Students
MMCC3037 – Radio and Podcast: The 'On Air' Career
2023 – Session 1, In person-scheduled-weekday, North Ryde
General Information
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| Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Convenor, Lecturer and Tutor
Helen Wolfenden
Contact via Email. (Note that I don't access messages on my desk phone.)
10HA 193E
Please email for an appointment.
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|---|---|
| Credit points |
Credit points
10
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| Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
130cp at 1000 level or above
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| Corequisites |
Corequisites
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| Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
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| Unit description |
Unit description
This unit is suited to students who already have some experience producing spoken word and/or music audio. It explores diverse radio, audio and podcast forms and production as they are emerging in the contemporary online and broadcast context. Students work across a range of professional roles contributing their skills and output to either a series of programs composed of a variety of radio forms (features, comedy, talk-back, reportage, discussion, live music, performance), or towards a 'live' special event program for 2SER community radio station. Specialist studio/audio production is taught using 'Protools' and appropriate other softwares. Students also advance their skills in voice production and microphone techniques (also applicable to film, news broadcast, podcast, and other audio-visual forms). |
Important Academic Dates
Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- ULO1: apply radio and audio content production to diverse media applications.
- ULO2: evaluate and apply a range of operational, technical and media industry skills related in particular to audio/radio production, program making and broadcasting.
- ULO3: communicate, collaborate and plan to produce a range of creative and journalistic outputs.
- ULO4: analyse and evaluate creative and professional media practice, with an emphasis on radio/audio industry or broadcast media content.
General Assessment Information
Late Assessment Submission Penalty
Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, a 5% penalty (of the total possible mark) will be applied each day a written assessment is not submitted, up until the 7th day (including weekends). After the 7th day, a mark of‚ 0 (zero) will be awarded even if the assessment is submitted. Submission time for all written assessments is set at 11.55pm. A 1-hour grace period is provided to students who experience a technical issue.
This late penalty will apply to non-timed sensitive assessment (incl essays, reports, posters, portfolios, journals, recordings etc). Late submission of time sensitive tasks (such as tests/exams, performance assessments/presentations, scheduled practical assessments/labs etc) will only be addressed by the unit convenor in a Special consideration application. Special Consideration outcome may result in a new question or topic.
Assessment Tasks
| Name | Weighting | Hurdle | Due |
|---|---|---|---|
| Audio Portfolio | 50% | No | Week 13: 2/6/2023 10am |
| Radio Show/s and Production Diary | 50% | No | Week 13: 2/6/2023 10am |
Audio Portfolio
Assessment Type 1: Portfolio
Indicative Time on Task 2: 33 hours
Due: Week 13: 2/6/2023 10am
Weighting: 50%
Pre-produce audio content for the live or ‘as live’ radio show/s you will create for the following assessment. Refer to iLearn for further information.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- apply radio and audio content production to diverse media applications.
- evaluate and apply a range of operational, technical and media industry skills related in particular to audio/radio production, program making and broadcasting.
- communicate, collaborate and plan to produce a range of creative and journalistic outputs.
- analyse and evaluate creative and professional media practice, with an emphasis on radio/audio industry or broadcast media content.
Radio Show/s and Production Diary
Assessment Type 1: Performance
Indicative Time on Task 2: 33 hours
Due: Week 13: 2/6/2023 10am
Weighting: 50%
Produce radio show/s for radio station 2SER. Documentation supporting your contribution to the broadcasts will be required in the form of a Production Diary. Refer to iLearn for further information.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- apply radio and audio content production to diverse media applications.
- evaluate and apply a range of operational, technical and media industry skills related in particular to audio/radio production, program making and broadcasting.
- communicate, collaborate and plan to produce a range of creative and journalistic outputs.
- analyse and evaluate creative and professional media practice, with an emphasis on radio/audio industry or broadcast media content.
1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:
- the academic teaching staff in your unit for guidance in understanding or completing this type of assessment
- the Writing Centre for academic skills support.
2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation
Delivery and Resources
Unless otherwise advised, this Unit is structured using lectures as well as face-to-face tutorial /radio lab /studio workshops and discussion sessions. Please see iLearn for more detail.
Please note: lectures begin in week 1 and tutorials begin in week 2.
REQUIRED READING
A selection of readings are allocated to each week for the first half of the semester and detailed in the Unit Schedule (see iLearn). Readings are accessed via Leganto http://libguides.mq.ed u.au/leganto
NOTE that you MUST access Leganto via the block in iLearn in the first instance. This is how the system verifies you as a student in this unit.
