Creative Radio Partnership

Great Podcasts using radio techniques

2020-07-09T15:48:00.001+01:00

“She pulled the knife from his shoulder blade and wiped it carefully on her white apron.”

If you’re going to tell a story, just launch right into it. says legendary radio industry boss – David Lloyd.

If you a radio person or a Blogger I recommend "How To Make Great Radio" by David Lloyd published by Biteback. This book is an essential and entertaining read, great if you are Podcaster that wants to learn from radio techniques.

From why a listener chooses radio in the first place – and the answer he gives in the book is the key to making you a truly great Broadcaster, Podcaster or even TV host – as I think that what he says about presentation has relevance for all types of media presentation particularly Podcasting.

The Author David Lloyd was my boss at LBC and had a rare talent - he trusted you to do your job but guided and shaped what you did and managed you without you without actually realising you were being managed.

In "how To Make Great Radio." there are chapters not only about Breakfast Radio, competitions, interview technique, but also about how to use words and the language of radio, again they language you use and how you say it are of vital importance to any Podcaster.

He also talks about YOU, not you! – You, and why one of our greatest orators of the modern time Churchill not only harnessed the power of you but understood the rule of three – you can find out how Sir Winston can help you sharpen your presentation/podcasting skills in this book.

Also there’s advice on news reading using social media and getting the best from callers to your show.

‘Christina is a 23 year old Latina, born in the U.S. She is unmarried with one-child lives in a suburb of Los Angeles and has multiple jobs to make ends meet. She cares about the latest gossip and listens to mainstream hip hop and pop music.”

You have to get through half the book to get to the chapter on targeting and the most important of radio questions – ‘Who is your listener’ By the way that description of Christina was a typical listener of KIIS FM in the U.S.

Or how about ‘Dave and Sue’ Dave is a self-employed plumber and Sue a Secretary… I wonder if you can guess the radio station they might listen to? To find out, the answer is in David Lloyd’s book ‘How To Make Great Radio.’

Understanding who you are actually talking to, whether on radio or a Podcast is again a key piece of the jigsaw you need to make content that is relevant.

Moving to behind the glass David has a chapter about how to Produce a radio show, he describes Producers as ‘the Architect of a show creating direction and execution.’

Back in the live studio there is a chapter about finding your radio voice, and why the listener is always right – sometimes.

David also gives you advice if you are trying to make a career in radio. The industry is in the middle of a tough time at the moment, but again Podcasting is a great place to start your Broadcasting career. Finally he predicts radio’s future with one key word.

This is a book for someone who wants to find out more about radio and has terrific relevance if you have just started a Podcast as there are many crossover points between the two mediums.

David Lloyd’s ‘How To Make Great Radio’ the Kindle edition will cost you just £6.41

Cash Cow?

2019-11-18T11:37:00.000+00:00

Can you make money from your Podcast? .. you can, BUT! It really depends where you are in the world. In the USA there is a large Podcast market and an expectation that you might 'pay' for content either by listening to commercials or sponsor messages.

Back here in the UK - there are different expectations - content is often 'free' - the BBC with all its TV and Radio channels, podcasting, internet and media is paid for by a tax on reception, called 'The Licence Fee' .

This creates an uneven playing field. The BBC have a big chunk of the Podcast market which they are moving behind something that could be made into a paywall, but currently verifies that you have permission to listen to their Podcasts. (You can actually go to prison for not paying the BBC Licence Fee)

What does all of this mean for your back bedroom Podcast? That in the UK it is harder to monetise content than in say the USA. You might need to look for Patreon support directly from your listeners, or distribute your Podcast with a provider like ACAST who look for and share advertising revenue with you. Or just look at your Podcast as a profile raiser for your business or passion.

Every Breath You Take

2019-11-11T08:59:00.001+00:00

Should you remove breaths from your Podcast? I have noticed on the forums a heated discussion about removing mouth noises and the breathing of your Podcast host or guest breathing. It is a thing that often happens on commercials or voice work, mainly because an advertiser crams in so many words into a commercial, there is, frankly, no time to take a breath.

