players, the
score, position of the players in the field etc. So by listening to the running commentary, you
get a feeling of being in the stadium and watching the match. The commentator needs good
communication skills, a good voice and knowledge about what is going on. Running
commentaries on radio can be on various sports events or on ceremonial occasions like the
Republic Day Parade or events like festivals, melas, rath yatras, swearing in ceremony of
ministers, last journey (funeral procession) of national leaders etc. Today radio running
commentaries especially of cricket and other sports can be heard on your mobile phones.

Radio has a marvellous facility for creating pictures in the listener’s mind.

It is more flexible than television in that it is possible to isolate a tiny detail without
waiting for the camera to ‘zoom in’ and it can create a breadth of vision much larger than
the dimensions of a glass screen.

The aim of the radio commentator is therefore to recreate in the listener’s mind not simply
a picture but a total impression of the occasion.

This is done in three distinct ways:

The words used will be visually descriptive of the scene.
The speed and style of their delivery will underline the emotional mood of the event.
Additional ‘effects’ microphones will reinforce the sounds of the action, or the public
reaction to it.

A commentator would give you all the details of the match such as the number of players,
the score, and position of the players in the field etc.
So by listening to the running commentary, you get a feeling of being in the stadium and
watching the match.
The commentator needs good communication skills, a good voice and knowledge about
what is going on.
Running commentaries on radio can be on various sports events or on ceremonial
occasions like the Republic Day Parade or events like festivals, melas, rath yatras,
swearing in ceremony of ministers, last journey (funeral procession) of national leaders
etc.
Today radio running commentaries especially of cricket and other sports can be heard on
your mobile phones
Tips for Radio Commentary
A commentator should describe the following things:
Width: describe left to right
Height: describe bottom to top
Depth: describe near to far

Keep going if you can. A sense of shock is understandable, but don’t be so easily deterred
by something unusual that you hand back to the studio.

Even if your commentary is not broadcast ‘live’ it could be crucial for later news coverage.

There’s no need to be ashamed of your own emotions.

Don’t put your own life, or the lives of others, in unnecessary danger.

Don’t dwell on individual anguish or grief. Keep a reasonably ‘wide angle’ and put what is
happening in context.

Let the sounds speak for themselves.

Don’t feel you have to keep talking, there is much value in letting your listener hear the
actuality – gunfire, explosions, crowd noise, shouts.

Don’t jump too swiftly to conclusions as to causes and responsibility.

Above all, arrive at a station policy for this sort of coverage well before any such event
takes place. Get the subject on the agenda in order to agree emergency procedures.

Things to remember before the event

The official programme of events with details of timing, etc.

The background of the people taking part, their titles, medals and decorations, position,
relevant history, military uniforms, other clothing, personal anecdotes – for the unseen as
well as the seen, e.g. organizers, bandmasters, security people, caretakers, etc.
The history of where it’s taking place, the buildings and streets, and their architectural
detail.
The names of the flowers used for decoration, the trees, flags, badges, mottoes and
symbols in the area.
The names of any horses or make of vehicles being used.
The titles of music to be played or sung, and any special association it may have with the
people and the place.
Commentator’s Microphone

The lip microphone: The microphone has excellent noise-cancellation properties,

which makes it ideal for commentary situations.

The mouth guard is held against the broadcaster’s lip while the microphone is in use.

There is a bass cut in the handle to compensate for the bass lift that results from
working close to a ribbon microphone.
 RADIO PLAY/DRAMA