REQUIRED EQUIPMENT
• One set of good quality closed or semi-closed headphones (compulsory for each student for hygiene and safety reasons).
• Memory device to store audio data, in progress and for transport between home and university.
RECOMMENDED READING
Abel, Jessica; foreword by Ira Glass. Out on the wire: the storytelling secrets of the new masters of radio, New York, 2015.
Ahern, Steve. Making Radio. Allen and Unwin: 2011
Alten, Stanley. Audio in Media. Belmont CA: Most recent edition is best. (The bible of audio production for those really serious about sound.)
Barnard, Stephen. Studying Radio. New York: 2000
Beaman, Jim. Programme making for radio. London & NY: 2006
Beaman, Jim. Interviewing for Radio. London & NY: 2011
Biewen, John. Reality radio: telling true stories in sound, Durham, 2017
Burns, Maureen et al. Histories of public Service Broadcasters on the web, New York: 2011
Chantler, Paul & Stewart, Peter. Basic Radio Journalism. 2003
Chignell, Hugh. Key Concepts in Radio Studies.
Sage: 2009 Chignell, Hugh. Public Issue Radio: Talks, News and Current Affairs in the Twentieth Century: 2011
Crisell, Andrew & Guy Starkey. Radio Journalism, London: 2009
Crisell, Andrew. Ed. Radio (3 Vols). London 2009 Crook, Tim. The Sound Handbook. London. Routledge 2012
Dubber, Andrew. Radio in the Digital Age, Polity, London 2013
Emm, Adèle. Researching for the media: television, radio and journalism, London; New York 2014. Online resource.
Fleming, Carole. The Radio Handbook. London: 2010
Frangi, Anthony. Radio toolbox: everything you need to get started in broadcasting. Palgrave Macmillan 2012
Geller, Valerie. Beyond Powerful radio: a communicator's guide to the Internet age. Belmont CA: 2006
Griffen-Foley, Bridget. Changing Stations: The story of Australian Commercial Radio, Sydney: 2009 Hendy, David. Radio in the Global Age. Cambridge: 2000
Hicks, Wynford. English for Journalists. London & New York, 2nd Edition 2003
Keith, Michael. The Radio Station. London: Focal Press, 2000
Keeble, Richard. Ethics for Journalists. London & New York, 2001
Kern, Jonathon. Sound Reporting: the NPR Guide to audio journalism and production, Chicago: 2008
Kramer, Mark & Wendy Call (Eds). Telling True Stories, NY: 2007
Lingren, Mia, and Philips,Gail. Australian Broadcast Journalism. 3rd Ed. South Melbourne, 2013
Loviglio, Jason & Hilmes, Michele (Eds) Radio's New Wave: Global Sound in the Digital Age, Routledge: 2013
McLeish, Robert. Radio Production, 4th Edition, Oxford: 1999
Nuzum, Eric. Make Noise: A Creator's Guide to Podcasting and Great Audio Storytelling. Workman Publishing Company: 2020
Shingler & Wieringa. On Air: Methods and Meanings of Radio. London: 1998
Squier, Susan. Ed. Communities of the air. London: 2003
Starkey, Guy. Radio in context. London: 2004
Street, Sean, The Poetry of Radio, the Colour of Sound. London, New York, 2011
Talbot-Smith, Michael. Sound Assistance. London: 1999
Bonini, Tiziano; Monclus, Belen. Eds. Radio audiences and participation in the age of network society, New York, NY, 2015
Turner, Graeme. 'Politics, Radio and Journalism in Australia', in Journalism, Vol 10, no 4, August 2009
Journals of relevance (in library/electronic available access via multisearch):
Journal of Radio and Audio Media, (USA)
Australian Journalism Review (articles on all kinds of journalism)
Radiodoc Review online journal reviewing documentary radio/audio (international) https://ro.uo w.edu.au/rdr/
Online audio sites of interest
Arte-Radio (in French: radio arm of European cultural channel) https://www.arteradio.com
American Public Media Reports https://www.apmreports.org
Australian Broadcasting Corporation https://www.abc.net.au
