FACTUAL RADIO PRODUCTION

Learning outcomes

You will be able to describe the different types of factual radio documentary

You will be able to describe the different formats

You will be able to describe the codes and conventions of factual program production

What do you think factual radio genres are?

What it is

Factual programmes represent one of the largest sectors of radio production providing an extensive range of opportunities and professional roles within the industry.

This sector is the prime communicator of information in relation to worldwide events, national, regional and local issues or opinion, and attitudes within society and communities from the most serious global issues to the purely entertaining. It provides enormous scope for potential production ideas.

The genre includes documentary, educational, magazine, discussion, review, chat show, special interest (hobby, makeover, and how-to formats), ‘reality’ TV and other sub-genres. It involves engagement with the key media issues of representation, access, objectivity, subjectivity and communication of meaning.

Key point

Although ‘factual’ is the basic definition of the genre, there is a wide range of opportunities for creativity both within the production process and in interpreting the topic or subject content, including opportunities for learners to work on projects that they find personally interesting and challenging

Genre

Educational Wildlife Special interest Magazine Discussion Investigative Archive

Educational

Educational radio is mostly used to communicate educational messages. In the past this was mostly used in the past to educate the community. Today eduacation radio is distinct from the mainstream examples include

Banradionetwork, also schools use podcasts or campus radio.

See: Banradionetwork See: BBC Radio 4 The Learning Curve

Wildlife radio

Similar to TV documentary wildlife documentaries focus on the natural world.

Early examples 1940’s Desmond Hawkins a The Naturalist

'Out of Doors Birds in Britain

Today radio wildlife programs have often replaced by television documentaries, although some local BBC channels may make these types of programs about their local habitats.

Special interest

Special interest radio, much like special interest magazines, focuses on a niche market. Special interest radio programs can be seen often with special interest music , Radio 2 in the evening focuses on special interest programs. Dublim city Fm focuses on special interest programs. Also local radio covers this.

Magazine radio

Magazine radio programmes are usually weekly, and similar to their TV factual counterparts. News magazines generally go more in-depth into stories, trying to give the reader an understanding of the context surrounding important events, rather than just the facts.

Radio news magazines are similar to television news magazines. Unlike radio newscasts, which are typically about five minutes in length, radio news magazines can run from 30 minutes up to three hours or more.

Woman’s Hour is a radio magazine programme. In its current format, the first 45 minutes of the programme consists of reports, interviews and debates on health, education, cultural and political aimed at women and mothers (but often of general interest).

Examples includes: United Kingdom Breakfast (daily, BBC Radio Five Live Today (Monday–Saturday; Radio 4) The World at One (Monday–Friday; Radio 4) The World This Weekend (Sunday; Radio 4) The World Tonight (Monday–Friday; Radio 4) Worricker on Sunday (Sunday; Five Live)

Discussion radio programmes A discussion programme either on past or

present topics. Topics can be wide ranging andDiscussion & Talk (3343 programmes)

Beyond Belief Mystical Experiences (30 minutes) : Ernie Rea discusses the impact of religious belief and practice on today's society.

Start the Week Austerity: Antony Gormley, David Kynaston and Anna Coote (45 minutes)

Andrew Marr is joined by Antony Gormley, David Kynaston, Anna Coote and Fintan O'Toole: Thinking Allowed Uniforms and status in hospitals - Cities under siege (30 minutes)

Investigative radio programmes Investigative radio programmes

similar to their factual TV programmes like Panorama, focus on investigating issues.

Examples include: Radio 4's flagship investigative programme, File on 4.

Radio 5 Live investigative radio

Archive radio programmes.

Are programmes that have been shown, but are now archived. The BBC has a catalogue of these which can be accessed.

See: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00hg8dq

Summary

Most factual radio content in the UK is produced by the BBC or other commercials radio stations.

