Main emphasis is on the journalistic skills of writing and reporting
for radio (conciseness, writing for the ear, descriptive writing,
and narrative structures using scenes).The course teaches basic
technical skills (Recording and microphone technique, Pro Tools
digital audio mixing, use of mixing board) but is not primarily
a technical course. Students are encouraged to make full use of
the state of the art workstations in radio lab, which is open
24 hours a day.
All pieces are edited by instructors before being recorded and
produced, and all pieces are played and critiqued in class. Each
class, as a general rule, consists of journalism/writing instruction,
technical instruction and a reporting/writing assignment.
This course alone will not necessarily prepare you for a professional
career in radio, but students will master basic skills and open
your ears to a fascinating and artful part of journalism they
may not have considered before.
All students completing Radio Skills, whether in print or broadcast
concentrations, are eligible for the spring semester courses:
Radio Workshop, Radio Writing, and Documentary Radio.
Radio Skills is offered in two configurations, depending on whether
students are broadcast or print concentrators:
1. Radio Skills/RW1 Radio Writing and Reporting is for broadcast
concentrators enrolled in Broadcast RW1. Broadcast students cover
the Radio Skills material in three weeks in August. The course
continues as the first four or five weeks of Broadcast Reporting
and Writing (RW1). Broadcast radio classes meet one day a week
and last from six hours to a full day.
2. Radio Skills is also offered as seven shorter classes for
print and part-time students. Classes meet once a week and last
approximately four hours.
Schedule: Pay close attention to the schedule provided by the
school and your instructors. Do not be late. On some class days,
you will be expected to arrive early enough to check out equipment
before class.
You will write and produce three radio pieces in Radio Skills,
and additional pieces in Radio Skills/RW1 Radio Writing and Reporting,
as assigned by your instructor. Professors will give you a face-to-face
edit for each piece and pieces will be played and critiqued in
class.
Deadlines will be given in precise detail for
each class. In some cases you will be expected to finish a piece
in class. In general, if you have not completed production of
your piece on time, you will set it aside in order to participate
in class auditions or show production. It is your responsibility
to complete the late piece on your own time and turn in script
and cassette tape to the professor at a time set by the professor.
Cassette Tapes: You will be given two cassette
tapes. One is to be used (and re-used) for interviews; the other
is your “archive” tape where you will record each
finished piece.
Here is a brief outline of each class:
Radio Skills/RW1 Radio Writing and Reporting
Classes meet for six hours. (Classes will be arranged in seven
four-hour classes in Radio Skills for print students, but the
basic content and assignments will be the same.)
Class 1 (Skills/RW1)
Classes 1-2 (Skills)
Introduction to writing and producing for radio
Lecture: Radio writing and sound,
from the basics to the best.
The elements of a newscast, writing short news pieces and comprehensively
reported news pieces.
Tape examples: Newscast (live or recorded from
today.)
Long-form comprehensive news piece with great writing and use
of tape (e.g. Fertig piece on schools)
Technical instruction: Introduction to Pro Tools
digital audio software and workstation operations. Opening a session;
saving to “Radio Skills” folder; recording your voice.
A Guide to basic Pro Tools functions is available in the help
section of the Radio at Columbia Graduate School of Journalism
web site: http://web.jrn.columbia.edu/studentwork/radio/
Assignment: Write and record a short news piece
(approx. 60 to 90 seconds long), which will be edited and auditioned.
You will be provided news copy and actualities for this assignment.
Assignment instructions and news copy are available
here.
Assignment (next week): discuss advance profile
assignment; students must come to next class with profile subject
picked and scouted.
Class 2 (Skills/RW1)
Classes 3-4 (Skills)
Radio Reporting; Writing to Tape
Lecture: descriptive writing and
use of documentary sound.
Instruction in interview technique, gathering tape, choosing actuality,
writing to tape.
Technical instruction: Introduction to Marantz
tape recorder; practice recording techniques. Pro Tools
and mixing board: Listen to demonstration piece, then
practice mixing it using Pro Tools. Basic editing and mixing on
Pro Tools. Dubbing cassette tape to Pro Tools; using two or three
tracks; choosing and editing actualities; adjusting sound levels.
