IZZY'S PORTFOLIO
RADIO PODCAST
WEEK 1
During week 1, in pairs, we were asked to brainstorm ideas for a radio show. We had to be realistic on the subjects we were going to discuss in our show and if it was going to be enjoyable for our target audience. The timings our show was to air also had to be taken into consideration as it had to be at appropriate times that our target audience hopefully would be available.
To get a better idea of what the radio world is like, I researched 3 radio shows and who they were aimed at. I found out who aired on the show, what the shows discussed and the timings that these shows were aired. I also found out about what live shows are and what pre-recorded shows are and how this can impact a radio show/ station and how it also imacts the listeners.
Towards the end of the week, I looked into what jobs the radio industry had to offer. On top of this, I took notes on what qualifications were needed to go into those specific jobs. This was useful information to learn in order to create the podcast I wanted to create.
RADIO PODCAST IDEA
Title: City FM (3pm – 6pm)
Type of Program: For young people to recognise new music and stay up to date with trends and everything popular. Also, to help build popularity for local artists and help them get recognised, end of the workday show.
Presenter: A young presenter so that the target audience feels more comfort with someone they believe has gone through similar things to them because of the new generation. Someone not to ‘up-beat’ as is becoming end of the day when the show starts
Interviews: Interview local/ unknown artists with new music coming out, good for promoting them and perhaps giving listeners new favourite artists. As well as Local filmmakers, businesses, just anything entertainment wise that needs popularity to be successful.
Playlist: Strong mix of top chart songs and lesser-known artists that are more local to the radio station to therefore hold onto new audiences whilst implementing them with the type of radio broadcast we are. Playlist is time dependant, as in find out when more of the younger viewers are listening (after school) and play songs that statistically they enjoy more from the charts and the same with adults (5pm/ after work).
Live Callers: Live callers keep the broadcast interesting, have them making song requests or ask questions to guests promoting their music. Also have competitions where people can win prizes if they find something hidden in the broadcast (engages them to listen)
Live Sessions: Have the same thing as ‘live lounge’ where artists come in to play their songs for a large section of the show live, this is also split with the callers sending in questions. Special guests can also join live for an interview so that audience can send in questions, feels more personal when it feels like a phone call rather than pre-recorded.
Successful? The show will be successful as we have found a way to promote local artists whilst keeping listeners entertained with music the already know is good (in the charts). Time dependant for the music for different ages as well as competitions and live callers to add the feel of involvement.
BBC RADIO RESEARCH
Radio 1 –
The type of programs played on BBC radio 1 are based around the day and with people’s day to day life. For example, in the morning there’s a live talk called ‘Radio 1 breakfast with Greg James’. This talk helps people through the morning struggle by being comedic. However, throughout the day the show changes multiple times to help fit people’s daily activities. Later in the day, a show called ‘radio 1’s hottest records of the week’ who is hosted by Clara Amfo. Which plays a lot of new music which will potentially help people relax at the end of their day.
Radio 2 –
Radio 2 plays shows that are aimed at an older generation – people aged 30+ roughly. The music that’s played on this radio channel is dated from 1981 and a lot of older ‘’one hit wonders’’. At 10.00pm there is a radio show called ‘Trevor Nelson’s Rhythm Nation’ where a big variety of music is played – dance, R&B and disco.
Radio 3 –
Radio 3 is aimed towards religious people who like to listen to prayers and who like to follow the bible. Throughout the day there are different talks about the bible. However, there are segments of radio 3 that share the latest news like weather updates.
At around 10.00pm there is a show aired called ‘Woman’s Hour’ where women talk and help inspire, challenge and inform other people. This show helps bring women comfort on many issues they may face daily.
These radio stations are aimed at many different age groups and different groups of people. This is obvious by the entertainment they provide. On top of this, the shows they air at different times are also aimed at different people which helps bring in more listeners throughout the day.
Radio 1 is aimed at a younger demographic which has been made obvious through the topics they discuss and they music genre they play.
Radio 2 is aimed at an older generation this has been made obvious through the music they play and the topics they discuss. On top of this, the hosts are also around the same age (or older) than the targeted listeners - this helps the listeners feel more related to as they are listening to people in the same age group.