I would almost, never remove a single breath, you are a human being you also breathe and to cut out the breath... well doesn't that rip the humanity out of your guest or host? I say almost because sometimes a breath can be intrusive, a nervous gasp, those breaths can be edited out. But also a breath can be 'a sharp intake of breath' that reveals something to the listener.

One of the Podcasts I work on is Zestology with Tony Wrighton. He is really keen to make his Podcast real and human, we leave in breaths, if he slightly stumbles, that stays in.. obviously bigger mistakes get taken out. He often records his Podcasts out and about and the background noise becomes part of the fabric of the Podcast.

I worked with an American radio host here in London called Doug Urbanski - we were in a tiny studio I had built in Denmark Street, a famous London Street and the building boasted the fact that the Beatles had rehearsed in the basement and Elton John had written Daniel on the flat roof behind the little studio I had built.

It was a hot summers night and the aircon was a noisy portable unit. Doug told me to turn it off and open the windows. I remember saying to him that everyone listening to his coast to coast show would hear all the noise of London in the background... "Yeah, that's what I want them to hear." - the penny dropped.

So don't rip too much of the humanity out of your Podcast, let it breathe, let there be the odd dog barking, you are not PBS or the BBC, you are something quite different and special .. keep it that way.

Listen and follow Zestology on Apple Podcasts or Spotify To find out about Podcast Editing from $35 an hour/episode - click here

Doctors Orders

2019-10-21T10:31:00.001+01:00

Imagine that you are laying on a hospital operating table, just about to be put under when the Surgeon leans over to you and says "There is nothing for you to worry about, just relax." with that he turns around and picks up a children's plastic Doctor Bag and starts placing tiny little plastic operating instruments on the tray beside you.... ?

You would probably want him to use professional equipment, hopefully that had been sterilised and that he knew what to do with... but hey, you are fast asleep now!

So it does seem odd to me, as a professional Podcast Editor that if you were doing the same job you would use a piece of free software or something designed for Journalists or similar?

I can understand a Host using free software, like the very good and capable Audacity, but if you are describing yourself as a professional editor it would be better to use industry recognised software DAWS like Pro Tools, Adobe Audition even Logic Pro - to create the very best sound for your client?

The right tools for the job as the proverb goes. To find out about Podcast Editing from $35 an hour/episode - click here

My first Podcast

2019-10-02T08:48:00.000+01:00

Hooray and hurrah you finally recorded that first Podcast, you faced deathly challenges..well you mastered recording and editing. Took perilous journeys ..well you learnt how to upload to Libsyn. And the final mountain was climbed ..submitting your Podcast to Apple and passing. Champagne all round.

Now my challenge to you, is to keep doing it and do it well. Most Podcasts fizzle out at about the seventh episode. There are more discarded Podcasts on the net than fish in the sea (yes I know in a few years time I probably will not be able to use that analogy)

Why are there so many abandoned Podcasts? Well a good idea, has to be a good idea that keeps on giving. I do remember the misery of Producing a Saturday night radio Show, when everyone who had a life was out partying. We invented a fab feature called the A to Z of Vodka cocktails - it gave us plenty of material; literally freshened up every week, and also meant that we were all pretty smashed by the end of the show, hooray and hurrah.

So plan longevity into your show, map out 20 episodes, if you can't come up with content for each Podcast... you might be looking at the seven episode fizzle out! To find out about Podcast Editing from $35 an hour/episode - click here

Techie Tips

2019-10-01T09:01:00.000+01:00

Six little techie tips to help your Podcast:

Tip One: Practice - practice recording, practice your microphone technique, make sure you can make work the software you are using and know how to record.

Tip Two: Ambience and background noise can all be part of the recording, so long as it is not intrusive, so pick your venue with care. For live interviews, the more carpets and curtains (drapes) the better. For down the line interviews try and get them to go to their bedroom, or if at work a small meeting room.

Tip Three: Microphones are sensitive little creatures, try to be close to them, but not too close. Cardioid (directional) mics are good to cut background noise, omni-directional to include some of that ambience. Mics like the Blue Yeti have various settings to suit your kind of Podcast.

