Guidelines for radio programme production

Radio is a crucial tool in introducing and updating consumers on important issues of the day. It helps consumer groups reach a wide variety of people – even those in the most remote areas – and is relatively inexpensive.  Producing a good radio programme may seem like a relatively simple task, but in reality it requires a great deal of thought and,effort to provide consumers to listen to and remember.

The Guidelines and audio cassette use the  British Broadcasting Service (BBC) is the pre-eminent producer of radio programmes in the world. Much can be learned from its methods – and mistakes!  And hopefully, consumer organizations can use these Guidelines to break down traditional barriers and provide ever-more innovative and dynamic programmes for consumers.

Guidelines for radio programme production

Purpose

Making a radio programme is a voyage of discovery. There is always something new

to learn, some different technique to try,some unexpected turn of events to explore

– and there i

Making a consumer affairs programme is a particularly good example of radio which is actively engaged with its audience. Their concerns become our concerns – and consumer issues which you have discovered, and illuminated – will enhance their awareness..

Cultural norms and expectations will differ from country to country. What constitutes a

consumer issue in one part of the world might be deemed unimportant in another.

But the basic elements in making a good programme are the same, no matter what part

of the world you live in. Good craftsmanship, focus, enthusiasm, attention to detail, using your imagination – these exist beyond cultural boundaries, or issues of regional differences.

Making a radio programme often involves several people. There might be an editor,

producer(s), writer(s) or reporter(s), production assistant, secretary, and technical staff all working on it, plus those who become involved with the programme through being interviewed or consulted. A radio programme can do many things.

For example, it can

• inform

• educate

• entertain

• campaign

It can even do all these things within the same programme. But it should have a primary

focus. For example – a programme featuring a  Guidelines for radio programme production

Who is the programme for?

The programmer should know the listeners, whom he programme is for the

of course.

Factors to keepnin mind are:

•A broadcaster  can attract listeners; it will depend on what time of day your programme is broadcast, and on what day of the week it is broadcast.

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• if we broadcast a particular type of item, you will attract a particular type of listener.

If we want to attract a broad general audience we must deal with concerns which will attract a broad audience.

• we want to cover issues which are of interest to listeners with special interests or requirements – for example, disabled listeners.

:

• convince your listeners that we are on their side, and interested in what concerns them

• encourage them to feel part of the programme

• encourage them to contribute their views and concerns to you

• not patronise them.

The basic options are:

• Magazine programmes

• Single issue programme or programmes

• Series of magazine programmes with single issue specials

Magazine programmes

These are programmes containing a variety of different items. The programme will have longer and shorter pieces, and might include a regular round-up of consumer news, an interview, a discussion, an in-depth feature, a short ‘filler’item. A regular series covering consumer affairs would most likely be composed of magazine programmes, because they allow for coverage of a wide variety of issues and concerns. Magazine programmes may be broadcast ‘live’or ‘pre-recorded’ , though live programmes

will almost certainly contain a number of pre-recorded elements.

Single Issue programmes

These are programmes which are devoted to one issue, covered in greater depth than could . The issue must be of great enough concern to warrant a full programme; nevertheless it is more difficult to achieve broad audience appeal using this format. Single issue programmes are usually always pre-recorded, although they may allow time for a ‘live’ studio discussion following the recorded section of the show.

Magazine series with Single issue specials

This format provides the best of both worlds:a regular magazine series, with the occasional special allowing for more in-depth coverage of issues deemed to be particularly significant.

Duration

What duration is available to you will ultimately be decided by the radio station

or network which is broadcasting your programme, but as a general guideline:

Conventionally, radio magazine programmes broadcast by the BBC have tended to be of thirty minutes duration.

Deciding on your format and approach

It was decided that issues of specific concern to those two groups should be included in “You and Yours”, rather than in separate programmes. “You and Yours” has a large production team and an established history, and is therefore able to sustain an hour long daily programme; it would still be advisable for programme makers setting up a new consumer affairs programme, to aim, at least initially, for a

thirty minute time slot.

Building a programme

Whether your programme is a one-off, or a whole series, whether it is a magazine programme or an in-depth look at a single issue, it will need a presenter – someone to explain what’s happening and guide the listener through the subject (s) being dealt with. This person is crucial to the success of your programme. A presenter must:

• establish his or her authority and confidence. (nothing bothers an audience

more than hearing a presenter who sounds unsure, tense, confused, or diffident)

• sound genuinely interested

• convey goodwill toward the audience and the participants in the programme

(even where a confrontation is necessary). A presenter may need to challenge

someone’s view, but should not do it with vindictiveness or spite.

• be able to represent ‘the ordinary person’ when confronted with experts; the

presenter should be able to clarify or interpret the expert’s answers, if necessary

• never patronise

• speak clearly and have a generally appealing voice and manner.

