Radio in South Africa: Lecture 2

1. Radio in South Africa: Lecture 2 FAM2000F Writing and Editing in the Media Dr. Tanja E. Bosch, 21st April 2008

2. Recap of last week • The medium of radio • The characteristics of radio • History of radio in South Africa • Radio and national identity - SABC • The broadcast infrastructure in South Africa

3. Outline of lecture • History of community radio • Defining community radio • Community radio and identity • Writing for radio • Radio news analysis • Podcast - writing for radio • Podcast - radio news analysis

4. History of community radio • Community radio originated in Latin America during the 1950s with the Bolivian miners’ radio stations. • The social struggles of the 1960s and 1970s in LA, the resistance to military dictatorships that were delivered to power courtesy of the CIA, contributed to the multiplication of independent and community-based radio stations by the thousands.

5. History of community radio • In South Africa, community radio only emerged in the 1980s, in response to apartheid ownership and control of the media. • “initiated and controlled by members of a community of interest, or a geographic community, to express their concerns, needs or aspirations without interference, subject to the regulation of the Independent Broadcast Authority”

6. Defining community radio • Also known as alternative media, citizens’ media, radical or grassroots media, CR stations are those which are owned and operated by specific communities. • Key tenets are access and participation (“by the community, for the community”) • The increase in these forms of participatory media is linked to current trends in the mainstream media.

7. Power of community radio • Radio is the most potentially participatory medium. • Radio is low cost (production and consumption). • Community radio has its roots in the community, which guarantees that communication processes take the local and regional reality as a starting point. • It’s the best tool to diffuse local content to communities and in local languages.

8. Power of community radio • Cost-efficient in terms of investment. • Pertinent in terms of language and content, especially in rural areas. • Relevant to local practices, traditions and culture. • Once the initial investment in equipment is made, sustainability is feasible, though dependent on the level of community participation. • In terms of outreach and geographic coverage radio has a strong advantage over other media. • The convergence between radio and the Internet is providing new strength to community radio and has enormously increased networking opportunities.

9. Community radio and identity • Community radio functions in the participatory development of communities which are under-represented by the mainstream media. • Community radio plays a vital role in building vibrant communities, in mobilizing groups to action by informing and empowering citizens, in giving voice to the marginalized groups of society, and in bringing community needs to the attention of local and even national governments. • Read: Community radio and identity in post-apartheid South Africa. Communicare 26(1), 2007.

10. Writing for radio: basic principles • Write for the ear • Hook the listener: use an interesting metaphor, paint a picture, grab the listener’s attention. • Keep it simple: one idea per sentence. • Always imagine that you’re talking to one person. • Respect listeners!

11. How to write a radio sentence • Keep it short and fast! • Put the subject at the front of each sentence, using the formula: • (subject) + (verb) + (object) + (...all other stuff) • “The White House + denies + the charge.” • “Mrs. Williams + says + the police + (are lying about her son's death).” • “Hamil Schlomo + sprints + the path to Jericho + (every morning, worried he might be shot by a sniper or run over by a jeep).”

12. How to write a radio sentence • Long, newspaper-style sentences should be broken up into smaller sentences: • “For the fifth night in a row, denizens of the tunnels underneath Penn Station, the "Mole People", are worrying that the police might barge in and evict them for trespassing on City property.” [print version] • “The so-called "Mole People" under Penn Station are worried. They say the police want to evict them from the tunnels where they live. Technically they're trespassing on city property.”

13. Sentences should be written in the positive as often as possible i.e. Avoid using "not", "no", "don't", "doesn't", "won't", etc. • E.g. "The union leadership doesn't accept that version of the story." • "The union leadership says the story is a lie." • "Union leaders refuse to accept that version of the story."

14. Write in the present tense, whenever possible: • "The White House denies the charge," is easier for the listener to understand and faster to read than these common alternatives: • "The White House is denying the charge." • "The White House has been denying the charge."

15. Words to avoid • All forms of the verb TO BE (is, am, are, were, will be, have been, being, will have been, etc.) • "Get“ (use an action verb) • "There is" / "There are“ • Adverbs often convey information you cannot confirm • "That" and "Which“ • Avoid common clichés and overused phrases in your writing.

16. Radio news analysis • How might a radio news bulletin on a community radio station differ from one broadcast by a commercial radio station or the public broadcaster? • What could be possible reasons for these differences?