ABCEditorial Policies https://edpols.abc.net.au
ABC Double J https://www.abc.net.au/doublej/
ABC Triple J https://www.abc.net.au/triplej/
ABC Radio Eye (Archived features and documentaries) https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/pro grams/archived/radioeye/
ABC Correspondents Report https://www.abc.net.au/radio/programs/correspondentsreport/
ABC 360 Documentaries (ABC features and documentaries program, archived) https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/360/
ABC Earshot (features and documentaries shows from 2015-) https://www.abc.net.au/radionatio nal/programs/earshot/
ABC RN https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/
ABC Local RadioSydney https://www.abc.net.au/radio/sydney/
Australian Communications and Media Authority https://www.acma.gov.au
BBC Sounds (UK) https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds
ABC Newsradio https://www.abc.net.au/newsradio/
Commercial Radio Australia http://www.commercialradio.com.au
Community Broadcasting Association of Australia https://www.cbaa.org.au
Community Media Association https://www.commedia.org.uk
All The Best (storytelling features on fbi made by volunteers and students) http://allthebestradio.com
fbi (community radio station Sydney) https://fbiradio.com
2GB (AM talkback news station Sydney) https://www.2gb.com
Kitchen Sisters (Davia Nelson & Nikki Silva, award winning producers based in USA) http://www.kitchensisters.org/
Love + Radio (Groundbreaking podcast) http://loveandradio.org/
NOVA https://www.nova969.com.au/nova969
National Public Radio (NPR USA ) https://www.npr.org
Radio Lab (innovative US ideas radio show and podcast) https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/radiolab
Radio-Locator https://radio-locator.com
Radioinfo (subscribe to keep in touch with latest jobs etc in Australia) https://www.radioinfo.com.au
ABC Radio Australia https://www.abc.net.au/radio-australia/
Radiotopia (USA site for cutting edge and creative audio storytelling) https://www.radiotopia.fm
Resonance FM https://www.resonancefm.com
SBS Radio https://www.sbs.com.au/radio/
2SER https://2ser.com
Serial (breakthrough podcast with season 1 based on re-examination of murder case) https://serialpodcast.org
Sirius satellite radio https://www.siriusxm.com
Story Corps (USA oral history and radio documentary project) https://storycorps.org
STown (Critically acclaimed podcast by the people who make This American Life and Serial) https://stownpodcast.org/
SYN (community station, based in Melbourne, under 25s) http://syn.org.au
The Heart (a podcast about intimacy) https://www.theheartradio.org/
Third Coast Radio Festival https://www.thirdcoastfestival.org
This American Life https://www.thisamericanlife.org
**Transom (a showcase & workshop for new public radio – VERY useful to students) https://transom.org
UBU Web radio http://www.ubu.com/sound/radio_radio/index.html
UN Radio https://news.un.org/en/audio-hub
Hearing Voices USA ‘best of Public radio’ Hearing Voices https://hearingvoices.com and https://exchange.prx.org/series/732-hearing-voices
The Wire http://thewire.org.au
WNYC (New York public radio station with live performance space) https://www.wnyc.org
World Service (BBC) https://www.bbc.co.uk/worldserviceradio
Remember that you can also access LinkedIn Learning online training videos via the library https://libguides.mq.edu.au/linkedinlearning
LinkedIn Learning offers a range of software, creative, and business training including courses on ProTools, AudioSuite plugins, mixing and audio theory.
Unit Schedule
This unit outline is subject to change. Please refer to iLearn for the latest version.
