BEJ2007

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BEJ2007

• LECTURE 12

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THE CHOICE IS YOURS

• WHICH OF THESE TWO LECTURES WOULD YOU PREFER?
• The importance of Triple J in Australias
  broadcasting history
• OR
• Ten Tips for Roadtesting your story idea for
  Assignment 4

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OPTION 2

• Not surprisingly, nearly everyone went for option
  two.
• What follows are some points on each of the ten
  tips as discussed in the lecture.

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1 IS IT INTERESTING?

• Sounds obvious, but this is a huge part of your
  job as a broadcaster or writer in any format.
  Nothing is worse than dull, worthy stories.

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2 INTROS

• Intros are by far your best chance of grabbing
  your audience make sure that they do the job.
• Think outside of a bio or straight-up information
  piece.
• If possible, build the talkback angle in to the
  intro. Imagination is as important as
  information.
• PLAY INTRO DAY CLUBS
• PLAY INTRO - HAZING

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3 CHOOSE TALENT CAREFULLY (1)

• The circumstances of the student could provide
  the specifics of a single person to personalise
  the broader discussion. Think about how this kind
  of device might come into play with your topic.
  Cast a wide net with source material use press
  releases, corporate web sites, books, magazines,
  other radio programs, newspapers, and academic
  publications.
• But note that talent is not the same as
  talkback callers.

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3 - CHOOSE TALENT CAREFULLY (2)

• When identifying talent, it is important to make
  sure that the story will canvas a range of
  perspectives. One interesting example of how
  this was done see CHRISTOPHER PYNE AND DR ALEX
  WOZAK. (PLAY INTRO)
• But when looking for talent with different
  perspectives, you dont have to be confine
  yourselves to experts or politicians. A story on
  student poverty for instance, might include a
  fellow student who cant balance study and work,
  along with an expert or a politician.
• You are allowed to cast yourself as the
  presenter if this serves the purposes of the
  story. Otherwise the presenter is Kate OToole.

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4 - MINIMISE GUESSWORK

• All live-to-air interviews involve some
  guesswork, but it is critical that you have a
  general idea of what the talent is going to say.
• Research their views, and call them up if you
  think it is going to help.

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5 - IDENTIFY AUDIO GRABS

• Audio grabs whether music, dialogue, excerpts
  from another story, or sounds effects should
  always be considered when framing an intro.
• EXAMPLE - SEXISM AT THE LOGIES - This intro uses
  a sound grab to set up the call for talkback
  before getting into the reporter story.

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6 REFINE YOUR ANGLE

• Make sure that your topic has a manageable angle.
  A discussion about climate change will prove
  impossibly broad if it isnt skewed in a
  particular direction, but climate change
  skeptics immediately suggests a more appropriate
  level of focus.
• Is the story something you or your friends would
  listen to? Avoid either extreme worthiness or
  triviliality.

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7 NATIONAL YOUTH AUDIENCE FOCUS

• Local angles are great, which means a story can
  focus on something happening in a suburb or
  community, as long as the themes or topics evoked
  have a national interest the Minto story on
  Friday 18th May illustrates how this can be
  achieved.
• Similarly, aiming for a youth audience DOESNT
  mean that the story has to be about young people.
  But it has to be of interest to someone between
  15 and 24. WORK FILTERS

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8 WHATS BEEN DONE?

• Be aware of whats been done, and dont
  regurgitate. But by all means, refer back to
  previous Hack stories if you want to pick up a
  fresh angle on a perennial theme. This has been
  done particularly well in recent weeks with Luke
  Williams piece on Zimbabwe Business. You can
  even then include details a grab of an earlier
  story in your intro.
• The Hack Notes page includes an archive link
  (http//www.abc.net.au/triplej/hack/notes/default.
  htm) that lists many of the stories that have
  been broadcast by the program over the last year.
  
• Each link leads to a story summary, and a further
  link to audio. As an exercise, try to imagine how
  a story could be packaged before hearing how it
  sounded before it went to air. You can see how
  this might be done with the story below.

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WHATS BEEN DONE (CONTINUED)

• Work FiltersHere's your new computer, but you
  can't use myspace, no youtube allowed, no
  hotmail, no itunes and try to stay clear of
  Google if you can. Why? Well... because your new
  PC is for WORK RELATED PURPOSES ONLY. If you've
  ever faced this scenario you know all about
  internet work filters. If you don't Internet work
  filters are software that prevents people from
  accessing so-called inappropriate internet
  material oon the job. So just how do these
  filters work? And are they a breach of privacy or
  just common sense? Luke Williams looks into the
  managerial net nanny and how they can track your
  internet fun.Listen to Work Filters  (mp3, 2.4
  MB)
• date 15/05/2007reporter Luke Williams
• Before clicking on the link above, ask yourself,
  how could you go about doing a story like this?
  What kind of people might they speak to? How
  would the call for talkback work?

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9 - FACTOR IN SHELF LIFE

• This is CURRENT AFFAIRS, not NEWS
• So build some holdability into the piece
  (HAZING, DAY CLUBS) this is the ongoing
  challenge faced by colour magazines such as Good
  Weekend where the deadline can be up to two weeks
  before publication. A story about whether
  Madeleine might be found has no real shelf life.
  By contrast, a story examining at what age it
  might be safe to leave children on their own has
  the potential have real staying power, and can
  still use the recent disappearance of Madeleine
  as a hook.
• Check for events or anniversaries that might take
  place around the date that you are planning to go
  to air. Is it international frog day?

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10 STYLE COUNTS

• READ WHAT YOU HAVE WRITTEN OUT LOUD
• The rules for broadcast writing arent as
  clearly defined as for print. But this doesnt
  reduce the imperative to avoid using incorrect
  grammar that might cause an on-air error,
  including inappropriate intonation.
• For example, DO NOT use commas to connect
  sentences as in the sentence that follows

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10 STYLE COUNTS (2) Punctuation problems

• At the moment Nicole is working on filming the
  Baz Luhrmann epic Australia, youre both working
  in the same country, will she be attending any of
  your concerts?

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10 (CONTINUED) RADIO IS A CONVERSATION

• Especially on Triple J make your writing
  reflects this.
• A call for talkback should sound like youre
  asking your friends what they think about
  something.

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ADDITIONAL TIPS

• You may be the presenter
• Follow your own interests and experience for
  story leads
• Dont be partisan
• Listen to Hack every day

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HOUSEKEEPING

• EXTENSION REQUESTS
• All must be handed in in writing, and asked for
  in advance.
• If you want to get your assignment back with
  comments please include a stamped,
  self-addressed envelope when you submit. Those
  which dont include this will simply be given a
  mark without a comments sheet, unless requested
  otherwise.

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TUTORIALS FOR REMAINDER OF SEMESTER

• ONE HOUR of group discussion, followed by
  individual consultation this week and next week
• ASSIGNMENT 3 handback in next weeks tutorials

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NEXT WEEKS LECTURE

• Where is broadcast and electronic journalism
  heading?
• How has this course been helpful to you?
• More on Assignment 4

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HISTORY OF TRIPLE J

• "The Triple J Curve", The Australian Magazine,
  14-15 January, 1995, pp. 17-23.
• Its in the reader