[Imc-radio] Pitch segments on AGE

[Sascha Meinrath]

FYI:

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Thu, 12 Jun 2003 13:07:48 -0500
From: Chip Mitchell <chipm at mn.rr.com>
To: chipm at mn.rr.com
Subject: Pitch segments on AGE


For next week's "Sprouts," we have openings for 5-minute segments on
AGE. The week's producer is Steve Zelaznik (zelaznik at yahoo.com) of WORT
in Madison, who queries: "I am looking for anything from stories on age
discrimination, to more lighthearted stories about either youth or
senior citizens mobilizing politically. Maybe political refugees are
disappointed that their kids are apathetic toward their cause. Stories
of youth in prison. Questions about how to deal with Social Security and
an aging population. We are looking for a variety of formats and
lengths: Reports, interviews, narratives, audio collages, essays. Even
if you don't have a story to contribute. Give me suggestions for music
buttons and transitions. Any piece of music relating to age."

Here's how to contribute: (1) Read our production and submission
guidelines below. (2) Reply to Steve Zelaznik (zelaznik at yahoo.com) with
a brief proposal for your segment by Sunday, 6/15, noon CST, but
preferably sooner. (3) After getting the green light from Steve, submit
your script by Monday, 6/16, noon CST. (4) After receiving an edited
version from Steve, submit your finished segment by Tuesday, 6/17, noon
CST.

"Sprouts," one of the only national outlets accepting long-form
segments, is a half-hour newsmagazine produced and broadcast by a
growing list of community radio stations, including KCSB (Santa Barbara,
California), KFAI (Minneapolis), KGNU (Boulder, Colorado), KVNF (Paonia,
Colorado), WBAI (New York City), WHUS (Storrs, Connecticut), WJFF
(Jeffersonville, New York), WORT (Madison) and WVJW (Wheeling, West
Virginia). Never heard it? Visit http://www.kfai.org/kfai2/audarch.htm
and scroll all the way down to the "KFAI Evening News - Wednesday" and
select "most recent show." We prefer working with folks at stations
airing the show or, at least, with folks who're advocating for the show
to air on their station.

There's no pay. But we uphold high editorial and production standards
while providing access, training and mentoring to contributors of all
skill levels. The show runs on Pacifica's KU Right satellite channel
each Wednesday at 2 p.m. EST. And a broadcast-quality MP3 becomes
available around the same time at http://hccrc.org/.

If you'd appreciate any help producing your segment, we'll connect you
with Free Speech Radio News co-producer Randi Zimmerman, based at
Tampa's WMNF. She and Steve are all happy to provide any coaching or
troubleshooting on your segment's conceptualization, research, audio
gathering, scripting, voicing, mixing, MP3 uploading and so on.


---------------------------
PRODUCING A SEGMENT (STORY)
---------------------------

See what you can learn from Free Speech Radio News guidelines:
http://www.fsrn.org/guidelines/Basic_Technical_Guidelines.html
http://www.fsrn.org/guidelines/Voice_techniques.html
http://www.fsrn.org/guidelines/mic_techniques.html

If you're using cassette tapes during the sound-gathering or production
processes, use high-bias or metal ones (avoid the cheap stuff). If it's
available, use Dolby B for recording and playback; if it's not available
for both recording and playback, use no Dolby. Make sure your recorder's
heads, pinch rollers, and capstans are clean. Make sure the azimuth and
speed are adjusted correctly.

Record everything in mono (not stereo, which doubles the file size).
Mono is how the show airs ultimately anyway.

This is radio, not print. Use the medium and collect AUDIO. Record
ambient sounds for use throughout the segment, especially the beginning.
Use telephone actualities only as a last resort. Get out of the studio!
If necessary, search the Web; check out http://www.zooish.com/Sounds.htm
and http://www.avgeeks.com (audio from thousands of old films at
"Download some nifty films from the Internet Moving Image Archive"; use
the search function). Let us know about any Web audio troves you find.

Seek actualities to represent more than one side of a story. We don't
earn credibility or captivate listeners by providing just one viewpoint.
Airing contrasts and conflicts is most interesting and truthful.

Script no verb tenses or time references ("today," "last week,"
"Sunday," etc.) that will render the segment out-of-date within two
weeks of the deadline. These are magazine-style features, not spot-news
items, and the show airs on different days (and in different weeks)
around the country.

If you're not recording on location or in a professional studio, make
sure the room's walls (and, if possible, its ceiling and floor) have
"baffling" to avoid resonance from your voice. The baffling can be
anything porous: egg cartons, foam rubber, carpeting, old blankets, etc.

