Radio Production, 5th Edition

Radio Production, 5th Edition

by Robert McLeish
Released July 2012
Publisher(s): Focal Press
ISBN: 9781136118456

Read it now on the O’Reilly learning platform with a 10-day free trial.

O’Reilly members get unlimited access to books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.

Start your free trial

Book description

This classic book is a must-have for anyone involved in radio production, covering everything from operational techniques and producing different programme formats, to conducting interviews and writing for radio.

The fifth edition features new and updated information on:
* digital production, such as the computer editing process, digital recording and DAB
* the internet and internet-only radio stations
* automatic playout systems
* ethics
* storytelling, showing simple ways of creating different acoustics for drama
* station management
* scheduling
* remote reporting

This edition is further enhanced by a supporting CD-Rom, packed with examples, exercises and resources.

Table of contents

  1. Front Cover
  2. Half Title
  3. Title Page
  4. Copyright
  5. Contents
  6. Preface to the fifth edition
  7. 1 Characteristics of the medium
    1. Radio makes pictures
    2. Radio speaks to millions
    3. Radio speaks to the individual
    4. The speed of radio
    5. Radio has no boundaries
    6. The transient nature of radio
    7. Radio on demand
    8. Radio as background
    9. Radio is selective
    10. Radio lacks space
    11. The personality of radio
    12. The simplicity of radio
    13. Radio is low cost
    14. Radio for the disadvantaged
    15. Radio teaches
    16. Radio has music
    17. Radio can surprise
    18. Radio can suffer from interference
    19. Radio for the individual
    20. Radio for society
    21. The public servant
    22. Types of radio station
    23. ‘Outside’ pressures
    24. Personal motivations
  8. 2 The radio studio
    1. Studio layout
    2. The studio desk, mixer, control panel, console or board
    3. Computers
    4. Digital compression
    5. Digital audio workstation
    6. Tape formats
    7. Editing principles
    8. Editing practice
    9. CDs, albums and other discs
    10. Microphones
    11. Stereo
    12. Equipment faults
  9. 3 Ethics
    1. Declarations of intent
    2. Objectivity, impartiality and fairness
    3. Watchdog
    4. Bad practice
    5. The status of the media
  10. 4 Writing for the ear
    1. Who are you talking to?
    2. What do you want to say?
    3. The storage of talk
    4. Words
    5. Structure and signposting
    6. Pictures and stories
    7. Double meanings
    8. The script
  11. 5 News – policy and practice
    1. Codes of Practice
    2. Objectivity
    3. Legality
    4. News values
    5. Investigative reporting
    6. Campaigning journalism
    7. The news reporting function
    8. Accuracy
    9. Intelligibility in the writing
    10. Being fair
    11. Giving offence
    12. Causing distress
    13. Civil disturbance and war reporting
    14. A summary
    15. The newsroom operation
    16. Style book
    17. Radio car, mobile phone
    18. Equipment in the field
    19. The news conference and press release
  12. 6 Interviewing
    1. The basic approach
    2. Types of interview
    3. Securing the interviewee
    4. What the interviewee should know
    5. Preparation before the interview
    6. The pre-interview discussion
    7. Question technique
    8. Question ‘width’
    9. Devil’s advocate
    10. Multiple questions
    11. Leading questions
    12. Non-questions
    13. Non-answers
    14. Non-verbal communication
    15. During the interview
    16. Winding up
    17. After the interview
    18. Style
    19. Interviewing ‘cold’
    20. Interviewing through a translator
    21. Location interviews
    22. The triangle of trust
  13. 7 Vox pop
    1. Phrasing the question
    2. Interviewing children
    3. Choosing the site
    4. The recorder
    5. Putting the question
    6. The editing
  14. 8 Cues and links
    1. Information for the broadcaster
    2. Information for the listener
    3. Links
  15. 9 Newsreading and presentation
    1. The seven Ps
    2. Newsreading
    3. Pronunciation
    4. Vocal stressing
    5. Inflection
    6. Quotation marks
    7. Alterations
    8. Corrections
    9. Lists and numbers
    10. Station style
    11. Continuity presentation
    12. Errors and emergencies
    13. Headphones
    14. Trails and promos
  16. 10 The discussion
    1. Format
    2. Selection of participants
    3. The chairperson
    4. Preparation
    5. Advice to contributors
    6. Contributor nerves
    7. Starting the programme
    8. Speaker control
    9. Subject control
    10. Technical control
    11. Ending the programme
  17. 11 Phone-ins
    1. Technical facilities
    2. Programme classification
    3. The open line
    4. Support staff
