10 Radio Broadcasting Tips

London, UK

Over the next few weeks, I'll be re-posting some radio broadcasting tips. Here's one from December 2006.

Saturday, December 09, 2006
Top Tips for Sports Broadcasting on Radio

Earlier today, I paid a visit to Sussex. No BBC TV haven't moved from London W12. Just my latest outing for BBC Radio Kent earlier today. Not Gillingham FC but Margate FC who were playing at Horsham.

Sports presenting on radio, as many of you know, is one of my great passions. It's fun and particuarly great when your broadcasting about your own team! It may sound easy but let me assure you that to be reasonably good at it, you'll need these qualities and characteristics:

The ability to write scripts under pressure.

Prepare in good time - and get there in good time!

Research the match you're covering.

Understand what's at stake.

Listen to and carry out instructions from your producer/anchor/editor.

Ensure all technical equipment is in good working order.

Understand the laws of libel , and how they relate to journalists.

Be tactful

Don't engage in polemical arguments.

Have a great radio voice


........and that's just for starters

Stroke the Blego

I'm so grateful to Ken Yarmush of Technosight for this wonderful phrase. Stroke the Blego is simply:

Bloggers have egos, better known as a “blego” (blogger ego). If you really want to impress a blogger, talk about a recent post they wrote. Stroking the blego will definitely win you brownies points and increase the likelihood that they will write about you.

There's also a reference to "Blego" at Active Voice from 2004.


How big is your Blego?

BBC - Big Brother Corporation?

This morning on BBC Radio 4, I heard a snippet from Paul Dacre's speech at the London College of Communication which he delivered last night. His comments, and apparently most of his speech content, really struck a nerve. I'm sure I speak for many people in this country who are fed to the back teeth with the left-wing, liberal, PC attitude of our national broadcaster. The behemoth, as Dacre described the BBC, has always, in my opinion, supported the left but I feel that nowadays it comes across as the "Party broadcaster" and wo betide those who dare to criticize it.

Paul Dacre may have slightly off beam as Roy Greenslade points out in his article but I agree with the Dacre's general gist. He expressed concern for smaller broadcasters and their independent voice and coined the term "subsidiarat". This term is reserved for media giants, the BBC just being one, who by definition, are unable to survive in a free-market" as Dacre suggested.

Subsidiarat is a word we'll hear more of in the future.


How do you fell about Dacre's remarks?

Do you share his concern?

Is the BBC the behemoth hbe descibes them as?

"Hello my darlings"

Another one of my childhood comedy heros, Charlie Drake, has left us. Who can ever forget "Mr Poo".

Heathrow Airport Disaster

So Margate FC pitched up at NotquitesoShortLane this afternoon, hoping to pick up 3 valuable away points against a team called Ashford Town(Middx.) - who actually play in Stanwell not far from that dirty "Ali G" hole - Staines.

Ashford Town (who play in bizarre tangerine & white stripes) have a ground that is situated about 900 yards south of the main runway at Heathrow Airport. Immediately behind one of the goals is a fuel depot(see above pic) and fans can enjoy the whiff of those lovely aircraft exhaust fumes on most match days.
In fact, Ashford's miniscule home fanbase were heard chanting today "we are, we are, we are the negative carbon boys, and if you are a Margate fan can you give us a lift, we need some fresh air, fresh air" or some such bollocks like that.

After a frustrating first half an hour, normal service "resumed" when Danny Hockton smashed home a penalty. Moments earlier he had, himself, been brought down by the Ashford goalie, a slimey individual by the name of Burgess Hill. The bloody ref didn't even book him. Silly sod.

The huge Margate away support, who included Tony T. (See this) , were hoping to enjoy a cup of English Kerosene cancer inducing tea at half-time when the diminutive Ashford winger Scott "Tiny" Nohope somehow meandered between the legs of Justin Skinner then beat a worm before crossing delightfully for one of his colleagues to head home from 2 yards out. Little Scott was on cloud nine as was Burgess Hill, who then insulted a Margate fan by calling him something rather rude. A moment or two later the half-time whistle blew and the side who were sublime against Horsham and Hendon seemed to be out of sorts as they strode back to the dressing noroom.

