Focus: Lecture - Telling facts with Sounds

Unlike other lectures we've had in the previous weeks, this one was put online so we can go back home and listen to it whenever we want. It's so flexible for us but I kind of missed the "lecture" feeling where all students are gathering in the room and listen to the speaker. I reckon it's more fun that way.

So anyway, this week we're learning about telling factual stories with sound. Sound, as everyone knows, happened to be on TV, on radio, and now in podcasts. But to be precise this time we will going to learn only pure soundwaves - Radio and podcasts.

Radio itself is a completely different media to TV, where TV is usually where viewers sit on the couch and swtiching channels to see if anything interesting is on, it's more like the content comes to you across the distance. While radio is more like you're driving, you're having tea or something, you'll listen to the radio. You multitask while you're listening.

The important thing about this is to you have to make listeners feel included in the conversation, not just simply talk without anything getting the involved.

Radio shows often have interviews with special people, and as a host you have to be genuinely interested about the guest. Before starting the show, you've got to research and find out something about that person and let him know what to expect in the show, so he/she can be more relaxed and will trust you during the recording/live.

Radio shows has to be interesting, and it needs to encourage people to participate in the show. For example, ask questions on the show, and make it simple so you'll have a faster response from callers. But being a host, you must be standing in different viewpoints depending on your audience. Sometimes you've got to switch your opinion because your viewpoint does not always reflect the ones from the audience. So it's important to remember that.

As a host, your voice and pronunciation affects a lot of people so it is crucial for you to have a correct lingo to use. Or else listeners would feel the show was kind of alienating them.

There are so much to cover in this 2 radio segments and I just couldn't have learnt more from it. Minding you that radio is not dying, it's thriving and it is gradually shifting into a new form of audio - Podcasts. People would subscribe to them if they're interested on it, and radio shows are exactly where it comes from. So in the meaning time both platforms are blending in each other, it will be a fantastical media source for busy people and housewives.



D.