Radio 3 is aimed at people who are interested in religion and the surrounding world – like world issues e.g woman rights, climate change. During their shows radio 3 get people who are passionate about certain subjects on air who know what they’re talking about.
Live shows:
It’s very common for radio shows to be aired live - so when you’re listening to the radio it’s most probably live. Shows aired early in the morning (2am-5am) may be pre-recorded, however, they are live a lot of the times.
The Radio 1 show with Nick Grimshaw is a live presented show which discusses music, guest interviews, phone in competitions and general chat.
Pre-recorded:
Pre-recoded radio shows are usually aired during early hours of the morning and contain a lot of music as there isn't someone live hosting it.
However, podcasts are normally pre-recorded and are very specific on what they discuss. This way you can choose what you want to listen too.
A podcast that I have listened too is called ‘Deeper with the Dolan Twins’ Although it is not aired on the radio it is available through Spotify and YouTube. It discusses the Dolan Twins and their lives but also world issues that they feel passionate about.
JOBS IN THE RADIO INDUSTRY
Programming director:
Directors' Service Contracts Templates - Fixed Salary & Bonuses (simply-docs.co.uk)
Overview of the job:
The job in radio that interests me most is programming director. This is because their job is to help develop programming content. For example, they work with writers to help write a script, keep track of music logs (and can help choose the music for the day), dictate the stations programs and time schedule. Program directors are head of the whole radio station (as well as the manager – though manager is higher up).
Education and qualifications:
To become a program director, you need to have a bachelor’s degree and a lot of work experience in this field. This is because it is a very demanding job with a lot of roles and responsibility.
On average a program director will earn around £90,173 yearly (in UK) and are normally considered to be an officer and not an employee. Though, the director may be employed in another capacity - finance or managing director. And so, they will need an employment contract.
THE POWER OF RADIO - ORSON WELLES
Orson Welles and The War of the Worlds
Orson Welles began his career as a stage actor before going on to radio, creating his unforgettable version of H.G Welles ‘War of the Worlds.’. He was born May 6th 1915 (in the peak of World War 1) and then with a memorable life behind him he died of a heart attack in Los Angeles, California, on October 10, 1985.
In 1937, a 21-year-old Welles, fresh off directing an all-black cast in a version of Macbeth (important/ diverse at the time), teamed up with Houseman to form something called the Mercury Theatre. Several acclaimed stage productions followed before the Mercury moved into radio and began producing a weekly program, the Mercury Theatre on the Air, which ran on CBS from 1938 to 1940, and again in 1946, when the War had finished. In the beginning, critical praise was heaped upon the series, however ratings were low. All that changed on October 30, 1938, when Welles aired his adaptation of H.G. Wells' novel The War of the Worlds. The program simulated a news broadcast, and Welles, as its narrator, described in breathless detail the alien invasion and attack on New Jersey. The program included news reports and eyewitness accounts and sounded so real that listeners panicked over what they perceived to be a real event. When the truth came out, duped believers were outraged.
WEEK 2
Our tasks in week 2 consisted of research on different types of mics. I made notes on the three main types of mics that are seen in the radio/ podcast industry. I learnt how different mics pick up sound patterns from different angles and what ones are better for certain tasks. To exercise the things i found i went around the college campus and recorded a range of sounds. This allowed me to gather more information on how mics pick up sound patterns.
To develop my skills further for creating a podcast, I did research on how to set up a radio station and what equipment is needed. I also had to learn how to write a script as the podcast I was creating was interviewed based.
TYPES OF MIKES
Recordings
Microphones:
Cardioid:
Heart sound wave.
Picks up sound at a 90degree angle.
Good for crowded areas.
Hyper Cardioid:
Can capture more sound from the side of the mike in comparison to the cardioid.
Picks up sound on the back but more focus on the front.
Good for crowds.
Omnidirectional:
Picks up equal sounds from all sides of the mike.
PRACTICAL - RECORDINGS
Sounds I recorded:
Leaves rustling
Water running
Book shutting/ pages moving
Keyboard
Leaves - Outside (near the football pitch/ block H), we recorded leaves rustling with the microphone dial being set on 5. This helped the sound be collected more clearly and so when it is played the sound is crisper.
