What makes ‘good’ radio good?
As someone who has worked in community radio for 10 years I’ve always had this idea that radio is about getting a message out or raising awareness of an issue. The other kind of radio I know of course is late night talk back or straight up music radio. Everyone has their favorite style or what ever, hell some people can’t stand radio at all.
I’ve discovered something new with radio recently, radio can just be about telling a story. Either the presenter telling a story or letting the guest tell their story. A great story makes great radio. An amazing example of this story telling style of radio is This American Life
Recently Radio Tapas posted this great piece of video by Ira Glass, I was so moved by what he had to say, it made so much sense to me that I downloaded the other three videos in his series and then wanted to know more about who he is. Ira is the presenter of American Life. The program is broadcast on National Public radio (NPR in America. The program airs nationally around the country which, as you can imagine, is a huge audience. The style is nothing like what I have experienced before. I believe that this will personally change the way I approach radio, or at least it will add a new element to my work.
If you have an interest in making radio or you love listening to great new radio then check him out
