South Coast Radio News Day

Producing news bulletins for South Coast Radio, offered a new challenge, as its style is somewhat different to that of Talbot FM.

The News Day Format:

The South Coast Radio News team will produce:

1300: 4’ bulletin including at least 1 x voice piece, 1 x ‘;ive ‘2/way and a crafted news sequence with clips. One of the stories must be a national political story.

1500: 3’ bulletin including a court story.

Appealing to a mature audience of professionals and the retired, South Coast Radio has longer news stories and clips, delivered at a slow pace and offering authority from reporters and correspondents. Court and financial stories are well suited to the audience of South Coast Radio and audio from professionals help to develop the stories.


The news stories run for the 1300 news bulletin were:

• RBS and Lloyds shake up


• Bournemouth Surf Reef opens


• SAS officer pardoned


• David Cameron on the Lisbon Treaty


• Mouth cancer increases


• Child abuse in Poole
  

The news stories run for the 1500 news bulletin were:

• House prices on the rise


• Lapland Court case


• Obesity


• Bournemouth Surf Reef opens


• Hampshire tornado
  

Our team produced successful news bulletins, with a wide use of audio to illustrate stories and offer authority to the reporting. A finance expert gave sound advice, as to the banking shake up and locals offered their opinion on the opening of Bournemouth's surf reef.

Working well as a team enabled us to produce news bulletins suitable for the radio stations target audience, using a variety of production techniques. Each member of the team contributed effectively, taking on their own responsibilities and working to achieve a good result.

The stepping stones of learning

Although the South Coast Radio News Day was successful, there were a few aspects of the news bulletin that could have been refined.

1300 News Bulletin

SAS officer pardoned

The top line of this story should have been updated to highlight the news development. The written copy suggested that Simon Mann had not yet been pardoned, when he had been. Therefore, a simple alteration of the top line would have been beneficial and shown that we were following the moving news development.

Poole child abuse

This story should have included the name of the court, in which the couple were accused. The story also posed some legal complications, as the story failed to highlight that the couple were accused of cruel acts and instead the stated that they 'punished children by...'

Tackling the sport news

Tackling the sport news was a challenge, but it is beneficial for the development of a journalist, to try something new and to take on challenges.

Rarely watching any kind of sport or listening to sport news, made finding and writing the sport rather daunting. However, turning on the television and turning to the Internet for sport updates and video footage, allowed me to immediately engage in the world of sport. Picking up the style of writing and learning the language of sport was fairly easy to adapt to.

Sport news has a style of its own, in which is rather different to that of general news and public affairs. When writing the sport news, it is essential to keep a lively tone and to make it an active piece. Certain abbreviations, nicknames and general sport language are key elements of the news and made it evermore challenging. For example, instead of Rafael Benitez, he is referred to as 'Rafa Benitez'.

Tackling the sport news, was certainly a learning curb and it was also the first opportunity I have had to present news, 'live'. The South Coast Radio News Day in particular offered confidence in tackling new things in the future and I have gained more journalistic skills as a result.

Radio Feature

Producing a radio feature allows a journalist to be more creative in their work. A feature enables a journalist to look into an event or news story in detail and allows one to dig deep into the crux of a matter, where a news story will simply offer a broad perspective.

A topical issue that effected the whole of the UK in recent months, was the postal strikes. The dispute between the Royal Mail and The Communications Workers Union (CWU) over pay and working conditions, saw thousands of Royal Mail workers go on strike for a number of days. As a result there was a backlog of millions of letters and packages, causing potential chaos over the christmas period.

The Royal Mail and The Communications Workers Union (CWU) showed no intent on reaching an agreement and therefore, it seemed to be an obvious focus for a radio feature.

In order to produce a feature, it is essential that a journalist gains background knowledge of the events surrounding the situation. Reading the daily newspapers and scanning the Internet allowed me to gain confidence in producing the radio feature and in finding interviewees.

Acquiring interviews simply meant picking up the phone and ringing relevant organisations, in which have been involved in the events surrounding the postal strikes. Looking to the Internet for contact details, made it quicker and easier to contact individuals. On ringing the CWU, I spoke to the Bournemouth and Dorest Amal Branch Secretary, Derek Clash. Speaking to a local branch gave me an insight as to the situation in Dorset and offered extensive background information. External Relations Manager, Richard Hall, from the Royal Mail offered an opposing view of the situation and therefore, supplied the feature with a balanced argument.

Having contacted the main organisations, it was essential that I got some more personal interviews, with businesses that were being effected by the postal strikes. Thus creating a feature that reaches its listeners on an emotional level and explores an essential angle of the dispute between the Royal Mail and The Communications Workers Union.

The DVLA offered reassurance to its customers, that no fines would be issued if tax discs were not received or delayed. TNT Post, displayed their disappointment, as they rely on the Royal Mail for the last mile of their deliveries. The South West Policy Manager for the Federation of Small Businesses, expressed concern that many small businesses rely on the income that the christmas period brings. With much of their business relying on the Royal Mail, small businesses in the South West were effected greatly, at a time which is usually their busiest.

Phone interviews proved to be more convenient for the interviewees, as the postal strikes were creating a large work load for many of the organisations. Although it would have been beneficial to have had a face to face interview, it is not always feasible.

Target programme

As part of the project criteria, the radio feature had to be suitable for the audience of the target programme, News Xtra, which is like BBC Radio One's Newsbeat in style or News Briefing, which is like BBC Radio 4's PM programme.

Focusing on the postal strike, the radio feature seemed better suited to BBC Radio 4's News Briefing. Appealing mainly to a mature audience, the issue of the postal strike would be of concern for BBC Radio 4's listeners.