Tip Four: LEVELS - after echoey rooms, screwing up the levels is the thing that will ruin a podcast, under-recording can usually be fixed, over-recording cannot. Recording engineers say sh*t in sh*t out. Most software programs, mixing desks (panels) have a level meter - like a nuclear reactor - keep it away from red.

Tip Five: MONITOR wear headphones, one ear on, one ear off if you want. Get the guest to do the same, or if they don't have a professional set-up, it can be better if they put some ear buds on with a chin wire mic, that will often sound better than the laptop built in mic. (The exception would be say a Skype call to a normal mobile (cell) phone, then the phone's mic and noise cancelling is often better.

Tip Six: DON'T MENTION THE FURNITURE, stuff will go wrong, you might forget to switch your mic on, start to record the Podcast .. try not to make a drama out of it, it will put your guest off and you too.

Best for your Guest

2019-09-09T08:47:00.000+01:00

How do you get the best out of your guest? Six little tips:

Tip One: Do your research, there is nothing worse than not actually knowing who you are talking to, bone up on wiki, read some blogs and check out their Facebook page.

Tip Two: Tell them what you plan to ask them, you don't have to be specific, put it in an email, tell them how long you plan to speak to them, tell them if there is anybody else involved in the discussion or show. But most of all tell them.

Tip Three: Get down to business pretty much as soon as you start recording. The same applies if they are a face to face interview. Take a quick bit of level, .. not what they had for breakfast but kick things off with them by getting them to tell you who they are and who they represent or what they do. (That way you have a record of their title, website address etc on the recording)

Tip Four: Charm to disarm, try not to overwhelm or intimidate your guest, be human. Again make your first question something easy to answer, for instance asking them about their journey to where they are now, where did they begin, why did they first become interested in the subject. You don't have to use this material.

Tip Five: Try to stay on the pathway, it is very easy to meander off into meaningless questions, ..unless that is the purpose of your Podcast. Stay on track, unless you think what they have to say is more interesting than what you planned, then take that call, and turn a corner.

Tip Six: ENJOY talking to your guest, revel in their knowledge - encourage them - if face to face with a nod, or if down the line - with a "that was a great answer" Caution - try to avoid saying yes as they answer. Again those words of encouragement can be edited out before you start the next question.

In the next blog, six little techie tips to help your Podcast. To find out about Podcast Editing from $35 an hour/episode - click here

Overrated

2019-02-08T14:49:00.000+00:00

Reviews and ratings are good for your Podcast, no they are not necessarily going to hike you up the iTunes Podcast chart, quite a few 'new and noteworthy' have no reviews at all. But they are social currency and they can act as a great testimonial for your Podcast.

If I said about my Podcast: "Even if I interviewed a paper bag for two hours, you would be totally enthralled by my sexy voice, I am an utter joy to listen to." you'd be within your rights to use that paper bag to vomit into.

BUT when "Tremmmer" reviewing on iTunes says: "David Tennant could interview a paper bag for two hours and I would listen to his soothing Scottish lilt quite happily. As it happens he's interviewing other talented people, making it an utter joy to listen to." well thats a tasty slice of social currency and an endorsement and makes you want to take a listen, unless maybe you have a pathological hatred of the Scottish that is. For more www.creativeradio.com

I was once a week man

2019-02-07T10:13:00.003+00:00

Longevity and your Podcast go hand in hand. You MUST produce regular episodes, if possible at least once a week. You also need to spend time marketing, using social media, networking. That's if you want your Podcast to succeed. It's really hard work and balancing your work life, looking after the kids, going out doing social stuff, .. ... somewhere in amongst all that needs to be the time you spend on your Podcast.

A couple of tricks, one from a client that has consistently produced a regular Podcast every week and another from a best selling author that I worked with.

So the first trick, is batching. If you can record at least two maybe three Podcasts at once. If you are recording with guests - it will be a challenge but you can reward yourself with some quality time after.

The second trick is, I once asked best selling author, Bake Off TV Presenter Sandi Toksvig, just how she managed to write her books? Her secret was a shed at the bottom of her garden, early in the morning, nobody around and strict instructions not to be disturbed. That way she could concentrate on what she was trying to do without somebody behind her hoovering, the cat miaowing and the kids arguing in the background!

