[Imc-radio] Submit features on POLITICS OF HYGIENE (fwd)

Thu May 22 16:28:19 CDT 2003

FYI:

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Thu, 22 May 2003 16:02:50 -0500
From: Chip Mitchell <chipm at mn.rr.com>
To: sproutsproducer at yahoo.com
Subject: Submit features on POLITICS OF HYGIENE

For next week's "Sprouts," we have openings for segments of 5-7 minutes
on the POLITICS OF HYGIENE, a change of pace from our recent themes
(wars in Africa, government budget cuts, media monopolization, etc.). Be
funny and/or serious. Nothing related to hygiene is out of bounds: body
image, commercialization, practical tips, issues of race, gender,
sexuality, nationality, etc.

Here's how to contribute: (1) Read our production and submission
guidelines below. (2) Reply to me with a brief description of your
proposed segment by this Sunday, 5/25, at noon CST. (3) After hearing
back from me, submit your script, including all elements listed below,
by Monday, 5/26, at noon CST. (4) After receiving an edited version from
me, submit your finished story by Tuesday, 5/27, noon CST.

The show runs on Pacifica's KU Right satellite channel each Wednesday at
1 p.m. CST. It's also available that morning as a broadcast-quality MP3
at http://hccrc.org/ (ask me for downloading instructions). And quicker
versions are available through http://www.kfai.org/kfai2/audarch.htm
(scroll all the way down to the "KFAI Evening News" selections
corresponding to Wednesday 5/14 or Friday 5/23).

"Sprouts," one of the only national outlets accepting long-form features
(4-10 minutes), 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) and WVJW (Wheeling, West Virginia). There's
no budget for paying anyone. We uphold high editorial and production
standards while providing access, training and mentoring to
inexperienced contributors.

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

Chip

****************************
Chip Mitchell
3024 14th Ave. S.
Minneapolis, MN 55407
612-721-3657
chipm at mn.rr.com
Member, Newspaper Guild (Local 2)
Member, National Writers Union (UAW Local 1981)

---------------------------
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.

Collect ambient sounds for use throughout the segment, especially the
beginning. This is radio, not print. Use the medium.

For actualities, include the voices of at least three people.

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.

Use telephone actualities only as a last resort.

Include 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
breaking-news items, and the show airs on different days (and even
weeks) around the country.

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 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.

Do not use time-compression software.

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

Aim for 5 minutes unless you've agreed with the week's producer on
another length.

---------------------------
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 hearing back 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 write clearly and concisely 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 (sometimes known as 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 station's
studios.)

After the week's producer has edited your script, then voice the
segment, mix the audio and submit it all as a single file.

Name your 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.

Convert the file to mono (not stereo). Convert it to an MP3 format,
encoded at 96kbps or higher. 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.

E-mail the producer, announcing that the file is available for her/him
to download. In this message, include (1) the name of the MP3 file and
(2) your final script.