Theory

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Joyous or sad

11/03/2012
Appreciation

Generalising, but: features producers love radio that brings joy. A bit of a laugh. Comparative “outsiders” – writers, musicians, listeners – are moved more highly by desperately sad, gut-wrenching radio. Why the difference? Partly, I think, because in “the business” of …Read the Rest

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The best of the 70s

14/01/2012
Theory

Commercial radio has been thrown into fearful angst this as key players realised there is a rival technology capable of bringing the 1970s vividly to life. Thirty one years after perfecting – or so they thought – the illusion of …Read the Rest

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Sod off, insecure old radio people, with your “theatre of the mind”

01/01/2012
Theory

Radio has a weight around its shoulders – baggage from the previous generation. The grandees of today (and most of their teachers) went through an era in their youth when their preferred medium was overtaken by television, and so to …Read the Rest

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Radio format and podcast fatigue

28/12/2011
Theory

The cool kids don’t listen to This American Life anymore. That sweeping statement isn’t accurate, but has more of a ring of truth to it in Europe than the US. Why? Because when you’ve heard one TAL, you’ve heard 90% …Read the Rest

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Vox pop wrap

23/05/2011
Audio

Two weeks back I set myself the task of recording a vox pop a day for a week, to deal with my greatest fear in radio. The daily vox pops are elsewhere on ye blog, and this wrap up looks …Read the Rest

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Preparing for International Features Conference

09/05/2011
Appreciation

This day week we’ll be getting to know fellow producers at the International Features Conference in Hilversum. Very exciting. I shall do my utmost to write here about the programmes we sample. Personally I hope to meet collaborators! Producers with …Read the Rest

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A happy difficulty

06/05/2011
Appreciation

The Third Coast have thrown me into a big fat dilemma. They’ve opened the Third Coast/Richard H. Driehaus Competition (note the map!) for this year. I thought, shall I enter my best piece, Angus Graham: A Profile? It was finished just …Read the Rest

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“Meaning” in radio

02/05/2011
Theory

Day in day out, radio items have meaning – most clearly so in phone-ins, local speech based radio, the parts where two people are communicating live or as live. 5 Live is a good outlet for this. It’s much less …Read the Rest

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Ronan Kelly Showcase

25/04/2011
Appreciation

“Did ya?!” is a trade-mark question of Ronan Kelly‘s work. What a lovely man. He makes programmes talking to people. He makes people very comfortable to talk with him. I know, because my “15 minute chat” with him for In …Read the Rest

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Even More Poetry & Radio

19/03/2011
Appreciation

Returning to a familiar thread here – some more poetry that models techniques for radio, AND in this case also describes radio. It’s A Sofa in the Forties by Seamus Heaney. Well illuminated in an article by Steve King at …Read the Rest