Pace

If you were listening to a piece of music which had the same pace and rhythm all the way through, no change of pace or mood, you would soon be bored! be aware of the importance of changing the mood and pace as you move from one item to another.

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Tone

The tone of your programme will be set by the presenter’s general manner, and the content. listeners would most appreciate, and experience will help you find a tone which suits your purposes, and your audience.

Content

• consumer affairs publications and press releases

• newspaper items

• special interest groups and societies

• individual consumers who contact you

• events guides

• press releases from government andother organisations

• campaigns by established or ad hoc groups

• novelty or humourous items or events

• new products – effectiveness, safety

• unusual new products

• public services/utilities

• unusual new businesses

• community groups

• alternative lifestyle groups

• medical news or journals, health, diet

• pollution issues/pollution monitoring groups

Programme elements

Whether you are producing a magazine programme, or a single-issue programme, the

basic content will probably be made up of similar elements:

• script

• interviews

• with ‘ordinary people’

• with experts

• with official spokespersons from government or organisations

• vox pops

• features

• discussions

• archive material

• actuality

• news round-ups

• humourous or ‘light’ items

• special effects

• music

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How to write for Radio Drama

1. Radio is based in oral tradition .   Radio appeals to the imagination of the listeners.. A good radio writer knows how to tap into the imaginations of the listeners by creating strong word pictures, engaging characters, and action-filled events.  Radio can cross time and space without limit, he can  move through time freely and create environments without restriction,   Radio is a personal medium. Although it can reach millions of listeners at the same time.

The Strengths and Limitations of Radio

Radio, like every other communication medium, has its own characteristics, strengths, and  limitations. Writing a radio serial for social development does require an understanding of the following fundamentals of learning, especially adult learning, since most dramas for social change are created for adult audiences.

1. Relevance. People, particularly adults, learn best when they see that the information offered is relevant to their own lives. Listeners who identify themselves with role-model characters in the drama are more likely to be motivated to learn and to change.

2. Appropriate pacing. Radio programe when it is delivered at a pace appropriate to the learners, keeping them involved and stimulated without overwhelming them. Careful evaluation of audience reaction to the pilot programs can help radio writers ensure that the pace with which information is delivered is appropriate to the audience.

3. Incremental learning. Learning is almost always incremental, that is, certain basic steps are mastered before more complex steps can be understood and practiced. Similarly,it is impossible to control the spread of malaria without understanding, first, that a certain type of mosquito carries the disease and, second, how to control the mosquitos. In motivating changes in individual behavior

and social norms, it is important to understand current levels of knowledge and attitudes in the community. Only with this understanding will the writer know what style of program to create,

where to focus the instruction, and how to adjust that focus as the serial drama progresses.

4. Distributed learning. Different people learn in different ways. Some learn from direct instruction, while others learn better by observing and copying the behavior of peers. Some absorb information after only one exposure, while others need to hear and see it a number of times before fully accepting it. “Distributed learning” is the term educators use to describe the process of presenting the same information in several different ways over time (de Fossard et al. 1993).

Characteristics of Radio

1. The total experience of radio is received by the ear alone. This is in contrast to the multisensory perception of everyday life. The writer therefore must remember to fill in details that, in real life, would be provided by

the listeners’ other senses, such as vision or smell. The writer must create scripts that allow listeners to imagine what they are hearing.

2. Listeners are accustomed to using radio as a background to their lives, without paying full attention to what is being broadcast. When radio is used to motivate positive social change, the writer must be sure to attract and

hold the listeners’ full attention, and to encourage listening literacy

3. Radio offers great opportunities for the use of sound effects and music. The good radio writer, however, uses these aids judiciously, recognizing that overuse of sound can be more destructive than constructive on radio. Successful radio drama depends more on powerful dialogue and strong emotional attraction than on added noise. 4 Radio can be used to teach many things, but  there are some areas where it falls short. For

example, it would be difficult for a doctor to learn how to remove an appendix just by listening to a radio program. To overcome such difficulties, the writer should recommend support materials in other media

(such as print) if the subject cannot be dealt with adequately through radio alone.

5. A radio story or message is heard only once. The radio cannot be rewound like an audio cassette or turned back like the pages of a book. The radio writer, therefore, must ensure clarity, simplicity, and repetition in the

delivery of important messages or educationalinformation.

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6. Radio is a one-way medium. Audio directors, actors, and program  designers cannot receive immediate feedback from listeners during a broadcast

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How to write for radio drama

1. Allow the audience to get to know a few characters well especially the major character of the main plot and the central uniting character before introducing the message.

