Radio podcasts Third Coast International Festival Transom – Forgiveness This American Life minutes

Podcasts Rabble Life Stories Montreal – Radioworks! - Marginal Road by Yassaman Ameri O Stories – COHDS podcasts

Elements of a good podcast: Identity: - hook; its magery and theme tune; like the “book cover; recognition factor Top and Tail: give it a clear beginning, middle and end. Summarize: Tell people what they're going to Say what you're going to cover; cover it; say what you’ve covered; choice & digital media Length: Limited attention span what is the right length? TV shows are usually 30 minutes, 23 without ads; « less is more » ? Mainstream vs alternative media

Elements cont’d Quality of sound: audio quality – or "audio fidelity" too much noise/hiss – to avoid: best soundcard and microphone you can afford; ost-recording "clean up" background noise – to avoid: quiet room; turn off lights / appliances / warn people around you; volume too quiet - remove noise/hiss, otherwise you will make that louder too; raise the level of your recording using « normalize » "compression" for more advanced; BUT there is only so much you can do with a poor recording! poor mic technique - such as big "pops" ("PPPUH") when words begin with "p" and "d" – avoid by using mesh mike shield or makeshift one with hose; talk across to mike rather than into it; Content!

FOCUS Try to create one sentence – with a subject, an action and a conclusion, that sums up what your story is about Eg. In telling us about her film, Marginal Road, Yassaman Ameri helps a non-immigrant audience understand what it means to be « living in exile. »

Troubleshooting tips Practice Bring extra batteries Write your questions down clearly and big Check your recording before you begin Use headphones Test the room for sound quality Less is more? (how much to record?)

Questions for interviews Keep them short & focused Silence is golden Don’t ask leading questions Don’t ask yes or no questions Avoid provocative, charged words Ask for examples, stories, memories Ask them to introduce themselves Ask them if there is anything else