The first recording I did was recorded next to the bush as it was being rustled and so the recording of the noise was very clear. However, as I moved the mike away from the bush the recording became a little unclear. I turned the dial on the mike up to 7 to help the mike focus on the sound it needed to pick up on. The sound was clear, but it had a little background noise like people talking and wind.
From this exercise I learnt how to use a recording mike which was very helpful for my future work. I can then use this in later projects.
Water running - Inside the conference room there is a water dispenser. I decided to record the water running and the sound that was picked up was very clear when the mike was closer to the sauce if the sound. As I moved away from the dispenser the dial was turned up to 7 to help the mike focus on the sound I wanted to record. This helped the sound pick up a lot more. Although the sound is crisp in the first closer recording, as I moved away from the water dispenser the sound was more fade.
Book shutting - In the library it was very quiet and so when the book was being shut in a close distance to the mike, the dial should have been turned down from 5 to around 3. This is because the recording we got was harsh on the ears as the sound was picked up too much. However, as the book moved away from the mike and the shutting noise was made again, the dial was turned up to 7 to help the sound collect better. The sound collected from a distance wasn’t as harsh on the ears and was better to listen too.
Keyboard - In my classroom I recorded the tapping sound on a computer keyboard. The sound picked up well within a close distance with the dial set on 5. When I moved away and continued to record the sound, the sound become more fade but still picked up well. The dial stayed at 5 throughout both recordings, though the dial may have needed to be on dial 6/7 to pick up the long-distance recording.
SETTING UP A RADIO STATION
My podcast idea:
Equipment: 31 Best Podcast Hosting Platforms In 2021 (Top 6 Have Free Offers) (podcastinsights.com)
A good microphone is one of the most important pieces of equipment that a radio producer would need. This is so the listeners can hear a clean and smooth sound when they listen. On top of this, although they may not be needed, a pair of noise cancelation headphones would be a good investment as it can keep the host focused on their work and not to get distracted by any background noise.
For sound effects, you may want to get a sound board which allows you to have a variety of sounds to play with whilst your podcast is being recorded.
Editing: https://restream.io/blog/best-podcast-recording-and-editing-software/
QuickTime - Mac book – default app – free. Records and edits audio files.
Hindenburg journalist – IOS only – lowest price £95 - high production value – audio editor and several features to control sound quality.
Alitu – for beginner
Title of show:
Deeper into the truth.
My podcast will contain discussions on many different topics. From sports to human rights, animals, music and a wider variety of topics. This is because I want my podcast to entertain and interest a lot of people. By discussing different topics, I will be able to gather a wide range of listeners.
Experiences/ qualifications:
Although I wouldn’t need any specific qualification to start my own podcast, I would need to know how to use editing apps/ software, a microphone/ recording equipment and potentially a sound board (if I wish to use one for sound effects). This is so it would be easier for me to create what I wanted rather than having no idea on what I was doing.
A way I could learn how to use this equipment would be to do research through YouTube videos, reading books on this subject and google.
Streaming:
I would like to stream my podcast on Spotify as I know it is a well-known app that is used by millions of people daily – this way I know there would be people active on the app who would have access to my podcast.
*It costs roughly £9.99 for Spotify to stream a single podcast
Another reason I would use Spotify to stream my podcast would be because the target audience I would like to reach would be teens (people aged between 14-18). Many people within these ages use Spotify in everyday life and so without me having to actively look for a target audience and to create my own platform for followers, I have a perfect platform to share my podcast on.
RADIO INTERVIEW
Radio 1 – Interview with Stormzy
Introduction
Interviewer – “we are joined with a very special guest today. This artist has scored UKs biggest trending song with his highly anticipated Dave collaboration. The song has gone mad. Everyone, it’s the one and only Stormzyyyy!”
Stormzy – “ayee, it’s stormzy what’s good”
Interviewer – “It’s good to have you, there is a lot to chat about, a lot of questions to be asked. But let’s begin on the topic of festivals. I’ve seen some of the tweets of reading and Leeds. How was that experience for you?”
Stormzy – (talks about the experience/ crowd/ fans/ songs performed)
Questions
Interviwer – It’s the biggest trending song in the UK right now – even we have aired it multiple times since its release. People are going so crazy for it everywhere. So how was it collaborating with Dave?