2. Attract the listeners’ attention at the beginning of each episode. Because so many listeners use radio as “background,” the writer should start each scene,particularly the first scene in each episode, with a hook, that is, a dramatic action or statement that grabs the listener’s attention

3. Avoid overloading the serial with the message. Keep the message brief and subtle. It is one

Guideline that, a ratio of 25 percent message to 75 percent story in each episode.

4. Repeat the important parts of the message. Use the multi-plot nature of the serial format to bring in the message repeatedly, in different ways with different characters. This allows listeners who were not paying full attention the first time to hear the message on another occasion.

5. Offer the audience ways to respond to or interact with the program. There are a number of ways in which listeners canbecome involved in the program. Listeners can respond orally, for example, with physical activities, or in writing.

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Characteristics of Radio Serial Drama

The Meaning of Drama

The English word “drama” derives from the Greek word “dran” meaning “to do.” Thus, a drama is a story performed or “done” by actors on stage, radio,film, television, in an open field, or even on the street. . A writer mustunderstand the classic structure and components of a typical drama to be able to weave the multiple stories of a serial together harmoniously.

Dramatic Conflict

Dramatic conflict is a vital feature of any drama, whether performed on stage, television, or radio, because it attracts and holds the attention of the audience. Dramatic conflict refers to the unusual, often unexpected, turns that occur in all human activities that create uncertainty, tension, suspense,

or surprise. Every event, every circumstance, every relationship in life is subject to uncertainty. The etimes unimportant consequences. Individual people react differently—

A. Outline of Story without Dramatic Conflict

Sitha is a loving wife. She lived with her husband Rama inside the wood. Ravana kipnap her. Rama saved her from the cruel man Ravana.

B. Outline of Story with Dramatic Conflict
We are add the characters Ramas brother, Narada Ravana sister and how to ravana kipnap, also we can dramatize how to fooled seetha by auidentified Raana's trick. 

Dramatic conflict follows one of three patterns:

1. A person (or persons) against “fate” or the unseen forces of life. This  type of dramatic conflict is not suitable for Enter-Educate drama, which must assure audience members that they can take control of and improvetheir lives.

Example A: A famous athlete is planning to take part in the Olympic

Games and try for a gold medal. He practices hard and takes good care of

himself in preparation for the contest. A month before the Games begin,

he is riding home on the bus. A tire bursts, and the bus skids, crashes into

a light pole, and overturns. The athlete’s leg and hip are injured and he is

taken to the hospital. It is clear that he will not be able to compete in the

Olympics. He is depressed and angry at his bad luck but is determined to

run again, declaring that he will not be defeated by a problem that was

not of his own making.

2. One person (or group of people) against another.

Example B: A young woman has a burning ambition to become a doctor. Her father can afford to send her to medical school, but he refuses to pay for her education. He believes that women should not pursue aprofession but should devote their lives to the care of their husbands and children. The young View blogwoman must either obey her father's orders, find a way to persuade her father to change his mind, or run away from home and find a way to support herself.

3. A person against himsef or helrself. Many of the most difficult decisions that people make in life are those they must make alone on their own behalf. Choosing between two equally valid options can create a difficult dilemma—although it need not be tragic or world-shattering.

Example C: A young mother, Glenda, has to decide whether to name

her baby daughter Jessie, as she would like to do, or to name her Magda

after her paternal

Dramatic conflict can cause the audience to be horrified, amused, or emotionally affected in some more moderate way. Indeed, the very same conflict can give rise to different reactions in the audience, depending on how it is handled in the drama. Consid

Example D: A man and his wife plan a wonderful wedding anniversary

party and invite all their friends. They are extremely anxious that

everything will go well, so they spare no expense and they go over every

detail a hundred times to make sure nothing will go wrong. Ten minutes

before the guests are due to arrive, there is a sudden electricity blackout.

The response to this unexpected turn of events might be:

• Tragic, if, in the sudden darkness, the wife falls down the stairs and

is killed.

• Humorous, if the husband, who has to finish dressing in the dark,

puts on mismatched shoes and rubs toothpaste into his hair instead

of hair oil.

• Emotionally affecting, if the party has to be canceled as a result of

the sudden and prolonged blackout. The audience shares in the

disappointment of the couple, who see their party ruined after their

weeks of preparation and anticipation.

Dramatic conflict is influenced or even caused by the personalities of the

characters involved. In Example A (above), the Sithass personality

determined her response to the unfortunate accident, that is, whether or not

he would continue to pursue his Olympic dream. In Example B, the father’s

personality led to his laying down the law for his daughter. Her personality,

in turn, will determine how she responds to his treatment and will shape the

outcome of the conflict between them. In Example C, the personalities of the

mother, father, and grand mother may influence the decision made about the

little girl’s name. In Example D, the personalities of the husband and wife

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The Structure of a Drama

Every drama, is built on the same fivepart structure:

1. Introduction. The beginning of the drama, during which the major character appears perhaps along with one or two other characters, the plot (action) is initiated, the dramatic conflict is begun or hinted at, and the theme is foreshadowed.

