Lecture 4

Lecture number 4 was all about telling stories through sound, in this case, radio. The lecture was purely two radio interviews with two experienced ABC radio journalists. The first interviewee was Richard Fidler, the host of Conversations with Richard Fidler, who 'accidentally' found himself in radio after dappling in both comedy and television. Richard emphasises the importance of distinguishing the uniqueness of radio and the specific skill set required for it and the importance of keeping conversations open and the audience involved. To ensure conversations never became closed, Richard employed a technique where he would imagine his audience while on air. Richard also talks about how radio is not suffering like other forms of journalism in this age of technology. Didgital radio and podcasts only make radio more accessible and convenient. I really enjoyed Richards sense of humour and could tell that his warm personality would be one of his best attributes in radio journalism. He explained that he attempted to approach people in a way that will make them feel comfortable, not interrogated. This attitude has won him an array of magic moments on air.

The second person to be interviewed was Steve Austin. Unlike Richard, Steve worked very hard for his position in radio; studying, volunteering and persistently putting himself out there. Steve talks about the importance of persistence if you really yearn for something. I liked how he didn't pretend it was easy but reiterates thats its very possible if you really want it. He also emphasises the importance of thinking directly of the audience and how to best meet their needs instead of focusing on yourself. This is something he had to learn after his swap from community radio (4ZZZ) to the ABC. As I am beginning to learn, everything in journalism is planned, nothing is random, and radio is no exception. The shows on air are directly related to the audience that would be listening, what they would be doing while listening and what they need from the program. True to his personality, if Steve wants to get an answer in an interview he will continue to pursue it either until he gets it or until it begins to get uncomfortable for the audience. A magic moment on Steve's program is when the interviewee forgets they are on air while telling a very human story. They will reveal more of themselves to marvellous effect.

From listening to this podcast one thing became very clear to me. It is essential in radio to have a very good understanding of human psychology and an intuitive nature when it comes to human emotions. These skills allow you to create great moments and great radio and, with nothing else to rely on, the airwaves would become extremely unpopular without them.