Radio documentary

Last updated
Recording studio in Germany (WDR, 1954) Bundesarchiv B 145 Bild-F001349-0028, Koln, WDR Rundfunkstudio.jpg
Recording studio in Germany (WDR, 1954)

A radio documentary is a spoken word radio format devoted to non-fiction narrative. It is broadcast on radio as well as distributed through media such as tape, CD, and podcast. A radio documentary, or feature, covers a topic in depth from one or more perspectives, often featuring interviews, commentary, and sound pictures. A radio feature may include original music compositions and creative sound design or can resemble traditional journalistic radio reporting, but cover an issue in greater depth.

Contents

History

Origins of Radio Documentary in America

The early stages of fiction audio storytelling did not entirely resemble what would later be called radio documentaries. In the 1930s, with radio stations like WNYC entering the airspace, reporters documented real people and real-life scenarios through short on-the-ground interviews rather than dramatization. [1] Other notable documentary broadcasts include unrefined one-shot audio recordings of events, such as the Hindenburg disaster in 1937. [2] By 1939, CBS responded to growing anxieties about immigration in the U.S. with a six-month series, titled "Americans All…Immigrants All," which highlighted the stories of immigrant communities. [3]

The lack of documentary-style reporting in this era can be attributed, in part, to technological limitations; recording equipment was not easily portable. [2]

1940s in American Radio Documentary

An important moment in the establishment of the radio documentary as a widely used and discussed format is the expansion of portable audio recording devices. In 1945, sound archivist and radio producer, Tony Schwartz began to use portable audio recording equipment to collect the sounds of his neighborhood in New York City to share on his WNYC radio show; his features ran for 30 years and grew to include the sounds of daily life recorded by and mailed to him from people around the world. [4] This style of sharing true-life sound bytes would remain in public radio documentary.

In 1946, one of the most pivotal developments in the spread and stylization of radio documentary was the creation of the CBS Documentary Unit. It was the first sector of a major media network dedicated to this format of radio. The unit was "'devoted exclusively to the production of programs dealing with major domestic and international issues and involving extraordinary research and preparation'". [5] Not only did the content deviate from programming that favors advertisers, the style deviated from the standard, creating a well-known format. The style of reporting for the CBS features was adopted and melded by ABC and NBC networks. The format included extensive interviews to gain multiple perspectives on an issue, adherence to journalistic ethics, and often a call to action; the programming was usually released as multiple segments and at peak times. [1] Examples of these first documentary projects include CBS' 1946 war feature, The Empty Noose, [5] and ABC's 1949 program, V.D., A Conspiracy of Silence, [1] addressing the lack of public attention to venereal disease.

1970s in American Radio Documentary

With the founding of National Public Radio in 1971, [6] radio documentary began shifting again due to non-commercial educational media. For a short time, programs such as All Things Considered explored creative styles of presenting non-fiction by deviating from now-traditional styles of radio documentary by hiring reporters outside of the radio sphere. [2]

1990s-present in American Radio Documentary

Important shifts in technology have allowed radio documentary to travel beyond analog. With the advent of podcasting and internet radio, the FCC provides no guidelines for these media. [7] Programs are allowed to skirt FCC regulation, marking yet another shift in the content and style of documentary programming. Current features that exemplify the new possibilities opened by podcasting include the often gritty subject matter of Love + Radio and the critical success of the podcast Serial due to the ability of listeners across the globe to access the content for free.

Quotes

At its best, radio combines the power and immediacy of great documentary films with the intimacy and poetry of a New Yorker-style magazine piece.

—  Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, web.jrn.columbia.edu

Staring red-eyed at the mirror in front of me, having spent another day and half of the night with my computer, I ask myself fundamental questions: Why radio? Why documentary? Answer: No other medium can provide me with more freedom of creation and investigation. It meets my urgent interest in reality and the desire for a 'musical' expression. The material (der Werkstoff) is sound. And sound always surrounds us. And: I'm not so much interested in the description of stable situations, but in processes. Our medium is not space, but time; our stories are not glued to the ground, but have motion, life ... That's why!

— Helmut Kopetzky, German author, Self-portrait

So what is a radio feature? Technically speaking, it is a 30- to 60-minute, elaborate broadcast from a semantic field related to a radio drama, that can contain all the elements from original sound (interviews) and author texts (epic or scenic type) to noise and music.