Stormzy – “the love that has been shown to us both is amazing. The feeling is just incredible. The song has gone crazy which we wanted but definitely weren’t expecting. I feel like we have both created something special that a lot of people love”
Interviewer – “for real, congratulations to you guys – you really have created something amamzing here”
Stormzy “ahh thank you man it means a lot” (generally thanks him)
Interviewer “Do you think there will be any collaborations with Dave anytime soon”
Stormzy “Well we are always working together and working to create more music. In the future for sure I would like to work with him again” (continues to talk about Dave/ compliments him)
Interviewer – “I think everyone wants you to collaborate with him again so in the future who knows. What was your inspiration for this song?”
Stormzy – (answers question about future collaboration)
WEEK 3
In week 3 I had to plan the podcast project I wanted to create. To ensure I that my podcast would be interesting and successful to the target audience, I decided to get feedback on my podcast ideas. If the response I got back was overall positive then I would go ahead and develop my ideas further and record my podcast.
PODCAST BRAINSTORM
Football
Hythe town fc
Spurs
England
World cup
Prem
Peter crouch and Willy Boly
Best memories
Music
Post Malone
Top 10 artists
Drake new album
Our own music
Technology
New Iphone
Ps5
Old consoles
Fifa 22
Climate
Climate change
Pandemic
Mental health
New hobbies
Fond memories
Clothes
under armour
designer clothes
Training clothes
Nike vs adidas
Sports
Emma Raducanu
Football
Olympics
Top
Football-
Strength: Football is a worldwide sport that is enjoyed by millions.
Weakness: A lot of people have strong opinions on teams and issues for and against meaning it could be easily offended or misinterpreted.
Opportunities: Live events such as tournaments make easy content with lots of games to talk about
Threats: Football is a very large subject meaning there is lots to talk about with is both a pro and con.
Clothes-
Strength: Everyone wears clothes and has different opinions meaning there could be a good conversation driven from 1 question.
Weakness: Some of the subjects would be based on the expensive side of the clothing world and people would be able to afford meaning they can’t connect to the podcast and turn of.
Opportunities: I could show my passion for clothes and especially as new clothes and styles.
Threats: Everyone has different styles – pro and cons. Someone may not agree with what is being said.
Technology-
Strength: Currently everyone has some form of technology and a level of understanding meaning everyone will be able to understand and to a certain level of understanding.
Weakness: At some point we would have to speak about the details such as graphics, CPU, RAM and Memory Bandwidth.
Opportunities: With new technology coming out every month there won’t be a month there won’t be a time when there is nothing to talk about, the technology wouldn’t always have to be new and could compare old technology to updated versions of it.
Threats: It is a very broad subject as in this age everything is technological making it is easy to talk about and inclusive to everyone.
We asked 10 people from different backgrounds and opinions on what our podcast should be based on and our results was 60% football, 30% clothes and 10% technology
Phillip- Football
Rowan- Clothes
James- Football
Mum- Football
Dad- Football
Jack- Clothes
Stan- Football
Rosie- Technology
Drew- Football
Chloe-clothes
How the podcast is put together such as;
Type of interview – Informal.
Number of guests and how that affects dynamic of the interview
1 guest and 1 host talking about the topic.
Do you think questions are prepared in advanced or is it a more discussion type of podcast?
We won't write down questions as we want a more of a conversation instead of an interview as we believe it will be more interesting for the listeners.
Is it an edited podcasts with sections and music stabs or is it discussion type with a group of people around microphone.
It will be an edited podcast with music and music segments throughout. 2 people on separate mics
WEEK 4/5
In week 4 and 5 I had to create a podcast clock that I would follow whilst I recorded. Many successful podcasts follow a specific time schedule that has been proven to engage listeners for a longer period of time. I followed this schedule as I want my listeners to be interested for as long they can whilst listening to my podcast and with this I hope it will be successful.
To get facts correct in our topics my group and I wrote a script that we would roughly follow throughout the show. Overall we knew we wouldn't follow the scrip line by line as we wanted our podcast to sound realistic and genuine.
To get a good idea on what we wanted our podcast to be like, we listened to a range of different podcasts that discussed the same topics ours did. We took notes on how the topics were spoken about and we decided to mimic that in our final recording.
