P5: RECORD AN EXTRACT OF THE PLANNED RADIO PROGRAMME
Here is the finished extract:
Recording the extract:
To record my radio show I used a Zoom Microphone as it is perfect for recording audio on as it gives a crisp and clear sound.
I recorded in a sound proof studio, this was so that the microphone didn't pick up on any background noise that would interfere with my broadcast.
The editing process:
D2: EVALUATE THE FLOW OF PROGRAMME CONTENT AND AUDIO LEVELS
How successful was the running order (or flow) of your radio programme?
I believe the flow of my radio show was suitable for the content, I made sure that I followed the same structure as the BBC Radio 1 newsbeat shows therefore the flow was something that an audience would be in terms with and would know what parts of the show feature what for example the headlines came first. I think the flow of music and audio clips was well edited in as it was seamless and fitted in with the content nicely in terms of timings. I made sure that all of my audio clips came after the dialogue so that the audio clips could be used as extra information rather than the key part of the news story. Overall, I am really happy with the final flow of the radio show due to how well I believe I edited the jingles, audio clips and music in as it sounded professional and similar to an actual BBC Radio 1 Newsbeat.
Was all the content included relevant and did all of it work well?
During pre production I made sure all of the planned content was relevant to the target audience and also relevant to the current news, because the station my show would be airing on would be BBC Radio 1 their target audience is 15-29 year olds so the news is more informal and has stories that wouldn't feature in your typical news broadcasts which makes it more fun and interesting for the audience. This made me include the content I did because I wanted it to appeal to the target audience, so not only did I use current news stories I picked out current news stories that would be relevant to the target audience and the feature which was about social media was also relevant to the target audience. I believe the content worked well as there was a good balance of formal and informal news stories. the social media feature was more serious and formal where as the headline about Cardi B was more informal. It was beneficial having the mix of the two because it meant that the audience can have a more varied approach news show rather than the usual news show that reports world news and local news that might not appeal to everyone nor be relevant to everyone,
What do you feel were your key strengths during the making of this production?
My key strengths during this production were;
Editing in line with the genre and type of show: I found the editing process of my radio show really enjoyable and I believe I made it sound very similar to a usual BBC Radio 1 Newsbeat which is important because it shows I have followed the client brief. I also think the editing was one of my strengths due to how I combined all of the elements together quite seamlessly.
Pre production: I believe that pre production was one of my strengths has I had organised myself quite well in terms of what kind of news stories I wanted to present, how I was going to aim the social media feature at the target audience and also the general structure of the show. All of this was very useful as when it came to post production I could get on with it straight away as I had my idea all mapped out as to what I wanted the final product to sound like.
What do you feel were your key weaknesses during the making of this production?
My key weaknesses and things I would work on if I did this task again are;
Editing process: I believe the editing process could have been touched up on, even though the editing was good in terms of how I put the clips together I could have worked on sound wave leveling as some of the sourced radio imagery at times were too loud and not consistent with the volume of the other sound clips. Also with the Cardi B interview, she says certain words that would not be suitable for a young audience therefore I would edit these out or mute them to ensure that young audiences wouldn't pick up on any bad language.
Recording: I feel like the recording process was one of my weaknesses, mainly because of my limiting knowledge of sound equipment. I think it was quite hard to know how loud you should present in terms of volume in order for the microphone to pick up the recording successfully, this was because controlling the sound and keeping me as the presenter speaking at the same volume for the whole production was quite hard especially as I recorded the feature separately to the headlines so I had to try and match them up. However I was able to take more control of the sound in post production so the production of sound would definitely be something I would have to improve upon.
How do you feel you performed during this project?
Overall I am positive on the outcome of my performance however I am aware there could have been improvements made in which would have bettered my performance. As I was the presenter I had to deliver the news stories accordingly and stay serious as well as taking on board the use of proper English language, because I was quite focused on the language side of things and keeping serious my presenting isn't as good as it could have been. I think I could have worked on my tone to create more emphasis on the stories as sometimes I am quite monotone during the presenting which could have been worked on. However as this is the first time I have ever done this project I am positive of the outcome of my performance as I think I took the role on board and focused on mode of address which is important when a presenter is presenting the news.
Looking back on your short production what would you revise or adjust to make the programme better fit the codes and conventions and make the overall programme better?
There are a few things I would adjust to ensure that the programme covers every code and convention of a radio news show, the first being an introduction of presenter as this is common among most news radio shows. If the presenter introduces themselves it subconsciously makes the audience feel at ease as they know who is reporting the news therefore makes the stories more believable as its coming from a known or identified presenter. Another adjustment I would make is to have a regular time checks, it is common that radio news shows give an update on the time as this benefits the audience as they can be told the time and maybe use it as a timer for leaving work etc. Lastly, another adjustment I would make is to cover a sports topic as this is evident in the majority of radio news shows and allows the content to be tailored towards all listeners, if no sport news is mentioned listeners who like sport may switch over to another channel therefore Radio 1 will have lost a view. To conclude, I think the adjustments that I have talked about above would help my radio show to fit most if not every code and convention for a radio news broadcast however I think that my radio show really suits the station its broadcast on and follows the general BBC Radio 1 Newsbeat codes and conventions so I am happy with how it turned out but I could still make improvements to fit the codes and conventions fully.