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

.

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: 
.

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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Ethics in advertising

Introduction At present in India, there is no central statutory agency or uniform legislation regulating the advertising industry. The Indian advertising market as a whole is regulated and controlled by a non-statutory body, the Advertising Standards Council of  India (ASCI).  ASCI is a voluntary self-regulatory council established in 1985 to promote responsible advertising and to enhance public confidence in advertisements. ASCI consists of a Board of Governors and a Consumer Complaints Council. The Board of Governors comprises four members from each of the four sections connected with the advertising industry:

• Advertisers

• Advertising Agencies

• Media (owners of press, television, radio etc.)

• Related sectors (e.g. outdoor agencies, PR, market researchers, ad producers, business schools)

The council's objectives are or  Role of the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) 

• To ensure the truthfulness and honesty of representations and claims made by advertisements

• To ensure that advertisements are not offensive to generally accepted standards of public decency

• To safeguard against use of advertising for the promotion of products regarded as hazardous to society or to individuals.

• To ensure that advertisements observe fairness in competition of generally accepted competitive behavior in business

 Products and Services Banned From Advertising 

The advertisement must not make any direct or indirect reference to the prohibited or restricted products. 

The advertisement must not create any nuances or phrases promoting prohibited productsThe advertisement must not use particular colours and layout or presentations associated with prohibited or restricted products. 

The advertisement must not use situations typical for promotion of prohibited or restricted products when advertising the other products

Tobacco , Infant Milk Food, Human Organs Magical Remedies Infant formula, Prize Chits and Money Circulation Schemes,  Advertising Alcohol (Beer, Wine, and Spirits) Physicians Regulations Related to Product and Service, Professionals such as Chartered Accountants, Company Secretaries & Cost Accountants Firearms, Weapons, and Ammunition, Religion Advertising to Children (advertising during and immediately before and after children's programming) . Physicians are not allowed to advertise their services in any form or manner of advertising through any mode, as soliciting of patients directly or indirectly.
the Press Council of India prohibit any advertisement directly or indirectly promoting the production, sale, or consumption of cigarettes, tobacco products, wine, liquor, or other intoxicants. However, some states allow advertising through billboards, signboards etc. 

The Indian Penal Code 1860 prohibits obscene publications. Further, the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act, 1986 prohibits indecent representations of women.  
As per the Food Safety & Standards Act, 2006, no advertisement relating to the standard, quality, quantity or grade-composition.

The Infant Milk Substitutes, Feeding Bottles and Infant Foods (Regulation of Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 1992 prohibits the advertising of infant milk substitutes or feeding bottles.

The Public Gambling Act, 1867 prohibits gambling activities in India. The Information Technology Act, 2000 was also amended to ban Internet gambling and online betting websites. 
The Lotteries (Regulation) Act, 1998  Under section 294-A of the Indian Penal Code, advertisements of a lottery unless it is in accordance with the Lotteries (Regulation) Act shall be punishable.
The Prize Competitions Act, 1955 controls and regulates prize competitions in certain parts of India and prohibits the advertisement of unauthorized prize competitions.

Under the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act 1986 Advertisements related to sexuality are allowed with the provision that there should not be any indecent representation of women . 
Under the Cable Television Networks Rules 1994, advertisement based on religion or to hurt religious sentiments are not allowed. Also, such advertisement may be punishable under Indian Penal Code 1860

The Young Persons (Harmful Publications) Act, 1956 prohibits advertisements relating to any harmful publication i.e., any publication that tends to corrupt a young person (person under the age of 18 years) by inciting or encouraging him or her to commit offenses or acts of violence or cruelty or in any other manner whatsoever.

According to the ASCI Code, advertisements addressed to minors shall not contain anything, whether in illustration or otherwise, which might result in their physical, mental, or moral harm or which exploits their vulnerability. 

• For example, advertisements may not: 
  

  • Encourage minors to enter strange places or to converse with strangers in an effort to collect coupons, wrappers, labels or the like

  • Feature dangerous or hazardous acts which are likely to encourage minors to emulate such acts in a manner which could cause harm or injury

  • Show minors using or playing with matches or any inflammable or explosive substance; or playing with or using sharp knives, guns, or mechanical or electrical appliances, the careless use of which could lead to their suffering cuts, burns, shocks, or other injury

  • Feature minors in promoting tobacco or alcohol-based product..
  • Endanger the safety of children or creates in them any interest in unhealthy practices or shows them begging or in an undignified or indecent manner.
  •                               

The ASCI Code provides that advertisements  Norms for Journalist Conduct issued by the Press Council of India Act and ASCI Code.

• Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution of India protects the right to freedom of speech and expression, which is also extended to advertisements. However, like any other right, this freedom is also subject to reasonable restrictions imposed by Article 19(2) of the Constitution of India.

• Derides any race, caste, color, creed, or nationality

• Tends to incite people to crime or to promote disorder and violence or intolerance

• Presents criminality as desirable or directly or indirectly encourages people, particularly minors, to emulate it or conveys the modus operandi of any crime

• Adversely affects friendly relations with a foreign state

• Criticism of friendly countries

• Attack on religions or communities

• Obscenity

• Defamation

• Incitement to violence or anything against maintenance of law and order

• Contempt of court

• Aspersions against the integrity of the president and judiciary

• Anything compromising the integrity of the nation

• Criticism by name of any person

• Derides any race, caste, color, creed, or nationality

• Is against any provision of the Constitution of India

• Tends to incite people to crime, cause disorder or violence or breach of law or glorifies iolence or obscenity in any way
• Exploits the national emblem, or any part of the Constitution or the person or personality of a national leader or a State dignitary

• In its depiction of women, violates the constitutional guarantees to all citizens. In particular, no advertisement shall be permitted which projects a derogatory image of women

• Exploits social evils like dowry, child marriage

• Promotes directly or indirectly production, sale or consumption of cigarettes, tobacco products, wine, alcohol, liquor or other intoxicants. However a product that uses a brand name or logo which is also used for cigarettes, tobacco products, wine, alcohol, liquor or other intoxicants, may be advertised subject to prescribed conditions

• Promotes infant milk substitutes, feeding bottles, or infant food

• Be wholly or mainly of a religious or political nature or be directed towards any religious or political end

• Contain references which hurt religious sentiments

• Promote goods or services that suffer from any defect or deficiency as mentioned in Consumer Protection Act, 1986

• Contain references which are likely to lead the public to infer that the product advertised or any of its ingredients has some special or miraculous or super-natural property or quality which is difficult to prove.

• The picture and the audible matter of the advertisement shall not be excessively "loud".

• Contain indecent, vulgar, suggestive, repulsive or offensive themes

• All advertisement should be clearly distinguishable from the programme and should not in any manner interfere with the programme viz, use of lower part of screen to carry captions, static or moving alongside the programme.

• No programme shall carry advertisements exceeding twelve minutes per hour, which may include up to ten minutes per hour of commercial advertisements, and up to two minutes per hour of a channel's self-promotional programmes.

• Refraining from advocating or encouraging superstition 

• advertisements exceeding twelve minutes in a clock hour in any broadcast of its programme.

• The time gap between end of one advertisement session and the commencement of next advertisement session shall not be less than fifteen minutes (thirty minutes in case of a movie). However, this restriction is not applicable to live broadcast of a sporting event.

Furthermore, the ASCI Code states that no advertisement shall be permitted which:

Radio & Doordarshan Advertising

The Code for Commercial Advertising on Doordarshan and All India Radio⁴: All advertisement on Doordarshan andAll India Radio ("AIR") should conform to the code issued by Director General of each Doordarshan and AIR respectively. These codes have also mandated compliance to the ASCI Code and in general prohibit any advertisement containing the following:

TV Advertising

The advertising code issued under the Cable Television Network Rules, 1994 require advertising carried on the cable service to conform to the laws of the country and not to offend morality, decency, or religious sensibilities of the subscribers. The rules make the ASCI Code compulsory for television and state that no advertisement which violates the ASCI Code shall be carried on the cable service. Under the rules, no advertisement shall be permitted though cable services which:

News Broadcasters Association Regulations: News Broadcasters Association("NBA") represents the private television news & current affairs broadcasters in India. NBA presently has 20 leading news and current affairs broadcasters (comprising 45 news and current affairs channels) as its members. According to News Broadcasting Standards Regulations (NBA Regulations) issued by NBA any broadcast (which includes advertisement) should be in compliance with NBA's code of conduct. NBA's code has made procedure for compliant against broadcaster who in breach inter alia of the following:

 Length, Volume, and Frequency of Commercials

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has issued the Standard of Quality of Service (Duration of Advertisements in Television Channels) Regulations, 2012, which regulates the duration of broadcasting an advertisement and the length of the commercial. Main features of these regulations are as under:

a Indian Broadcasting Foundation and Broadcasting Content Complaints Council ("BCCC")

ASCI and ASCI's Consumer Complaints Council (ASCI's CCC)

Electronic Media Monitoring Centre (EMMC

Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI)

News Broadcasters Association and News Broadcasting Standards Authority

Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI)

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