RADIO PRODUCTION
Script for the podcast
H- Harry
J-Jess
If at any point we are getting close to the music cut off point say:’ ’sorry I’m going to have to stop you’ and then introduce them.
1 Hi people and Welcome to the _______ podcast with me Jessie and my special guest for today, Harry, thank you for coming today
Thank you for having me
2 (introduce the subject of racism in football) ask first question What were your first thoughts on the Euros final?
(Answer the question well with facts)
Give a small response to my answer and if there is time ask another question such as
3(music)
4 Welcome the listeners back and ask about social media’s role in the hate, what can they do to stop it?
(answer)
5 If time ask
6 Ask about taking the knee
(answer) include Alonso and Zaha
Thank you for coming and thank the listeners asking them to listen to the next one and wish the safe travels
Thank you for having me it was a pleasure to come
Timing
2 songs 2 mins each
30 secs of 2 jingles 1 at start 1 at end
5.30 mins to talk in 3 segments/ 2 2 mins and 1 1.30 mins
PODCAST CLOCK
Podcast topic: Racism within football.
Title: Footie Talk
Segments
Inro
Introduce topic of racism in football
Music
Talk about Euro final
Music
Rashford charity work
Bring the topic to an end
End
Questions to ask during podcast:
Did you watch the game?
What were your first thoughts when the penalties weren’t converted?
What is your thought of the ‘fans’ who were giving the abuse?
Do you know about Rashford’s charity work?
What are your opinions of taking the knee?
Target Audience Profile
Who are they?
Football fan and anyone who has any interest in the England national team
Where would you find them?
In a public setting as we want to appeal most of the population and the ‘normal’ people in society who will be able to relate with.
What would they be doing?
Playing football, with friends and the pub I believe this is the normal for major football fans.
They would have a normal 9-5 job leaving the evenings and weekends for the family and football.
They would be a family orientated person who either lives with their parents and siblings or partner and children and pet e.g. dog.
Their desires would be a healthy and financially stable family life. Away from family desires things like their team and England winning trophies
I believe his fears would be money orientated as he would need to provide for his family and be a good role model for them, things like being fired or a big obstacle such as illness would be a large frae as it would affect a large portion of their lives.
Conversations to do with football and hobbies would be an enjoyable conversation as it a topic that may take their mind away from problems in real life.
Guests -
Harry will be the guest with Jessie asking questions from the list above, we have decided the roles through my knowledge on the subject and our confidence with talking to a microphone. Izzy will be recording the podcast along with helping overcome mistakes when the people in the studio are talking.
RESEARCH
Research is the process of finding information on a certain topic of your choice. There is 2 forms of research, primary research is when you find the information your self with no books or internet. Secondary research is when you use other peoples books articles and website to get your information. Its purpose is to give your work: structure, meaning ,information and interesting for a reader or listener.
Primary- Primary research is when you find the information yourself with no books or internet.
Secondary- Secondary research is when you use other people's books articles and website to get your information. Its purpose is to give your work structure, meaning, information and is interesting for a reader or listener. Go onto the internet and search the specific topic and copy info down, I could also get some books and read the contents to find the pages that match my topic. This is useful as you can pick out the info key to your work easily.
Questionnaire- give the same question to many people and gather all the differences in the answers.
Focus groups- talk to one group in a particular topic in mind and take notes.
Experiments- go out with for example and microphone.
Interviews- talk to people 1 on 1 and ask questions, you can challenge their answers and delve deeper into their thoughts.
Quotative research is more statistical as it deals with numbers, percentage and rations etc.
Qualitive research is the process of collecting, analysing and interpreting non-numerical data such as language.
I will use secondary research to find examples, events and punishment of racism in football to create an enjoyable listening experience for the listeners.
The research we did as a group for our podcast mainly consisted of secondary research. We looked up news articles and reports from the Euros 2020 Final as this was a peak time of racism in UK football. The main sources we used were BBC and Sky news which we accessed online. After reading through the experiences these footballers lived, we settled on discussing this topic in our podcast. As racism is a big topic to talk about and also can leave a lot of listeners upset, we had to be very careful with the wording of our script and so we used online sources to help us with this.