Try to edit (splice) between sentences only. When doing so, leave the
space of one breath between each sentence--usually between 1/4 and 1
second, depending on the reading pace. This rule applies whether the
splice connects sentences spoken by the same person or whether it
connects the reporter's voiceover to an actuality (or vice-versa).

Try to begin with 3-10 seconds of ambient sound.

Try to use ambient sounds through the entire piece. Use the audio to
define the beginning of a new section in your segment, then fade it
partially so it remains as a "bed" for your voiceover.

Try to cross-fade all sounds, so listeners cannot perceive any sharp
changes, unless you intend them to.

Refer to all locations in a way that makes sense to a national audience.
For example, specify the states of all but the largest U.S. cities (e.g.
say "Wisconsin" before or immediately following the first reference to
"Madison"). And describe locations in relation to the nearest big city
("He represents a suburb called Corcoran, a half-hour west of
Minneapolis").

Local stories are terrific, but explain the national context and
significance. Just a couple lines, even a single phrase, may do.

While recording into a computer or minidisc unit, use headphones to
monitor the volume (the "level"). And check the meter frequently to make
sure the peaks don't ever exceed -4 dB. This will avoid "clipping" --
the scratchy sound when a peak overloads a digital system.

Maintain volume consistency.

Try to cross-fade most transitions between your voiceover, the
actualities and the ambient sounds. If you don't have confidence in your
mixing skills, feel free to separate your file into three sections --
voiceover, actualities and ambience. Your script (see below) will enable
us to do the mixing in proper sequence.

Aim for 5 minutes unless you've agreed with the week's producer on
another length. Do not use time-compression software.


---------------------------
SUBMITTING A SEGMENT
---------------------------

Propose your segment to the week's producer by e-mailing a brief
description. If you don't know who's producing the week's show or
whether the show's segments must address a theme (budget cuts, antiwar
protests, FCC rulings, etc.), find out from Chip Mitchell,
chipm at mn.rr.com. If he's not available, contact Ursula Ruedenberg,
ursula at wbai.org.

After getting the green light from the week's producer, submit your
script for editing before voicing the story. Why? One reason is
accessibility and training for reporters of all skill levels: Working
with an editor is the best way to improve our ability to, for example,
write clearly for the ear. Everyone needs an editor to make the most of
a story, and such detailed feedback almost never comes after the segment
has aired. Another reason is respect for the reporter's time: It's not
fair to ask anyone to produce a story "on spec" (on speculation, not
knowing for sure that it's running). We don't ever want to reject a
produced segment because there's a script problem (libel, for example)
and no time for the reporter to revoice and remix it.

Make sure your script includes: (1) Your segment's approximate length
(minutes and seconds). (2) Your e-mail address and phone number(s). (3)
A suggested introduction (a.k.a. "lede") for the host. (4) The complete
text of the reporter's voice. (5) At least the first and last few words
of every actuality. (6) An outcue that includes your name, your home
station (if you have one), and the place where most of the reporting
occurred. (This place, usually a city, is not necessarily the location
of your studio.)

After the week's producer has edited your script, then voice the
segment, mix the audio and prepare a single mono (not stereo) file.

Insert at least 5 seconds of silence at the beginning and end of your
segment. MP3 conversions and Web uploading/downloading often snip off a
few seconds.

"Normalize" the volume levels to 40 percent. If your audio software
doesn't do that or you don't know how, just reduce the entire segment's
volume level by about 5 dB. That's because the conversion and Web
uploading processes seems to elevate the levels, resulting in "hot"
(overloaded) sound or even "clipping" (scratchy sounds) at the peaks.

Convert your file to an MP3, encoded at 96kbps or higher

Name the file with the production date (YYYYMMDD format), followed by
your station, followed by a brief title (e.g.
20030523_kgnu_kidsprotest.mp3). Use only lowercase characters. Use
underscores (_) instead of spaces. Don't use quotes, apostrophes or
slashes.

Upload it through the High Country Community Radio Coalition site: (1)
Go to http://www.hccrc.org/secure/transfer. (2) Key in the username:
(we'll provide it after receiving your script). (3) Key in the password:
(we'll provide it after receiving your script). (4) Follow the prompts.

Test the file by downloading it from http://www.hccrc.org/pickup/ (same
username and password). Listen especially for "clipping" (scratchy
sounds) at the volume peaks. If there's any clipping or it just sounds
too hot, reduce the segment's volume a bit and upload it again.

E-mail the producer, announcing that the MP3 is available for
downloading. In this message, include (1) the name of the file and (2)
the script again, including any changes since the producer edited it.


****************************
Chip Mitchell
'Sprouts' Collaboration Coordinator
KFAI-FM, Minneapolis
612-721-3657
chipm at mn.rr.com
Member, Newspaper Guild (Local 2)
Member, National Writers Union (UAW Local 1981)