Podcast Paperchase

2019-01-16T10:31:00.003+00:00

I keep reading about lots of fancy software to create a Podcast running order, and then yet more software to keep notes and editing details about where you are with your show. I have a confession to make - I have gone back to old fashioned pen and paper and its works really well.

Make a running order, even if it is just a simple list of stuff you want to cover or ask. It is a great way to give structure to your show. I know that some of you want to sound organic and natural, but that can sound a complete mess.

As a talk radio producer I made a running order every day with programme junctions, guest details and what subjects to cover, interviews usually had about 6 or so questions that I wanted my host to ask, along with brief background details of guests... and all done on good old fashioned paper scripts.

My challenge to you is to plan your podcast, and give pen and paper another chance. When I edit my clients Podcasts I have a simple grid with little boxes that I can satisfyingly tick off as each part or editing process has been completed. I can also scribble little editing notes on, the odd doodle and a lack of a tick is a good way to remind me to chase a client for audio.

Good Gear

2018-12-11T09:27:00.000+00:00

A great way to get up to speed with Podcasting is to join one of the many forums on Facebook, Linkedin or Quora. I have learnt a lot of useful stuff from those forums. But there is an obsession with gear. Who has the best microphone? Who has the best mixing desk/panel?

It reminds me of a friend of a friend who decided that she would become a voiceover. She bought all the gear, Neumann Microphone, Whisper Booth.. thousands of pounds worth of stuff. Then did nothing with it She never made that jump, never recorded a single script.

There are Podcasters out there obsessed with the gear and not really worrying about the content, just how sexy they sound on a particular microphone. Manufacturers are starting to realise this growing market, with Rode releasing their rather pricey 'Rodecaster Pro.'

BUT With good content a Smart phone recording App, a quiet place, you can still make great Podcasts.

ACTUALLY you don't even need a quiet place, one of my clients recorded his podcast during a monsoon - very atmospheric and a wonderful podcast.

BOOM!

2018-02-01T11:09:00.000+00:00

I have stopped being a Radio Producer. But Why? For more than 25 years I was a Radio Producer, making live talk radio shows, and years of experience taught me what to look for in an interview, how to edit and make the show sound like, well a radio show.

But, BOOM! along came Podcasting - it's like radio, but it isn't and it's taken me a few years to re-adjust my listening ears to adapt to this new medium.

OUT goes the radio rule that says you must edit out every mistake. A bit like a craft beer that has sediment in ....? Podcast listeners expect the product to be a little rough at the edges, but something different to those sterile mass-produced Beers that the big boys make.

OUT goes the rule that you have to find the quietest place. Recently the most enjoyable Podcasts to put together has been one, recorded in a massive tropical rainstorm, in the end we had to take ALL the processing off so you could hear the interview and enjoy the rain.

OUT goes the warm up bit before an interview. When you naturally talk to somebody you find out stuff you didn't know, sometimes you put your foot in it and ask the wrong question - but that's the Podcast difference, they are all about doing something differently.

So dare to take risks with your next Podcast.

Guilty after 18 years

2018-01-25T11:47:00.000+00:00

Petula Clark

Guilty!

LBC Listening Figures Sabotaged

A true confession marking 18 years of Creative Radio, and CreativeRadio.com

By the year 2000 we were working privately for a number of companies outside of LBC Radio, where we were both working at the time.

Privately I wrote the quiz for Mike Allen on Talk Radio that just happened to air at exactly the same time as The Pete Murray show on LBC, that I just happened to Produce!

When the quarterly listening figures came in, they showed that Pete’s show was being slaughtered by Mike Allen’s Quiz hour. I was hauled into the office. The boss said - ‘What are we going to do about that bloody quiz?’

I answered, ‘Why don’t we do a quiz of our own?’

‘Yep, good idea, you can write one.’ He replied

‘Will you pay me to write it?’ I asked

‘NO! you can write it in your spare time.’