A Radio drama or a radio play is like any other play staged in a theatre or a hall. The only
difference is that while a stage play has actors, stage, sets, curtains, properties movement and
live action, a radio play has only 3 components. They are the human voice, music and sound
effects. Radio of course uses its greatest strength for producing radio plays and that is the
power of imagination and suggestively.
For example, if you want to have a scene in a radio play of a north Indian marriage, you don’t
have all physical arrangements made. All that you have to do is to use a bright tune on the
shehnai and excited voices of people to create in a listeners’ imagination, a wedding scene.
The voice of the actors, music and sound effects can create any situation in a radio play.
Radio drama are good entertainment and are especially effective in the dissemination of
information. There are many advantages that radio dramas have which make them the ideal
vehicle for conveying information/awareness that may otherwise tend to be boring. For
example, the importance of polio vaccines may be brought about though a short, ten line
radio drama rather than through a four line announcement. How does this happen?
Radio dramas make use of the quality of this medium optimally. Radio is a one-to-one
medium. Although it reaches a mass audience, this audience is spread out; it is in homes, cars
and shops, and the listener is an individual, not a part of a mass audience like a cinema
audience. For a listener, when she listens to the radio, it may appear that the presenter is
talking only to her / him.
In a radio drama this quality is further strengthened by making the listener believe that s/he is
eavesdropping on something interesting. These two words "eavesdropping" and "interesting"
are important. We listen in when we are -a witness to something either directly or
inadvertently. To make us want to continue listening in there should be something that draws
our attention. Radio drama works on this principle and helps the listener "witness" something
that the producer wants her or him to know.
Here is a sample of a radio drama, based on a story found in 'A Book of Anecdotes' by Daniel
George (Hulton Press 1958). Read the story silently. Read the drama aloud, if possible,
together with friends, with each of you taking on a part,
Drama is derived from the Greek word "dron", which means "to do": One of the important
constituents of drama is therefore action.
Action in drama comprises both movement on stage and movement of a story line
from beginning to end.
A Radio drama or a radio play is like any other play staged in a theatre or a hall.
The only difference is that while a stage play has actors, stage, sets, curtains,
properties movement and live action.
A radio play has only 3 components. They are the human voice, music and sound
effects.
Radio of course uses its greatest strength for producing radio plays and that is the
power of imagination and suggestively. For example, if you want to have a scene in a
radio play of a north Indian marriage, you don’t have all physical arrangements made.
All that you have to do is to use a bright tune on the shehnai and excited voices of
people to create in a listeners’ imagination- a wedding scene.
The voice of the actors, music and sound effects can create any situation in a radio
play.
Drama is about conflict and resolution, relationships and feelings and people being
motivated by them, both driving and driven by events.
The writer must have a thorough understanding of the medium and the production
process, while the producer needs a firm grasp of the writing requirements.
Elements of Radio Drama
Idea
Story Construction: The simplest way of telling a story is to:

1 Explain the situation

2 Introduce ‘conflict’
3 Develop the action
4 Resolve the conflict

Plot
Characterization: Who is the hero or heroine? What does he or she want? and Why should
I care?
Speech
Dialogue
Tone
Paralinguistic

Sound Effects
Music
Silence
Rhythm /Speed

Unfolding of a Radio Drama

Introduction: setting and context, characterization established;
Conflict: Events resulting from characters in the situation;
Rising action: complication and suspense
Maximum Tension: crisis and climax
Falling action: resolution
Twist
 RADIO ADS (SOCIAL & COMMERICAL)

Definition of Advertising
According to S.S. Dunn and A.M. Barban,
“Advertising is defined as “Paid, non-personal communication through various media by
business firms, non-profit organizations and individuals who are in some way identified in
the advertising message and who hope to inform or persuade members of a particular
audience.”
Advertising is not restricted to products but encompasses services and ideas also.
It is also evident that the two basic functions of advertisement are to inform and to
persuade.
Thus advertising leads to promotion of sales change of attitude and arousal of awareness.

Advertising Campaign- There are many types of advertising campaign. But basically any
campaign strategy has to address itself to the following six questions:
Who is advertising?
For whom is the advertisement intended?
What is being advertised?
What is the purpose of the advertising campaign?
Which geographic area does it cater to.
Which medium is to be used?

The process also involves five important decisions to be made namely-

 Advertising objectives
 Estimation of the budget in the selection of the medium
 Creative strategy as to how to communicate the message
 Media strategy with reference to the delivery of the message and
 Evaluation of the effectiveness of the message
 The purpose of an advertisement is to sell things.
 The radio advertiser must use a good deal of skill in motivating a target audience to a
specific action. The effective advertisement will:
Interest
Inform
Involve
Motivate
Direct.

Elements to be considered before making a commercial

The target audience – for whom is this message primarily intended?
The product or service – What is the specific quality to be promoted?
The writing – what content and style will be appropriate?
The voice or voices – who will best reinforce the style?
The background – is music or sound effects needed?
Radio Spot
Advertisements of 5 to 60 seconds at the beginning or end of a programme or between film
songs are known as "spots".
Advertisements during fixed important programmes are known as "fixed spots".