Most factual content such as investigative or special interest is produced by the BBC, as they have a very niche audiences. Remember commercial radio is about having shows which attracts a wider target audience. These types of programmes are often played in the evening on commercial stations to a specialist audience, and in the morning they have a breakfast or magazine show.

BRMB does have programmes like the Sanctuary a discussion programme.

Commercial radio schedule examples. Check out commercial radio stations

and see what they schedule is when are these factual programmes shown.

Formats

presenter led: Narrated ballad style: It combines four elements of

sound: songs, instrumental music, sound effects, and, most importantly, the recorded voices of those who are the subjects of the documentary

actuality based: recorded segment of a newsmaker speaking, generally lasting from 10 to 20 seconds; this is what people outside of radio journalism often call a "sound bite"

music and song linked

Format: Presenter led

Presenter led: In radio a lot of the content is presenter led, rather than just music led. If you look at NME, this changed from a music led programme to a presenter led programme.

Different formats can include big personalities like Chris Moyles. They can be different types of personalities to suit the audience.

Also male and female duo acts which you will find on breakfast shows like Heart FM, Capital. Look at both heart FM west midlands and East midlands this format is nearly identical. Along with the playlist.

Narrated

Rather than presenter led, this is where a narrator narrates the programme. Similar to TV documentaries. Narrated programmes can be a stand alone or be part of a presenter led programme. Examples includes wildlife radio documentaries and to some extent investigative pieces. Again this would probably start with presenter led, then lead onto a narrative programme about the issues

Genres like magazine programmes or discussions would probably not work if they were just narrated.

Ballad Style

The Radio Ballad documentary technique was devised by folk singer and songwriter Ewan MacColl and BBC producer Charles Parker in the late 1950s.

Ewan MacColl and Charles Parker did the first Radio Ballad in the late 1950s They broke the mould of British radio by interviewing people working in the declining fishing industry, building Britain's new motorway system, working as coal miners or fighting for a living as a professional boxer.

The life stories they gathered inspired MacColl and musical partner Peggy Seeger to gather songwriters to write new songs about lives mostly hidden from society at large.

With their self-narrating style and musical bridges, the Ballads re-wrote radio and one, 'Singing the Fishing', won radio's highest award, the Prix Italia.

Actuality radio

Actuality  Actual recording of news event or person(s) involved. Actuality is a recorded segment of a newsmaker speaking, generally lasting from 10 to 20 seconds; this is what people outside of radio journalism often call a "sound bite“

Actuality is non-fiction radio genre that like the actuality documentary film uses footage of real events, places, and things, yet unlike the documentary is not structured into a larger argument.

Music and song

Features music and songs. Examples include Céilí House is one of RTÉ Radio's most popular programmes of traditional Irish music and song

Codes and conventions

All factual radio programmes like their TV counterparts must contain the following:

balance; impartiality; objectivity; subjectivity; opinion; bias; representation; access; privacy; contract with listener

However, news programs will have more of a concerns with some of these issues than say magazine or discussion programmes, which they may not be as impartial or objective, Talk Sport would be examples, but the viewer would be aware of the bias present in the discussions.

BBC Commissioning process

The commissioning process for pre-recorded factual radio programmes can vary according to the radio station. However, probably the most relevant commissioning process is that adopted by BBC Radio 4.

Programmes are produced either in-house by producers employed by the BBC or by independent radio production companies pre-approved by the BBC. The commissioning process is an annual event and programmes are either suggested by the independents, or a senior commissioning editor sends out letters (containing brief details of content, target audience, duration etc) to pre-approved production companies asking for expressions of interest in producing specific programmes. Companies then send back a standard proposal, consisting of a single A4 sheet with a maximum of 500 words, which includes: a working title, subject summary, required duration, indication of style, the angle, a list of elements (or scenes), a list of contributors, and an overall budget figure for the production.

BBC Commissioning process

This process is the guidelines the BBC has for commissioning radio. There is also a guide available for TV and other media.

This guide will also help you understand the institutional content for presentation roles and techniques.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/commissioning/radio/