Something I was not prepared to do, so there was no quiz. This was the boss, by the way, who, when I told him that Petula Clark was on the show and that she wanted a cab, he said ‘Can’t she get a bus, I mean they stop outside the studio?’ – and he wasn’t joking.

So I continued to do work for Talk radio, whilst working at LBC, and poor old Pete’s figures continued to drop during the Mike Allen Quiz hour.

Fill My Podcast

2017-11-01T08:56:00.000+00:00

It's all about delicious, distinctive layers.

Question - who is your listener?

What kind of content do THEY want?

Create a profile of your listener. Who is he or she? What do they care about?

What kind of life do they have?

Are they married? Have children? And so on.

Where do you think they will listen to your Podcast?

OK so now you know everything about your ideal listener.

How will you deliver your Podcast

Podcasting thrives on regular episodic delivery, so you need to create regular episodes.

If you are a small-scale operation - maybe you record a half-dozen shows at a time? Maybe you force yourself to get up an hour earlier everyday?

Big organisations like the BBC/PBS commit time and resources to Podcasting, they are, in some ways, your competitor.

It might be that you have a unique niche show that can't be touched or replicated by the big boys?

You need to stick with it. Podcasters get so excited about their new Podcast .. BUT often after a dozen episodes the enthusiasm just fizzles away.

Topic led Podcasts need structure (those distinctive, delicious layers) and you will have to write and produce incredible amounts of material.

As a former full-time News Talk Radio Producer; everyday I had to find three hours of material. I had a team to help, resources from SKY News and a show Host who once in a while contributed material! It was a REAL challenge to come up with good ideas every single day.

Most importantly you should ONLY make content about stuff that you are interested in and have a passion for. If you don't care who will others listening care?

Now go forth and multiply many episodes of compelling content. (Pic: Channel 4 Press Office)

Thinking of making a Podcast?

2017-10-25T10:38:00.002+01:00

Here is a quick list of stuff you should consider before making your own Podcast.

1. Take a look around, see what your listener might be interested in. Create a real profile of someone who might listen to your Podcast. (Their sex, age, interests, family life)

2. Stay away from hard sell sales pitch, show passion and enthusiasm for what you are producing.

3. Make sure you stay up-to-date with your subject - be forward thinking, rather than backward.

4. Make do and mend - written a book? Take some the information from the book - turn it into a Podcast.

5. Who are your competitors - who is already out there doing the same thing? Are they better? Or are they worse? What are their strengths and weaknesses - de-construct their podcast against your own.

6. Episodes - need to be frequent - if you are creating longer-form work - that will take at least 4 times more longer to produce than the actual recording. An hour of recording will take 4-5 hours to put together from writing to publishing.

7. Be comfortable in your shoes. Choose material you know about, maybe work or something you have a genuine interest in. Decide on a format and stick to it. Brand the format so it has distinctive imaging (sound) and look - visualisation.

8. Plan and script - but make sure you sound natural and not sound like you are reading a script or have turned into a talking version of Wikipedia.

9. Substantiate - give credit and include links to your Podcast.

10. Offer something unique, that adds value in terms of entertainment, information or both.

Finally enjoy what you do. The process of making a Podcast with its creative and technical challenges is one of great accomplishment - so embrace and enjoy.

#Blog Alert I Saw Ron Moody's last performance.

2015-06-11T19:13:00.000+01:00

I really enjoyed a celebration of 50 years of Oliver in 2010 at the Theatre Royal in Dury Lane now with Russ Abbot as Fagan, Rowan Atkinson had been the original Fagan. The ensemble cast of kids were truly brilliant, the use of the stage and the sets and the clever way they played the murder scene all added to a terrific night. Even though the Theatre was peppered with hardened members of the press we gave the cast a standing ovation and then something truly remarkable happened.

A podium was brought on and Russ Abbot walked up to and said ladies and gentlemen, please will you welcome to the stage of the Theatre Royal Dury Lane - the original Fagan - Mr Ron Moody, and on he came and spent the next twenty minutes talking about his life in showbusiness. He held us in the palm of his hands, made us laugh, made us cry. And then something truly remarkable happened.