    5. Choosing the calls
    6. The role of the presenter
    7. Presenter style
    8. Reference material
    9. Studio operation
    10. Additional telephone facilities
    11. Use of ‘delay’
    12. The specific subject
    13. ‘Early lines’
    14. Consumer affairs
    15. The need to be fair
    16. Linking programmes together
    17. Personal counselling
    18. The presenter as listener
    19. Non-broadcasting effort
    20. Anonymity
    21. Phone-in checklist
  18. 12 Listener participation
    1. Letters and e-mails
    2. Programme follow-up
    3. Texting
    4. Helpline
    5. Visitors
    6. Special involvement
    7. Travelling roadshow
    8. Major events
  19. 13 Music programming
    1. Attitudes to music
    2. Clock format
    3. Computerized selection
    4. Requests and dedications
    5. Choosing music
    6. Item order
    7. Prefading to time
    8. Preparing letters and cards
    9. Programme technique
    10. Guest programmes
    11. DJ programmes
  20. 14 Sequences and magazines
    1. Programme title
    2. Signature tune
    3. Transmission time
    4. The presenter
    5. Linking style
    6. Information content
    7. Programme construction
    8. Programme variety
    9. Programme ideas
    10. Voice piece
    11. Interview
    12. Discussion
    13. Music
    14. Sound effects
    15. Listener participation
    16. Features
    17. Drama
    18. Item order
    19. Production method
    20. Responding to emergency
  21. 15 Making commercials
    1. Copy policy
    2. The target audience
    3. The product or service ‘premise’
    4. Writing copy
    5. Voicing and treatment
    6. Music and effects
    7. Stereo
    8. Humour in advertising
  22. 16 Outside broadcasts (remotes)
    1. Planning
    2. Visiting the site
    3. Communications to base
    4. People
    5. Hazard assessment
    6. Equipment
    7. Safety
    8. Accommodation
    9. Programme research
    10. Liaison with the base studio
    11. Publicity
    12. Conflicts of approach
    13. Tidiness
    14. Gratuities
  23. 17 Commentary
    1. Attitude to the listener
    2. Preparation
    3. Working with the base studio
    4. Sport
    5. Communicating mood
    6. Coordinating the images
    7. Content and style
    8. News action
    9. Sports action
    10. Actuality and silence
    11. The ending
    12. An example
    13. Coping with disaster
  24. 18 Music recording
    1. Reproduction of internal balance
    2. Creation of a synthetic balance
    3. Studio layout
    4. Microphones for music
    5. Frequency control
    6. Dynamic control
    7. Echo
    8. Channel delay
    9. Mixing technique
    10. Recording technique
    11. Production points
  25. 19 Drama — principles
    1. Adapting for radio
    2. The idea
    3. Story construction
    4. The setting
    5. Characterization
    6. Dialogue
    7. Radio as story
    8. Get the evocative bits
    9. Rough the drama
    10. Prune and polish
    11. Truth vs drama
    12. Script layout
    13. The actors
    14. The acoustic
    15. Sound effects
    16. Music
    17. Production technique
  26. 20 Documentary and feature programmes
    1. The documentary
    2. Planning
    3. Research
    4. Structure
    5. Collecting the material
    6. Impression and truth
    7. Music
    8. Compilation
    9. Programme sequence
    10. The ending
    11. Contributors
    12. Programmes in real time
    13. The feature
  27. 21 The work of the producer
    1. Ideas
    2. The audience
    3. Resource planning
    4. Preparation of material
    5. The studio session
    6. Taste
    7. Ending the session
    8. Post-production
    9. Programme administration
    10. Technician, editor, administrator and manager
  28. 22 The executive producer
    1. Station management
    2. Staff development
    3. Scheduling
    4. Rescheduling
    5. Strategic planning
    6. Commissioning programmes
    7. Codes of Practice
    8. Complaints
    9. Website
    10. Archival policy
  29. 23 Programme evaluation
    1. Production evaluation
    2. Programme quality
    3. Audience evaluation
    4. Personal meters
    5. Research panels
    6. Questionnaires
    7. Letter response
    8. Cost evaluation
  30. 24 Training
    1. Triggers for training
    2. Learning objectives
    3. Course organization
    4. Stretching imagination
    5. Editorial selection
    6. News priorities
    7. News exercise
    8. Voicework
    9. Personal motivation
    10. Vox pop
    11. Commentary
    12. Drama
    13. New challenges for old producers
    14. Maintaining output
    15. Assessing quality
    16. Training evaluation
  31. 25 Back-announcement
  32. CD-ROM
  33. Websites
  34. Glossary
  35. Further Reading – a selection
  36. Index

Product information

  • Title: Radio Production, 5th Edition
  • Author(s): Robert McLeish
  • Release date: July 2012
  • Publisher(s): Focal Press
  • ISBN: 9781136118456