Adhering to the style of BBC Radio 4's News Briefing, meant that the radio feature was delivered at a slow pace, with long audio clips. To an extent, a journalists creativity is limited when producing for BBC Radio 4, as its features do not contain music and production techniques are restricted in order to suit the audience.

The stepping stones of learning

The challenges of the radio feature and choosing the topic of the postal strikes, was that it was a particularly fast moving story, in which was changing everyday.

A fast developing story, such as the postal strikes, makes it difficult to focus a feature and requires a journalist to continually update the story, in order to serve the audience appropriately. In the future, I would make a point of choosing a feature topic more carefully, ensuring that I choose an angle on a story, as opposed to presenting a broad perspective.

Perhaps, a more appropriate angle to have explored, would have been the effects of striking on small businesses and families or on strikes in general and not simply the events of the postal strike, 2009.

A feature calls upon the ability to dig deep within the cracks of a story or of an event. A feature should be personalised to an extent and reach people on an emotional level. It enables a journalist to be creative and think outside the box. Although, my intentions were to create a feature that was personalised and focused on an obscure and interesting angle, I found it challenging to step outside of the news writing style.

Looking back, I feel that it may also have been beneficial to have produced a feature in the style of BBC Radio One's Newsbeat, as it enables a journalist to be more creative. Adding music to a feature piece, makes it lively and adds atmosphere, which I feel adds depth to a radio feature. Radio is not visual and therefore, the use of sound is evermore valued and helps to create an environment or paint a picture.

Television

Working as one

Working as a team effectively ensures that your work as a team is of a high standard.

An organised team that works well together, where each individual's input is equal, makes for success.

A broadcast journalist is often required to work as part of a team and learning how to make the most of team work is essential as a journalist.

Keeping to your side of the deal

Working as a team can be successful if each individual contributes to the work.

Allocating roles, ensures that each individual knows how they are participating and the expert skills that each member possesses is allowed to flourish.

Allocating roles within a team means that all aspects of work are being attended to and ensures that work is done quickly.

Each role has specified responsibilities and ensures that no one individual has a heavy burden of work. It is divided fairly.

Real-time coverage

A journalist must always be up to date with the latest news and must ensure that their audience are receiving the latest news, as quickly as possible.

Television in particular is relied upon for breaking news. With the 24 hour news cycle, news organisations are in increasing competition to get news out fast.

Therefore, during the News Day and Youth Show, it was essential that any news covered was up to date and serving the public as they would expect.

Working by the clock

Working by the clock is of great importance as a journalist.

Punctuality is key to the running and general operation of a news organisation. The structure of television is built on timing; ensuring that a programme is broadcast on time and serves the public.

Timing sets the standard of an organisation.

'The Way of Tea' Exhibition

The way of tea: 'an art of conviviality', references various rituals associated with tea and welcome.

Inspired by Buddhism, it is a performative, musical and architectural experience, in which a tea garden and ceremony aims to reconnect human beings. In a world where respect has been lost, the art of sharing something with a complete stranger, aims to reintroduce the human relationship.

The Japanese saying: 'eechy go, eechy yay' means one chance, one opportunity. The artists Ajay Kumar and Guerdon Delformann aim to reintroduce this idea, in their exhibition and to make people see that every day of life should be appreciated.

Picture by Denis Roberts.

Filming 'The Way of Tea' Exhibition

Filming the exhibition posed a number of challenges. 'The Way of Tea' exhibition was held at Kube art gallery, in Poole, where the artists wanted to create the sense of a journey through a tea garden.

As part of a tea ceremony, the artist's walk the spectator around the meandering tea garden, in order to gain a sense of calm. Therefore, I had to hold the camera in my hand for much of the filming, posing a challenge to keep the frames still and not to have blurred images.

The tea ceremony invites the spectator to sit with the artist's in the tea hut. The spectator is asked to take their shoes off and the artist's bathe your feet in water. A complete sense of calm is achieved when the artist's take the spectator through the ceremony; massaging your back and sitting together with closed eyes. In order to portray the human connection made through the ceremony, I positioned the camera to the side of the artist's and myself whilst this process of calm was taking place.

Filming the tea garden was also rather challenging, as it was made up of tea cups and saucers, which looked somewhat small when placed on the floor in a large room. In order to film the tea garden in a way in which, would be visually effective on screen, I used the macro setting on the camera for part of the filming. Thus, allowing a close up shot of the tea cups and saucers and making it visually clear that the tea cups were filled with soil and growing grass.

The tea cups and saucers being white in colour and the floor being the same, often made it difficult to film from a distance, as the tea cups seemed to blend with the floor, creating a blurred, indistinct image. Therefore, remaining fairly close to the tea cups whilst filming seemed most feasible.

Editing 'The Way of Tea' Exhibition

Television is made up of both pictures and audio, which are of equal importance.

Editing television footage, requires the ability to match pictures to audio appropriately and to produce a package that offers a balanced argument and a smooth sequence of effective pictures and audio.

Editing 'The Way of Tea' exhibition did bare its difficulties, as all the images were fairly similar and I didn't want to produce a package that was visually monotonous and lacking variety. In order to break up the images of the tea cups and tea garden, I introduced images of the tea hut, made up of materials simply found in the art gallery. The tea hut offered colour and shape to the package and variety was offered by presenting different shots and patterns of the tea cups.

Aiming to create the sense that the television package is taking the viewer on the journey themselves, I started the sequence with images of the tea garden and then moved the images to the tea hut. I also introduced the images of the artist's and myself, in which we share a biscuit and sit together, in order to portray the human connection that is developing throughout the ceremony.

Throughout the television package, I wanted to create the sense that something lost, is being found and which, is found by the end of the package. Thus, truly inviting the viewer to share the experience that the exhibition offers.

Picture by Denis Roberts