The band struck up the first chords of 'Pick A Pocket or Two" the kids came on and a very elderly Ron Moody sprang, I kid you not, into life and danced and sung with the children as if he was thirty years younger.

I remember turning to Chris who was moaning about missing the last train, and saying "This is Ron Moody's Swan Song, we are watching his very last stage performance." And again we all stood up and gave Ron a standing ovation.

Listen to lovely Audioboom version of this blog click here for more

#Blog Alert Will Apple cause radio to crumble?

2015-06-11T08:09:00.001+01:00

I have to admit I have not listened to a lot of Zane Lowe he's not really my thing, but he struck me as being an OK person, in that down to earth kind of Kiwi way. I liked the way he played with sound and knows how to do radio, has a very compelling relaxed way of interviewing - but I hated most of the music he played. So I tuned away.

But I am not the listener that Apple's Beats 1 is pursuing. And Beats 1 is going to have to be about the listener .

I do believe if they get that relationship right, pick the right personalities and music it will be deadly and it will travel across the time zones of the world.

When I worked with US Talk show host Doug Urbanski, I realised that his listener was drawn to the things he said and the different time zones and day parts he popped up in either live or recorded, across the U.S. were irrelevant.

So how will Beats 1 impact on traditional radio? To begin with I don't think it will. It's just another streaming radio station. I read a statistic recently that only 7% of Americans have ever streamed a radio or podcast in their cars. So traditional radio has time to keep up with new kids on the block from Cupertino. And doesn't cupertino sound like a camp Italian drink that Costa might sell ... or is that just me?

I am waiting for Apple to put Podcast App Swell back online. It was bought by Apple last year for 30 million dollars. Swell was a podcast player with a difference it had a clever algorithm that worked out what you liked and played you more of the same. I loved that and it worked - and it kept me listening and I guess it could also learn the kind of things I might want to buy and target the commercials directly at me.

So if Swell makes a return with Apple at the helm, then traditional radio should start to get worried a little sooner.

#Blog Alert Radio Demos

2015-06-03T07:40:00.000+01:00

'I guess it all began when I was viciously scratched by Liza Minnelli she jumped out from behind a pillar and screamed "Get Me Corffee' - Is probably a better way to start your radio demo than.

(JINGLE) 'Mmmm oooo ahhh it's Terry Tesco on the Radio' - 'yes indeedee it's Terry Tesco on the rageio, checkin out the travel and wever but first THIS IS the Beatles and This is Here Comes The Sun'

Always start with your best stuff, show your personality and ability as a broadcaster and story teller. Make me laugh, make me cry but please don't make me vomit into a waste paper basket when you spit out some boring strapline:

'Oh yes indeedee we're playing the best music in Basildon on the Hot Power Best Hits More Music FM.'

Make sure your radio demo is all about you, even if you have the most fabulous guest in the studio, cut their answer as soon as possible.

I am a believer in not too many music beds and sounding so slick that the person listening just knows you've spent ten hours editing down your performance.

Keep it simple, keep it short, not too many long links, variety and ability is what you need to show.

For commercial radio, show you can sell, create a live read for a competition and prize. For BBC or Public Radio show you care - real live interaction with callers - shows your ability to create compelling, conversational radio.

It's worth creating a demo aimed at the station or format you are sending the demo off to. Don't attach big audio files to unsolicited emails, if you fill up or worse crash the persons inbox they are going to take a dim view.

#Blog Alert Oh What A Performance

2015-06-02T09:05:00.000+01:00

creative people tend to be a delicate bunch of hot house flowers. We like our environment just so, not too hot, not too cold and above all it must be a comfortable creative place that doesn't intimidate. Stick some of us under the harsh glare of studio lights and those evil bug eyed monsters - or as some call 'TV Camera's' and just watch us wither and clam-up. The same thing can happen if we are pushed into a dimly lit padded cell and forced to speak into a large grilled listening device or some would call a 'Radio Studio and microphones.'

The point I am labouring to make is that if you want to get the best from your guest or you want a great place to create your Podcasts the actual environment you record in is really quite important.

