[Imc-radio] FW: Call 4 Radio News on MISSING ELECTION ISSUES

[Paul Bengt Riismandel]

	-----Original Message----- 
	From: KCSB News Department [mailto:news at kcsb.org] 
	Sent: Sat 2/14/2004 1:04 AM 
	To: affpac at yahoogroups.com 
	Cc: 
	Subject: Call 4 Radio News on MISSING ELECTION ISSUES
	
	

	Hi All,
	
	We want to feature *your* grassroots radio reports
	on a nationally distributed program played on over
	a dozen community radio stations.  We are
	producing a half-hour newsmagazine focusing on
	election issues that aren't making it into the
	primaries, mainstream media, or party platforms
	(Sometimes not even Dennis Kucinich's or Al
	Sharpton's campaigns).
	
	Gay marriage is on the agenda, but what about
	violence against gays, lesbians, intersex and
	genderqueer people?  Who in the race for the
	presidency is talking about the prison industrial
	complex?  The voices of youth, women, the
	desperately poor and homeless, communities of
	color, immigrants, and the mentally ill are all
	being left out of the national "debate" being
	constructed by the commercial media and the
	campaign staff of the candidates. Take some time
	this week to look into an under-reported issue for
	the presidential campaign and then pitch your
	story to Sprouts by Feb. 20th.
	
	Sprouts is a collaborative weekly program
	syndicated on and produced by a number of
	community/grassroots radio stations featuring the
	best of volunteer-driven, community news and
	feature reporting.  See sample shows at
	http://sproutsradio.org.  We love to work with new
	producers and can provide a lot of technical and
	training support - though we cannot offer money.
	
	Here's how to contribute (please read all
	instructions and production guidelines): (1) Reply
	to us with a brief description of your proposed
	segment by Friday, Feb 20th, at noon Pacific time
	zone. (2) After hearing back from us, submit your
	script, including all elements listed below, by
	Monday, Feb 23rd, at noon Pacific. (3) After
	receiving an edited version from us, submit your
	finished story by Tuesday, Feb 24th, noon Pacific.
	
	"Sprouts," runs on Pacifica's KU Right satellite
	channel each Wednesday at 11 AM PST. It is free to
	non-commercial stations.  Sprouts is also
	available Wednesday mornings as a
	broadcast-quality MP3 at http://hccrc.org/ (ask me
	for downloading instructions).
	
	Full details below!
	
	Thanks,
	Keith
	KCSB, Santa Barbara
	
	
	-----------------------
	Contributing to Sprouts
	-----------------------
	
	Propose your segment to the week's producer by
	e-mailing a brief description.
	
	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, for example, 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 (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 submit
	it all as a single MP3 file in mono (not stereo),
	encoded at 96kbps or higher.
	
	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.
	
	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.
	
	
	
	---------------------------
	PRODUCING A SEGMENT (STORY)
	---------------------------
	
	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 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.
	
	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
	
	Record everything in mono (not stereo, which
	doubles the file size). Mono is how the show airs
	ultimately anyway.
	
	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.  The show airs on different days
	(and even weeks) around the country.
	
	Collect ambient sounds for use throughout the
	segment, especially the beginning. This is radio,
	not print. Use the medium creatively.
	
	For actualities, try to 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.
	
	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 ambiance.
	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.