— Patrick Conley, 60 Years of Radio Feature in Germany, 2007

Radio documentary in developing nations

There has been tremendous interest in the field of radio documentaries, particularly in developing nations such as India, Iran, South Korea and Malaysia. In India, for example, radio documentary is gaining in popularity due to their flexibility, efficiency and accessibility to the masses. Producers such as Chitra Narain and Danish Iqbal have been accredited with its revival and popularity in the region. Danish Iqbal who is primarily a drama producer combined the elements of dramatic narrative to produce some memorable radio documentaries. His documentary "Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai" is considered a classic for the use of effective narrative and ambient sounds. This documentary presents an account of unseen bridges between a Kashmiri Shikarah Wala and his auto rickshaw driver friend in Delhi. Although they never met each other their unseen bond is the subject of this rare Documentary which transcends the barriers of political, religious and regional prejudices.

Because both Chitra and Danish had a long tenure at Delhi and had a creative collaboration with many media institutes, their influence is seminal in shaping the thinking of many of their students and co-workers. Danish won twice the prestigious Public Service Broadcasting Award for his documentaries.

Notable feature makers

Related Research Articles

<i>Science Friday</i> American radio program

Science Friday is a weekly call-in talk show that broadcasts each Friday on public radio stations, distributed by WNYC Studios, and carried on over 470 public radio stations. SciFri is hosted by science journalist Ira Flatow and was created and is produced by the Science Friday Initiative. The program is divided into two one-hour programs, with each hour ending with a complete sign-off. The focus of each program is news and information on science, nature, medicine, and technology. The show originated as the Friday episode of the daily call-in talk show Talk of the Nation, but was spun off as a series in its own right when Talk of the Nation was canceled in June 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norman Corwin</span> American writer, screenwriter, and radio producer (1910–2011)

Norman Lewis Corwin was an American writer, screenwriter, producer, essayist and teacher of journalism and writing. His earliest and biggest successes were in the writing and directing of radio drama during the 1930s and 1940s.

<i>This American Life</i> Short stories radio program and podcast

This American Life (TAL) is an American weekly hour-long radio program produced in collaboration with Chicago Public Media and hosted by Ira Glass. It is broadcast on numerous public radio stations in the United States and internationally, and is also available as a free weekly podcast. Primarily a journalistic non-fiction program, it has also featured essays, memoirs, field recordings, short fiction, and found footage. The first episode aired on November 17, 1995, under the show's original title, Your Radio Playhouse. The series was distributed by Public Radio International until June 2014, when the program became self-distributed with Public Radio Exchange delivering new episodes to public radio stations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brian Lehrer</span> American radio broadcaster (born 1952)

Brian Lehrer is an American radio talk show host on New York City's public radio station WNYC. His daily two-hour 2007 Peabody Award-winning program, The Brian Lehrer Show, features interviews with newsmakers and experts about current events and social issues. Lehrer was formerly an anchor and reporter for NBC Radio Networks and has been in broadcast journalism for over 30 years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WNYC</span> New York Public Radio audio service brand

WNYC is an audio service brand, under the control of New York Public Radio, a non-profit organization. Radio and other audio programming is primarily provided by a pair of nonprofit, noncommercial, public radio stations: WNYC (AM) and WNYC-FM, located in New York City. Both stations are members of NPR and carry local and national news/talk programs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">HD Radio</span> Digital radio broadcast technology

HD Radio (HDR) is a trademark for an in-band on-channel (IBOC) digital radio broadcast technology. HD radio generally simulcasts an existing analog radio station in digital format with less noise and with additional text information. HD Radio is used primarily by AM and FM radio stations in the United States, U.S. Virgin Islands, Canada, Mexico and the Philippines, with a few implementations outside North America.

<i>On the Media</i> American public radio show and podcast

On the Media (OTM) is a public radio show and podcast from WNYC Studios that primarily covers the media. Since relaunching in 2001 with Brooke Gladstone as host, the show has received at least ten awards, including two Peabody Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WFUV</span> Adult album alternative public radio station in New York City

WFUV is a non–commercial radio station licensed to New York, New York. The station is owned by Fordham University, with studios on its Bronx campus and its antenna atop the nearby Montefiore Medical Center. WFUV first went on the air in 1947. It became a professional public radio station in 1990 and is one of three NPR member stations in New York City. Its on-air staff has included radio veterans Dennis Elsas, Vin Scelsa, Pete Fornatale, and Rita Houston.