Discussion of signal flow; using the Mackie mixing board;
Assignment: Students will spend one hour (max)
doing an interview with profile subject (already selected when
you come to class). You will write a 2 minute piece using at least
three actualities from the interview. Use of natural sound is
encouraged but not required.
Assignment (next week): Explanation of advance
assignment. Students must come to class with subject picked and
scouted.
Class 3 (Skills/RW1)
Classes 5, 6, 7 (Skills)
Reporting and writing on deadline
Lecture: Radio documentary techniques:
using documentary sound and ambience.
Assignment: “Telling a Story”: Reporting,
writing and production of a 2 1/2 to 3 minute story, which will
be a sound portrait of a place and contain multiple interviews.
Each student will be assigned to go to specific place (Some ideas:
Central Park, dog run, Lincoln Center, Zoo, Rollerblade area at
Riverside Park; 42nd St. Subway station musicians; tennis courts
in Central Park; inside Manhattan School of music; playground;
steps of the Metropolotan Museau; TKS island in Times Square -
Wed matinee day; Greenmarket; boat pond in Central Park; fishing
along East River promenade.) Tell the story of what is going on.
You should spend no more than two hours reporting. Talk to and
record people who are taking part in whatever is going on. Record
ambient sound. The assignment is intended to exercise your recording
and interviewing skills as well as basic story-telling techniques.
You will return to class and begin writing and editing.
Technical: Practice in editing and mixing on
Pro Tools.
(End of course for print sections)
Advanced Reporting and Writing for Radio (RW1-Radio)
(Classes 4-7/8 are under the overall supervision of Broadcast
RW1 professor. Assignments may vary from this general scheme.
)
Class 4
Lecture/instruction: from RW1 professor.
Audition/critiques: Listen to and critique “Telling
a Story” pieces.
Assignment: Write a 2-3 minute newscast, using
actualities pulled from the day’s newscasts (CBS, WNYC,
WINS). Newscast should include at least one actuality and cover
at least 5 separate news stories, preferable six. Do not exceed
3 minutes. Practice your read and time yourself, then record on
to cassette as if you are live on the radio. No editing.
Technical: Pulling actualities from a feed, transferring
using Orb disks or other methods.
Advance assignment: next week, look at daybook the night before
class. Be ready to pitch a story when you come to class at 9 am.
Class 5
Assignment: Daybook story, two stories: 1. 45
second voicer filed by phone from the scene; 2. 2 ½ minute
news piece with actualities. Cover a story from the daybook (You
will find the daybook on AP News Center, Advisories, BC-NY—Day
Schedule) report and write a piece according to professors’
specifications.
2 ½ - 3 minute piece with actuality and ambience.
Technical skills: Using a mult box; recording
tips for news conference situations; Using AP Newscenter. Using
the phone hybrid (Gentner). Using the phone to gather tape. Filing
spots from the field.
Listen and Critique: Deadline 5 pm; professors
divide class into two groups for critique.
Advance assignment: Email pitch for 2 ½
- 3 ½ minute enterprise piece on a significant issue. You
may coordinate this piece with work you are doing in RW1. For
example, past classes did stories on education or the courts.
The piece must be fully reported with multiple voices. It should
make use of the documentary techniques you have learned, including
use of ambience and documentary sound.
Professor will set deadline for pitch or discussion of story.
Class 6
Instruction: Planning a radio broadcast, assignment
of production jobs and explanation of each task. Check http://web.jrn.columbia.edu/studentwork/radio/help/index.asp
for job descriptions, production timeline, webcasting instruction,
etc.
Assignment: Reporting Enterprise story as assigned
last class, and as pitched and approved. You will all day to report
this piece. It will be due for edit and mixing in the morning
of next class, and it will be broadcast next class. Make this
final piece your best radio effort.
Technical: Introduction to the studio (brief
tour).
Class 7 Producing a Radio News Magazine
This day will be devoted to producing and broadcasting a live
news magazine, which will be webcast.
Production team is expected to meet the night before to plan the
broadcast and write a preliminary rundown.
Enterprise piece due and ready to edit 9 am. Edits will be scheduled
and done by 11 am. As a class we will produce a broadcast of approximately
one hour, which will go out as a live webcast on the internet.
Students will be assigned production jobs as hosts, editors, producers,
and studio operators.
Update: 6/1/02