2. Development (with conflict). The main body of the drama, during which the plot advances and dramatic conflict develops.

3. Climax. The point where the dramatic conflict becomes so intense that something must happen to end it.

4. Resolution or denouement. The final portion of the plot, in which the dramatic conflict is resolved or the problem solved. The conflict may be resolved in an unpleasant manner, for example, by divorce, murder, war,or death. Alternatively, the conflict may be resolved amicably or even in an amusing way. In an Enter-Educate drama, a negative resolution demonstrates what can happen if the pro-social message is ignored; a positive resolution shows the rewards of a message learned and practiced.

5. Conclusion. The ending, during which the loose ends of the story are tied up, either by the writer or the audience. Some cultures enjoy “dilemma tales,” in which the action stops just before the conclusion

to allow audience members to fill in the ending for themselves.

What is structure?

The way a play is organised or shaped.Naturalistic Structure:

This structure is usually associated with Stanislavski.

It gives the illusion of real life presented on stage. There is unity of time and place.The action evolves through the situations and personalities of the characters. EastEnders is a good example of a naturalistic structure.

Classical Structure:

This structure is usually associated with the plays of Shakespeare.

This follows the shape of three acts. Act one usually introduces the main protagonist and an incident that needs to be solved. The second act will deal with the character and plot development. The final act resolves the action. If the play ends badly it is a tragedy. If it ends well it is classed as a comedy. Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller follows a classical structure.

Surreal structure:

This structure is associated with Artaud, Stephen Berkoff and Absurdist theatre.

The play is not set in a recognisable place or time. The task is to take the audience on a journey into the subconscious or dream-world.

Episodic Structure:

This structure is associated with the plays of Brecht. Lots of relatively short scenes are linked together by the same character, place or theme. Scenes could be shuffled around and placed in a different order because there is no overall beginning, middle and end. Dr Kovak's Example and Stone Cold are examples of plays that use an episodic structure.

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Components of a Drama

Every story and every drama—whether it is a one-hour performance or a serial continuing for ten years—contains the same four components:

Characters: The people about whom the drama is created. (Sometimes,characters are animals or things, as in children’s stories, folk tales, and fables.) Most stories revolve around one major character whose strongest personality trait—which may be positive, negative, or both—is responsible for or contributes

to the dramatic conflict.

Plot: The chain of events or actions in which the characters are involved and during which the dramatic conflict develops setting: The place(s) and time(s) during which the action takes place.

Theme: The emotional focus of the drama. The theme reflects a universal moral value or emotion that is understandable to all people at all times, such as truth, courage, love, fear,greed, or envy.

Message: A specific message or lesson for the audience that is related to the theme. For example, a drama based on the universaltheme of the joy of parenthood might also contain thehealth message that both fathers and mothers need to bealert to their children’s health needs and even willing to forgo other activities in order to provide their children with proper care.

Entertainment -Except Educate dramas have a fifth component, which is not normally found

in dramas designed purely for entertainment, that is:

3

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Types of Radio Drama

Radio drama can be presented in three different styles: 
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1. as an independent drama, 
2. as a series, or 
3. as a serial

The independent drama can be likened to a short story,  it tells the complete story in one broadcast, usually lasting no longer than one hour. It can be shorter, as short as five minutes,for example, when the drama is broadcast as a brief segment on a thirty minute radio magazine program.

The drama series is a collection of independent dramas that use the same major characters in each program. For example, the characters of the father and his three sons from the fablestory above could appear in further programs, with each program telling a different story, underscoring a different theme, and teaching a different message. Extra characters might  appear in the other stories, and some might appear in more than one story,but none would appear as regularly as the farmer and his sons. Each drama in the series would be completed in one program. Some of the program titles

for such a series might be:

• The Farmer and his Sons and the Plague of Rats

• The Farmer and his Sons Build a Big Barn

The serial is an ongoing story that continues from one broadcast toanother. Each episode is open-ended, and the story is picked up and continued in the next episode. A serial can be likened to a novel, where the

story is divided into chapters, with each chapter leading into the next. Aserial may be as short as six 15-minute episodes, aired weekly, or it can continue on a daily basis for decades without end. A continuing drama that is presented in fewer than six episodes is usually referred to as a mini-series or

“two-” or “three-part” drama.

If the story of “The of  Sindhubad in Maiden land” were to be made into a serial, the story would not end where it does. Rather, it would continue into moreepisodes with other characters and other plots introduced to enrich the story.

For example, one son might find it impossible to do as his father suggested

and take himself off to the city to set up a business of his own, where he

could wor

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