If this sounds like complete tosh, take a moment to consider this wise advice from inc dot com - 'would you want to stay at an hotel with fluorescent lighting and drab grey rooms?'

Making a creative space also involves disarming the technology. When I first came to work for LBC Radio way back in 1984, I was surprised by the layout of the studio. There was a central console that looked very much like the Tardis console without the bit that went whooo whoooo whooo

Around were two AKG microphones and then a series of very small in-vision type small mics on stalks coming out from the hexagonal structure. When I asked the Chief Engineer why he had not chosen to fit a whole bunch of proper radio microphones? - He had a brilliant answer. 'The idea is not to intimidate any guests that appear on the station.' The station thought that the less alien technology that greeted a studio guest, the more comfortable they would be talking on the radio.

The idea worked well, guests soon forgot they were on the radio, they had good uninterrupted vision to the Presenter. Frankly it also helped that LBC studios were, at that time, in the flithy bowels of a decrepit old building off Fleet Street. Guests were often quite underwhelmed by the tatty state of the place.

So a comfortable and creative space to record is essential and if you are out on the road interviewing, shoving a large microphone into your interviewee's face is unlikely to solicit and candour. Better to pin a good qulaity tie-clip mic on them and yourself and keep your recording device discretely out of the way.

One more genius idea if you are making TV Vodcasts that I learnt from a very senior TV Documentary Director is that he used a camera with an AutoCue mirror glass on front, but instead of projecting a script in front of the lens, he projected a live second camera image of himself asking the questions. Rather like a Skype interview. It helped to prevent the documentary guest being intimidated by having to stare down the lens of a TV camera.

#Blog Alert Run Rabbit Run

2015-05-27T16:42:00.000+01:00

lets kill a pet rabbit live on the radio.

That's what Danish radio host Asger Juhl did. The rabbit in question was called Allan and was struck on the head with a bicycle pump, Mr Juhl wanted to use a metal bar, but didn't have one, then he dispatched the rabbit by wringing its neck.

So was it pointless cruelty or a perfectly good way to talk about the subject of animal welfare. It was probably a capricious act by a presenter keen for publicity, which he received in bucket loads. I think if I was the Producer of the show I would have prevented him from actually killing the rabbit, but allow him to go through the process.

There is a radio version of the line in the sand, where you should not cross, and if you you do, there will certainly be consequences.

Radio Presenter, comedy writer and performer Jon Holmes decided to broadcast a quiz on Virgin Radio called "Swearing Radio Hangman for the Under-12s" - the title alone should have been cause for alarm from somebody in the management of the radio station.

On one particular night he persuaded a nine-year-old child to repeat the swear of the day, that was "soapy tit wank"

Jon is actually proud of this achievement and the record £75,000 fine that followed from the regulator. I know this as he came to work for LBC. He is a very funny, bright presenter and would try every time to cross that line in the sand. Martin his Producer and I had a single word that would bring him back into line though. All we had to do was whisper the word "Soapy" in his headphones and he knew that he was going to far.

Maybe someone at the Danish Radio will in the future be whispering "Rabbit" in Asger Juhl's ears when he next steps over the line?

#Blog Alert Carry On Abroad

2015-05-27T07:37:00.000+01:00

I've just spent two weeks in a small, sleepy village that nestles in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountain about thirty minutes from Granada and the mighty Alhambra Palaces.

So what has me bragging about my holiday got to do with Podcasting? Well I thought I would set myself a challenge and try and record and publish a podcast whilst away.

My first challenge was to find a WiFi spot with some decent bandwidth. My plan was to use a local restaurant but unfortunately their Telefonica - Movistar service wasn't working. Internet providers have been the most complained about companies in Spain for three years running. Telefonica Movistar offers a blistering 'UP TO' 4 mega byte download service, and 1 mega byte upload - but today a fat nothing.

It's worth mentioning that if you are planning to continue to Podcast when you are away from base in most European cities you should be able to find reasonable internet services. Places like Granada have fibre optic cable companies but out in the rural areas certainly Spain falls well behind even the paltry service found in the UK.

No worry I can use 4G - I looked at the local map and discovered that the nearest town - Motril offered 4G. Mmmm well, I not quite sure where because all I could find was 3G or nothing.

