Writing For Radio (Set of 4 Books)

About the Book

Book 1: The Medium

Book 2: Reaching The Public

Book 3: The Imagination

Book 4: Radio and Education

Book 1: The Medium

This course is intended to give students an understanding of the medium of Radio, a brief theory of the signs and language by which it conveys its messages, a survey of its target audience and the basic concepts of scriptwriting for various Radio Programmes that include News, Documentary, Features, Commentaries, Talks, Discussion and Interviews. The concluding Block of this course discusses Radio in the service of Education, both at the School and University level.

The Course consists of 4 Blocks comprising a total of 17 Units.

Book 2: Reaching The Public

In the previous Block (Block 1), you learnt about the characteristics of Radio and the basic signs and codes that govern the technique of writing. Before beginning your study of the various stages involved in scripting for Radio News, Documentary, Feature etc. you must understand the theory of mass communication. This will enable you to use radio scripts towards fulfilling the main objectives of mass communication.

This Block discusses the theory of mass communication and how radio is an effective medium of mass communication. Among the different media of mass communication, Radio is rated high in view of its ready availability, cost-effectiveness and the ease with which it can be operated with simple battery cells. We will discuss the theory of mass communication in Unit 5. This unit is seminal to an understanding of writing for Radio programmes that provide information, analysis and discussion on various issues and topics of current interest to the public.

Unit 6 deals with Public Service Announcements. Unit 7 looks at Radio scripting for News.

Unit 8 discusses the preparation and production of documentaries and features, magazines and profiles for Radio.

Unit 9 gives the necessary guidelines for Radio Interviews and Radio Discussions.

Book 3: The Imagination

Introduction

Radio as a medium of mass communication provides both education and entertainment to its listeners. In this Block we shall discuss Radio in the service of Entertainment. This naturally leads us to a discussion of imaginative writing for Radio. This Block consists of three Units-10, 11 and 12. Each of them is briefly described below.

In Unit 10, we deal with Radio Plays. This includes a discussion on examination of I Stage Plays for their radio worthiness and selection of plays and their adaptation for I broadcast over the radio. It also examines the basic components of a play such as I action, dialogue, narration and music and sound effects.

Unit II discusses adaptation of novels and short stories and classics for Radio. We have included a copy of Two Indian legends from Legends of India along with the print instructional material. We have analysed a short story to show how this can be adapted for the radio.

Unit 12 looks at commentaries on sports and special events on. the Radio. It also includes a discussion on light entertainment radio programmes in English.

Book 4: Radio and Education

The use of Radio for Education has been widely acclaimed and accepted all over the world. The potential writer for Radio educational material is no longer necessarily a professional writer, but someone who has the right information to get across to learners through the medium and who has the ability to find effective ways of doing so. The instructor on Radio needs to express ideas and other educational concepts in a form that has immediate impact on the listener and will be easily understood by him.

In this Block

Unit 13 explains the role of Radio in education- how to decide on your objective and get your ideas transferred to paper.

Units 14-15 deal with Radio broadcasts for Children and School broadcasts.

Units 16-17 deal with Radio and Non-formal Education and Radio and Open learning.

All the units give you hints on better writing technique for instruction over Radio and how to choose your script for this purpose.

Contents