We're starting another semester of JRN 521 at Quinnipiac - the unfortunately named "Writing for the Ear." The idea is good, but it doesn't really tell us a lot about what the class does. Really, it's about doing good stories for the radio - a medium that can inform us a lot about how to do good print reporting...and also give us a basis for television writing as well. Honestly, though, it's a way for me to get graduate students excited about radio as a way to tell stories...as an artform...and as a link to tother types of new media production.
Later in the semester, this blog will host a regular podcast featuring the work of our JRN 521 students...along with WNPR interns and others who are learning the craft. For now, it's a source of information...listening links...and discussion.
As we get started, I want you to get familiar with some of the kinds of work we'll be producing. I'm going to be showing you a lot of work by my station, WNPR and by our network, National Public Radio. That's because I think we do good work...and our stuff is also pretty free and easy to listen to online. No silly subscriptions needed...yet. Anway:
First, there's the good old fashioned news spot by WNPR environmental reporter Nancy Cohen. A news spot is usually short, and breaks news - in fact, this is the first reporting that's been done on this story. It doesn't have all of the elements a longer story might need, but it lets us know the news - quickly. Here's a little blurb about the story...it serves as a kind of "Host Intro."
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which is charged with restoring damaged natural resources on the Housatonic River, has put its work on hold because of a dispute with Connecticut over money. WNPR's Nancy Cohen reports.
A good example of a "News Feature" is this story by Minnesota Public Radio reporter Sea Stachura. It's got all the elements of a news story...but it's told with some distance in time, and with a chance to reflect. The host intro is something like this:
Flash floods in Minnesota left 1,500 homes and many businesses under water last week. Six counties were declared federal disaster areas. In the small town of Rushford, flood victims face a grim aftermath.
Not all stories fit into these very specific news categories, though. There's never been a really good way to describe this next type of story. It's sometimes called a "Light Feature" or a "Soft Feature" - but we'll call it a "Fun Feature." We'll have many more examples in the future...but here's one by Chana Joffe-Walt that seemingly hits a nerve for many this time of year.
We'll also be exploring a form that's coming back into style. NPR calls it a "Reporter's Notebook," some call it a commentary, but it's really "First-Person Journalism." You, as the reporter, putting yourself into the story. With so many reporters being asked to blog and report, it's something listeners are ready to hear...and that is a great job skill to learn. Here's a recent piece by NPR's sport's reporter Tom Goldman.
That's all for now...more coming soon.