Sponsored Programmes
There are two kinds of sponsored programmes
During sports commentaries or other programmes broadcast by the radio station,
advertisements can be made.
The advertiser can also sponsor a special programme like quiz or a play or film-based songs
or serials and the advertisements can be made during the period of broadcast of these
programmes.

Purpose of Advertising
The basic purposes of advertising messages (commercial/PSA) are to inform, to persuade and
to remind.
All advertising messages have one or two or all these elements embodied in them.
The objectives of the message are to stimulate (demand (commercial product) and awareness
(PSA), to promote a brand/idea and to cause direct or indirect action to be taken by the
consumer (buy/motivate to act).

Advertising Appeal- Any strategy for advertising a product or an idea has to have
Appeal strategy
Humour strategy
Comparison advertising

Appeal strategy- Advertisement, if it has to have an appeal should engage the attention of
the consumer create interest in the idea or message promote his desire or awareness and
motivate him/to take action. For Instance-
Don't just practise, Preach". . . (Pause) "Tell someone who is less aware, less experienced,
less educated how simple it is to plan a family"
"Your daughter will never be as good as a son" (Pause). . ."unless you give her a chance"

Humour Strategy - Humour as a strategy enhances audience's attention, at least when they
listen to the advertisement for the first few times.
The advertiser who prefers humour as a creative strategy should bear in mind the following
points:
Humorous messages attract attention.
They may detrimentally affect understanding
Humour increases persuasion
Humour tends to enhance source credibility
A humorous context may increase liking for the source and create a positive mood.

Comparative Advertising
While in commercial advertisements, this strategy generates heated controversy in respect
of advertising ethics, in PSAs, this comparative strategy does enhance the audience's
attention.
 In the family planning ads, the comparison between a planned family household to the
disadvantage of the latter is more effective than a slogan that says "a small family is a
happy , one".

Samples of Radio Advertisements

"The tyre that never tires" (Modi tyres)

"Utterly, buttery delicious – (Amul)“

"Don't let litter spoil the glitter“

"Keep your house clean, Keep your country green“

"Woman is more than man's equal, if it weren't for her, he wouldn't be here"

"Mango Frooti, Fresh and Juicy"

On the whole, the points to remember while preparing radio advertisements are:-

1) Use of short simple sentences to make the maximum impact.

2) Clear and simple diction that can be easily understood.
3) Conversational tone to increase sense of involvement and participation.
4) Appeal both to emotion and intellect.
5) Urgency to invoke action.
6) Presentation with maximum conviction.
 PHONE-IN AND RADIO BRIDGE

An Introduction

In this age of technological development, phone-in is the most important format.

This is called interactive programming where the listener and the presenter talk to each
other. Their talk goes on air instantly.

The listener has the satisfaction that his voice is being listened to and replied immediately.
Other listeners also listen to him.

Such presentations need advance publicity so that the listeners get ready to air their
grievances/queries or requests.

They dial up the announced telephone number at a stipulated time and get their problems
discussed with experts in the studio.

Initially this format was introduced for playing the listeners’ request based film songs.

Now it is being used for health related programs, rural broadcasts, complaints against the
government/ administrative machinery etc.

In phone Programme the caller is connected via a telephone hybrid, which connects the
telephone line to the audio console through impedance matching, or more modernly
through digital signal processing, which can improve the perceived audio quality of the
call.

Telephone calls are often organized through a system which also provides broadcast
automation, with an administrative assistant answering calls and entering caller
information on a personal computer, which also displays on the radio presenter's screen.

Types of phone-in include:

 The open line – conversation with the studio presenter.

 The specific subject – expert advice on a chosen topic.

 Consumer affairs – a series providing ‘action’ advice on detailed cases.

 Personal counseling – problems discussed for the individual rather than the audience.
Tips for a Radio Presenter while taking
 To be sincere – say what you really feel and avoid acting.

 To be friendly – use an ordinary tone of voice and be capable of talking with an audible
smile. Avoid ‘jargon’ and specialist or technical language.

 To appear human – use normal conversational language. Admit when you do not know
the answer.

 To be considerate – demonstrate the capacity to understand views other than your own.

 To be helpful – offer useful, constructive practical advice.

 To appear competent – demonstrate an appreciation of the question and ensure accuracy

of answers.

Radio Bridge

 Radio Bridge means connecting different stations throughout the length and breadth of the
country.
 In this technique, for example, an expert sitting at Chennai can interact with the common
man in the studio in Delhi.
 This format was first used by All India Radio during elections.