Below are some photos of me setting up and using the studio equipment.
Below is my full radio show.
Below is a section of my radio programme showing the codes and conventions I have used.
In this clip, I used a sting, a relaxed music bed, I included a more serious tone in my presenting style and personal stories. The above extract is from the middle of the programme, but in the first 5 minutes of the show I also talked about facts and figures - so I have included all of the codes and conventions of a radio documentary that I identified in D1.
I used a sting because this reminds the listeners what programme they are listening to if they started listening in the middle of it, and it also helps to keep the name of the show in their mind, so they are more likely to remember it and tune in again. I used a music bed from a genre called 'Ibiza chill' that was soothing but not boring because this would reflect the theme of the show - sleep - without making the audience switch off. I used a serious tone in my programme because topics like mental health are fairly serious, so I made sure to approach them in a sensitive way, but there were still some moments during the interviews that were more light-hearted. I used personal stories because these allow the audience to empathise with those sharing their experiences, and it makes the listener feel like they are chatting to or getting advice from a friend.
D2: Evaluate the flow of programme content and audio levels
I feel that overall, I have created a successful radio documentary, although there are some things that I would improve next time. I think the strengths of my programme were I had balanced opinions - which is key to radio broadcast - , the product itself sounds professional, it is informative with songs that are enjoyable for the target audience - however I had some issues with sound quality, which I will expand on later.
To address the strengths first, I had balanced opinions in my interview, because Kim praised fitness trackers but they didn't work for Megan, so this gives the audience both sides of the story and it is up to them to form their own opinion of smart watches. This conforms to the brief, because Oakes Radio is a community station, so it cannot be biased, and by giving two opposing opinions, it means that we aren't promoting or degrading smart watches and fitness trackers, we are just discussing the pros and cons. It is worth noting that I didn't prompt my interviewees to give two different opinions, as the interviews were meant to be quite casual, and feel more like a chat with a friend than a formal interview, so I wanted the conversation to flow naturally.
I feel that my radio programme also sounds professional and is of a radio standard. This is helped by a combination of things - the studio equipment, terminology used, conventions followed and chatty interviews. I did a lot of research into different radio stations (as shown in LO1) and I feel that this helped me get a good idea of how presenters talk on the radio, and I was able to present the programme with appropriate trails and calls to action without having to write down every word I was going to say. I think not having a script made 'Sleep Tight, Sleep Right' feel like a real radio show because it flowed more naturally as professional radio often does with genres like documentary, lifestyle and magazine style. I also created two different stings using a voice actor and some royalty free music, and I feel that this harp sound is fitting for the topic of the programme, plus stings are a convention of professional radio programmes to tell the audience what show they are listening to if they turned on the radio half way through the show. I also made sure that the levels of the different audio tracks are correct and you can hear the speakers clearly, as the music bed being too loud to hear the interviews and presenter would mean that the listener can't get any benefits from the show as they can't hear anything. I ensured that the levels of audio are correct by capping off the spoken recordings at -6 decibels, and the music is no louder than -24 decibels - I did this by using the Hard Limiter in Adobe Audition. These levels are fitting for a professional radio show because sound louder than -4 to -6 decibels can be loud enough to break speakers.
A third strength is that 'Sleep Tight, Sleep Right' is informative and educational, which meets the requirements of the brief as it must "inform, educate and entertain". I did some research myself to find statistics that would be relevant to the topic, for example how much sleep is recommended for different age groups. Some of the information given was presented by me in the studio, but the interviewees also gave some good advice without prompting. I think having a mix of these two is beneficial because I stated where I got the information from, so the audience knows that these facts are from reputable sources, but Kim and Megan presented their information about the blue light filter in phones in a more casual - and therefore memorable - way. Documentaries all have a major aim to teach the listeners something, and I feel that my radio show does that and enables listeners to make changes to their lives to help them sleep better. In the standard out cue, I also gave a call to action to find out more information on our website, so this also reminds the audience to follow up the show with their own reading, which helps them but also keeps the programme front-of-mind, so they are more likely to remember to tune in for the next episode.
The last strength I identified was that the songs are suitable for the target audience. Both of the songs I played were not released recently, but they are well-known and the lyrics have a link the theme of the documentary, so I feel that listeners of many different ages can enjoy them. By using songs about sleeping, it makes them relevant to the show, I feel that if I had instead used songs that are in the charts at the moment, even though more people would know the songs, it would seem like I added them in for the sake of it. Using relevant songs makes 'Sleep Tight, Sleep Right' more memorable, because the audience will be reminded of the programme the next time they hear those songs. I also feel that the bed music is very appropriate because it keeps the listeners engaged while also not being too relaxing so that they would switch off. The genre is called Ibiza chill, and all of the bed music I used also had the description of 'lounge music, chillout music', which I feel is an appropriate atmosphere for the programme. I found the music by searching for 'Ibiza chill instrumental' on YouTube, and all of the bed music I used is royalty-free so we don't have to pay for any of it. 'I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing' and 'All I Have To Do is Dream' both have royalties that must be paid to use them on air, but Oakes Radio has a PRS license for this reason, so I don't need to worry about using the music illegally.
My radio programme is not perfect, however, and the first weakness is the sound quality in the studio. I feel that my voice is too muffled but I didn't realise it until listening back after recording was finished, so next time I would take the muff off the microphone and just use the pop shield as I feel the muff might have been too thick and blocked out too much of the sound. I could also get a second opinion on the sound quality before I started recording to make sure my voice is as clear as possible. Being able to hear the speaker's voice clearly is key to a successful radio show, so I think this is the major thing I would improve another time. There was another more minor issue with sound quality, where Megan's voice wasn't picked up very well during her interview. I think this was caused by using one recorder between us, and her sitting too far away from the microphone. To improve this another time, I would use one clip-on mic for each person, because then even though Megan speaks quite softly, the microphone is closer to her so it would pick up her voice a lot better.
If I had to make a second episode of 'Sleep Tight, Sleep Right', the other thing I would change would be that I would have a variety of different voices. Instead of having two 10 minute interviews, I would have a third contributor either as an interviewer or in the studio with me, and make each of these sections for 5-7 minutes. This way, listeners aren't hearing the same few people talk for a long period of time, as this can make them switch off. By using lots of different voices, if a listener doesn't like one voice, they won't have to listen to it for long. Using more contributors also makes the pace of the show faster, which could be beneficial if the target audience found the first episode too boring.