WEEK 6/7 - FINAL PROJECT
In weeks 6 and 7 is when the recordings and final editing took place. Harry and Jess (people in my group) stood in the booth whilst I recorded. My job was to make sure that the sound was smooth and to correct anything that sounded off. Some of the speech was not correct in the first takes and so I had to communicate that with my group. We then went back to recording with different dialogue that fitted the topic better.
After recording our final product, the editing began. We used adobe production to edit our audio track. With this we cut out any mistakes and added in sound effects like music. We listen through our finished editing piece multiple times and made final editing tweaks to anything that either was not needed or to anything that didn't sound correct.
The podcast that my group created, highlights racism in football within the UK. For 2 weeks prior to creating the podcast, we did a lot of research surrounding this subject as we wanted to ensure we had the correct information to tell others. Upon doing research, we decided to focus a huge part of the podcast on the Euros 2021 final. In this football final, England lost to Italy. This was hugely disappointing for England fans worldwide and resulted in a lot of anger and upset. However, many people took it out on the three black football players who played in that game. Our podcast covers the abuse that these players faced and the outrage that the world felt when the racism started.
PODCAST DESIGNS
The designs I have created are seen below. I went with a very neutral design that did not include a lot of colour. My reasonings for this is because it is aesthetically pleasing and can be eye catching as the design is predominantly white. To represent football in the cover design, I added in a picture of a silhouette of a man playing football as well as the world cup trophy. This trophy is recognised by many people and will stand out too, to confirm that the podcast is about football, the silhouette of a football player is directly next to it. In the top centre if the design, there is the title in bold, black, capital letters - this is to help inform people straight away on the title of the podcast. Directly below the title, is the podcast creators names and hosts. This again is to help people know who will be talking in the podcast and it also credits the creators.
EDITING
Throughout the original recording of the podcast there was a little hesitation from the people in the booth- especially after when questions were asked. To overcome this, we edited and cut out parts of the audio to make it seem like there was not any hesitation when the hosts where speaking. From a listener's point of view, if there is hesitation, it can seem like the hosts are not educated enough to speak openly about that specific topic. It can almost come across that the hosts have not done their research and that they are second guessing what they are saying and so it could seem like the information the listeners are receiving is unreliable.
On top of this, the podcast did not flow nicely all the way through. For example, there were parts of the podcast of just complete silence - which made it sound 'patchy' to listen too. This was easy to edit out as all I had to do was cut out the silent parts and then link up the audio to make it sound even throughout.
Below is a screenshot of part of our editing process.
(purple is music and green is our podcast recording)
EVALUATION/ FEEDBACK
Throughout the original recording of the podcast there was a little hesitation from the people in the booth- especially after when questions were asked. To overcome this, we edited and cut out parts of the audio to make it seem like there was not any hesitation when the hosts where speaking. From a listener's point of view, if there is hesitation, it can seem like the hosts are not educated enough to speak openly about that specific topic. It can almost come across that the hosts have not done their research and they are second guessing what they are saying and so it could seem like the information the listeners are receiving is unreliable.
On top of this, the podcast did not flow nicely all the way through. For example, there were parts of the podcast of just complete silence - which made it sound 'patchy' to listen too. This was easy to edit out as all I had to do was cut out the silent parts and then link up the audio to make it sound even throughout.
The podcast that my group created, highlights racism in football within the UK. Weeks prior to creating the podcast, we did a lot of research surrounding this subject as we wanted to ensure we had the correct information to tell others. Upon doing research, we decided to focus a huge part of the podcast on the Euros 2021 final. In this football final England lost to Italy. This was hugely disappointing for England fans worldwide and resulted in a lot of anger and upset. However, many people took it out on the three black football players who played in that game. Our podcast covers the cruelty that these players faced and the outrage that the world felt when the racism started.
Tutor feedback -
When my tutor listened to the completed project, the feedback overall was positive. The editing was smooth, and it was ‘easy’ to listen too as there was no sharp sounds that were harsh on the ears. However, it was recommended that the into and outro song was changed. This was said because the song is a little too rock and loud for an intro and outro and can seem like it doesn’t fit well into the podcast. We as a group decided that we would keep the song the same as there was a struggle to find a suitable song again and on top of this we would have to go through the editing process again.