Podcasts, previously known as "audioblogs", have roots dating back to the 1980s. With the advent of broadband Internet access and portable digital audio playback devices such as the iPod, podcasting began to catch hold in late 2004. Today there are more than 115,000 English-language podcasts available on the Internet, and dozens of websites available for distribution at little or no cost to the producer or listener.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New York Public Radio</span> Non-profit organization in the USA

New York Public Radio (NYPR) is a New York City-based independent, publicly supported, not-for-profit media organization incorporated in 1979. Its stated mission is "To make the mind more curious, the heart more open and the spirit more joyful through excellent audio programming that is deeply rooted in New York."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jad Abumrad</span> American radio host and producer

Jad Nicholas Abumrad is an American radio host, composer, and producer. He is the founder and former host of the syndicated public radio program Radiolab alongside Robert Krulwich.

<i>Radiolab</i> American radio program

Radiolab is a radio program and podcast produced by WNYC, a public radio station based in New York City, and broadcast on more than 570 public radio stations in the United States. The show has earned many industry awards for its "imaginative use of radio" including a National Academies Communication Award and two Peabody Awards.

PRIX EUROPA – The European Broadcasting Festival – is Europe's largest annual tri-medial festival and competition. The event takes place in the third week of October in Berlin, Germany.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WNYC-FM</span> Public radio station in New York City

WNYC-FM (93.9 MHz) is a non-commercial public radio station, licensed to New York, New York. It, along with WNYC (AM), is one of the primary outlets for WNYC branded programming provided by the non-profit New York Public Radio (NYPR).

<i>iCast</i> Podcast

The CBS News iCast was a daily news audio podcast, created and first hosted by CBS News' New York–based Correspondent and Anchor Chris Mavridis. According to the CBS Corporation, the iCast was the world's first daily network news podcast. It was available at CBSnews.com and aggregated to hundreds of other websites.

Christian Lerch is a journalist and radio documentary producer based in Vienna, Austria and Berlin, Germany.

WNYC Studios is a producer and distributor of podcasts and on-demand and broadcast audio. WNYC Studios is a subsidiary of New York Public Radio and is headquartered in New York City.

<i>TED Radio Hour</i> US radio program

TED Radio Hour is a weekly, hour-long radio program and podcast, produced as a co-production between TED (conference) and National Public Radio. It is broadcast on 600+ public radio stations in the United States and internationally, and is also available as a free weekly podcast. The first episode aired on April 27, 2012, with host Alison Stewart. Beginning with Season 2, the series was hosted by Guy Raz. In November 2019, Manoush Zomorodi was named the show’s new host.

Siobhán McHugh is an Irish-Australian author, podcast producer and critic, oral historian, audio documentary-maker and journalism academic. In 2013 she founded RadioDoc Review, the first journal of critical analysis of crafted audio storytelling podcasts and features, for which she received an academic research award. She is Associate Professor of Journalism (honorary) at the University of Wollongong (UOW). and Associate Professor of Media and Communications (honorary) at the University of Sydney. Her latest book, The Power of Podcasting: telling stories through sound, was published by NewSouth Books in February 2022. A US edition with Columbia University Press is due October 2022.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Carson, Saul (1949). "Notes toward an Examination of the Radio Documentary". Hollywood Quarterly. 4 (1): 69–74. doi:10.2307/1209386. JSTOR   1209386.
  2. 1 2 3 Carrier, Scott (3 Feb 2014). "A Brief History of Documentary Forms". transom.org. Retrieved 2 Dec 2016.
  3. ↑ Shiffman, Dan (1996). "A Standard for the Wise and Honest: The "Americans All…Immigrants All" Radio Broadcasts". Studies in Popular Culture. 19 (1): 99–107. JSTOR   23413750.
  4. ↑ Suisman, David (2012). "Listening to the City". Smithsonian Folkways Magazine.
  5. 1 2 Ehrlich, Matthew C. (2011). Radio Utopia: Postwar Audio Documentary in the Public Interest. University of Illinois Press. pp. 46–70.
  6. ↑ "National Public Radio (NPR) | American organization". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 2016-12-02.
  7. ↑ "Audio Division". Federal Communications Commission. 2015-11-03. Retrieved 2016-12-02.
  8. ↑ "Siobhan McHugh". Siobhan McHugh.
  9. ↑ "UK Web Archive currently unavailable".
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.