Never mind let's forget about the task of uploading my audio - I thought I would get down to the business of recording. I just need somewhere quiet and with a reasonable acoustic sound.

Well if you have ever stayed in a Mediterranean house, you will know that marble floors and wooden or metal shutters at the window make recording a challenging process. What I needed was a quiet small place with carpet and soft furnishings. The solution was obvious.

I took a trip to the underground car park and got in the passenger seat of the hire car, waited for a neighbour to burn rubber driving up the ramp out of the garage and with my trusty new iRig Pro with digital interface and iRig Recorder App for iPhone I made a recording, Horrible to edit and a lack of an undo button was very frustrating. But I think it sounded pretty good technically.

CLIP

Now all I have to do is upload on 3G and I am published, well I tried for more than three hours to upload a small - just over a minute file and failed miserably - so consoled myself with a Vodka that at £4.20 a litre softens the misery that most Spanish face using Movistar.

*Facua

#Blog Alert 10 things you should do BEFORE Podcasting

2015-05-12T19:16:00.000+01:00

#Blog Alert Compelling Speech

2015-05-08T11:50:00.001+01:00

here is an example of great writing using narrative form and emotional engagement, I am sure you will no the writer and the reason for me a - not attempting an impression and b - why I am including this speech on today's Podcast.

"My dear friends, this is your hour. This is not victory of a party or of any class. It's a victory of the great British nation as a whole. We were the first, in this ancient island, to draw the sword against tyranny. After a while we were left all alone against the most tremendous military power that has been seen. We were all alone for a whole year."

"There we stood, alone. Did anyone want to give in? Were we down-hearted? The lights went out and the bombs came down. But every man, woman and child in the country had no thought of quitting the struggle. London can take it. So we came back after long months from the jaws of death, out of the mouth of hell, while all the world wondered. When shall the reputation and faith of this generation of English men and women fail?"

"I say that in the long years to come not only will the people of this island but of the world, wherever the bird of freedom chirps in human hearts, look back to what we've done and they will say 'do not despair, do not yield to violence and tyranny, march straightforward and die if need be-unconquered.' "Now we have emerged from one deadly struggle – a terrible foe has been cast on the ground and awaits our judgement and our mercy."

#Blog alert Don't Fall Over The Furniture

2015-05-08T10:55:00.000+01:00

I heard a Podcast the other day where the two presenters talked for more than four minutes on whether they should have a 'jingle' for a particular item I can't say that it was a riveting listen. How much better had they actually had made the wretched 'jingle' and how much better it would also have made their Podcast.

In radio we talk about not falling over the furniture. The furniture being the junctions and structures of a show. Particular pieces of imaging that might get used and times and points for travel, weather and news.

All of these items are part of the seamless flow of the show. Drawing attention to them by saying stuff like. "I really must interrupt you there Fred as I 'have' to go to the travel." or "We are recording with a new microphone today it's the Hokey Cokey 3000 - ..etc etc." just sound clumsy and are not going to engage your listener, who by now is hitting the jump 30 seconds button.

By all means add colour to your shows by talking about relevant and interesting stuff. But the mechanics of how you are recording and dull pre-ambles just make me want to swipe you away to the next offering.

#Blog Alert Kevin Spacey's Secret To Engaging Content.

2015-05-08T10:49:00.003+01:00

last year Actor and Director Kevin Spacey was invited to speak at 'Content Marketing World 2014' he was asked to give his opinion of what makes great content, his answer.

Hear Kevin Spacey here

But there's also a heightened way of making a story more compelling and more engaging

Hear Kevin Spacey here

An example of this might be a baby that is plucked out alive amidst the rubble and dust of a collapsed building following an earthquake. The child's face contorted and covered with dust, but within a few minutes, a wash and some love, the child is once again smiling.

That was a true story, it happened during the devastating Nepal earthquake, so truth is an important element of story telling, Kevin Spacey again

Hear Kevin Spacey here

Finally some words of wisdom and inspiration for you to create your next Podcast - Kevin Spacey

Hear Kevin Spacey here