MMCC3037 Unit Schedule – Semester 1, 2023
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W/B |
Lecture – topic |
Tutes/Workshops/Readings |
Assessment/Tasks |
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1. 20 Feb |
Unit intro |
No tutorial or workshop. |
Read and review unit guide. Record assessment deadlines. Have You Heard George’s Podcast (it's a true original) by Hugh Levinson, https://ro.uow.edu.au/rdr/vol5/iss1/3/ Have You Heard George's Podcast? Chapter 2 9. Sabrina’s Boy by George Mpanga https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m000b18m Viewing: Q&A, ABC TV |
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2. 27 Feb |
Podcasting vs radio 2SER |
TUTE: Discuss live show roles and themes WKSH: ProTools introduction /recap field kit / advanced field kit refresher Reminder to include an ID at the top of every recording – this serves as a release as well as being good practice for identifying and organising recordings. |
Memoir for your ears: the podcast life / Siobhán McHugh Strangers, Love Hurts / Lea Thau https://www.kcrw.com/culture/shows/strangers/love-hurts Introduction: Podcasting and Podcasts—Parameters of a New Aural Culture / Dario Llinares, Neil Fox, Richard Berry |
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3. 6 Mar |
So what? Saying something Doing more than assembling links and inserting narration. Case Study: Love is a Battlefield Sherre DeLys (https://www.wnycstudios.org/story/91763-our-podcast-comes-in-all-shapes-and-sizes ) |
TUTE: Resolve live show roles and themes
WKSHP: Making promos, intros, stings and sweepers. |
(LISTEN IN ORDER!) Unconditional Love - This American Life https://www.thisamericanlife.org/317/unconditional-love Love Is A Battlefield – Transom https://transom.org/2014/love-is-a-battlefield/ Hotpod Newsletter https://hotpodnews.com Not dead yet: Emerging trends in radio documentary forms in Australia and the US / Mia Lindgren, Siobhan McHugh |
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4. 13 Mar |
Narrative form – conventional and unconventional structures |
TUTE: Production meeting WKSHP: Booth revision and levels for broadcast |
Keep or Kill: Story Structure / Abel, Jessica My Kingdom For Some Structure: Transom https://transom.org/2013/my-kingdom-for-some-structure/ BONUS: Radiolab Scavenger Hunt | Radiolab | WNYC Studios https://www.wnycstudios.org/story/bonus-radiolab-scavenger-hunt |
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5. 20 Mar |
Live radio: presentation skills pre-production, live production, rundowns, scripts, studio etiquette… |
DEADLINE: Feature 1 TUTE: Listen to first features WKSHP: Desk and playout software. |
Listening: Jack and Ellen and The Living Room http://loveandradio.org/2013/02/jack-and-ellen/ http://loveandradio.org/2015/03/the-living-room/ Reading: Empathy, ethics and aesthetics in Love + Radio by Michelle Macklem |
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6. 27 Mar |
Using music |
WKSHP: Technical revision as necessary.
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Audio Literacy And Why We Need It: Julia Barton https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYPuTUr2LVc&feature=youtu.be&t=66s Towards a Poetics of Audio: The Importance of Criticism by Sarah Montague http://thesarahawards.com/article/2017/4/3/towards-a-poetics-of-audio-the-importance-of-criticism START PRODUCTION DIARY (if you haven’t already) Ch 9 Live Radio – The Australian broadcast journalism manual / Gail Phillips ; Mia Lindgren Viewing: Q&A |
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7. 3 April (Friday 7th – Good Friday) |
Live radio production: 2SER brief Ethical considerations |
Prep for ‘as live’ shows |
CrowdScience - How does my radio work? - BBC Sounds |
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RECESS |
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8. 24 April |
Critically evaluating radio Critical listening |
1 |
Group 1 Broadcast |
Group 1 Aircheck |
Group 2 Broadcast |
Group 2 Aircheck |
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Group 3 & 4 Show Prep |
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9. 1 May |
Radio backstories: behind the scenes |
2 |
Group 3 Broadcast |
Group 3 Aircheck |
Group 4 Broadcast |
Group 4 Aircheck |
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Group 1 & 2 Show Prep |
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10. 8 May |
Ideas Stories |
3 |
Group 2 Broadcast |
Group 2 Aircheck |
Group 1 Broadcast |
Group 1 Aircheck |
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Group 3 & 4 Show Prep |
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11. 15 May |
Works of fiction: Radio drama and audio books Sound design
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4 |
Group 4 Broadcast |
Group 4 Aircheck |
Group 3 Broadcast |
Group 3 Aircheck |
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Group 1 & 2 Show Prep |
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12. 22 May |
Listening to Peijk |
5 |
Group 1 Broadcast |
Group 1 Aircheck |
Group 2 Broadcast |
Group 2 Aircheck |
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Group 3 & 4 Show Prep |
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13. 29 May |
Where to next? Both for you and the industry. |
6 |
Group 3 Broadcast |
Group 3 Aircheck |
Group 4 Broadcast |
Group 4 Aircheck |
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Group 1 & 2 Final Submission Prep |
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Audio Portfolio |
Audio – Due Friday June 2, 10am Submit audio via iLearn Submission Folder. Collated portfolio of broadcast audio pieces Documentation – Due Friday June 2, 10am Submit to Turnitin via iLearn. Cue Reflection Self-assessment via the rubric |
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Production diary |
Documentation – Due Friday June 2, 10am Submit to Turnitin via iLearn. Production diary Self-assessment via the rubric |
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Unit information based on version 2023.01R of the Handbook