The second half was more pulsating, as a result, the planes seemed to divert their path a touch so a clearer view of the game could be had - one of benefits of flying Al-Jazeera Airways from London Heathrow. Despite going close on a couple of occasions, kicking towards the "M25 end" in the second-half, Margate had to settle for a 1-1 draw. Not the best preparation before the Boxing Day clash-of-heads at Ramschavgate.

Luckily, there were no serious injuries to any of the Margate team despite playing against the aggressive Ashford Town side, who clearly get their inspiration from their Internet site's Webmaster, Mr Len Wellard!

So it's to be Ramsgate on Boxing Day. The two sides have not meet in a league encounter since the 1972/3 season. ( more on this here)


FINAL SCORE TODAY

Air Pollution (Middx.) 1 Margate FC 1

Broadcaster dies in car crash

(From the BBC News website)Talksport phone-in host Mike Dickin, known to listeners as "The King", has died in a car crash.

The presenter, who was in his 60s, was involved in a six car pile-up on the A30 on Monday. He was airlifted to hospital but was pronounced dead.

Dickin started his broadcasting career at BBC Radio Oxford in the 1970s, where he was the first presenter on the air.

He also broadcast on Radio 4 and LBC, and won an award for his coverage of the Lockerbie disaster in 1988.

The presenter, who broadcast from his home studio in Bodmin Moor, was known for his passionate, outspoken views.

Listeners dubbed him Britain's angriest man, but he was also known as "The King" because of his supposed resemblance to Henry VIII.

Last month, BBC's The World at One presenter Nick Clarke passed away from cancer.

Clarke presented The World at One, the BBC's flagship politics programme, for 12 years, taking the reins in February 1994. He resumed his work this summer after a nine-month absence to fight a soft tissue sarcoma, a cancer that cost him his left leg.

That's two great "radio voices" we've lost in recent weeks.

Website Cloning

Looks like certain individuals are having a sexy time with other peoples web sites. Instead of plagiarizing pop stars on YouTube, or copying someone's Wordpress blog, Simon Moore's has pointed out a most-recent scandal in the legal world.

The Matrix - Well Sort Of

I was caught-up in today's Observer news story that Matrix Chambers may have had to resort to legal action to defend themselves against internet pirates who are using Matrix's personnel, host of awards and high reputation in an apparent money-making scam.

Matrix called in the police after they became the latest victims of the growing phenomenon of cyber-cloning, in which a firm finds that its website has been copied by rivals. A previously-unknown outfit called Lando Attorneys, which purports to be run by two experienced barristers based in London, has copied the entire layout of Matrix's site and much of the material used to promote the chambers's services - including their description in the prestigious Legal 500 guide as 'arguably the finest concentration of talent at the Bar'.

I'm not quite sure the author understood what I meant by "website cloning" but it's a passable story and for once we cansit back and watch the lawyers fight it to a conclusion at their own expense.

It's always worth checking to see if your website/blog is being copied. There's a website you can go to for this purpose. It's called Copyscape.

Top Tips for Sports Broadcasting on Radio (3)

As you'll be likely to work for long stretches at a time, ensure that

1. You've had a good night's sleep beforehand, and

2. Eat properly.

Remember, you are a performer. Think and act like such.

The Post Office Closures, or who runs this country?

Andrew Gilligan wrote a brilliant piece in the London Evening Standard on Monday about the scandal concerning the closure of our rural Post Offices.

The Devil wrote this.........................

Post Office closures: what nobody's telling us

Iain Dale has noted that a few thousand Post Offices are to close.

While Lord Stevens announced the findings of his inquiry into the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, the Government announced that 2,500 Post Offices would close. Another good day to bury bad news.

Indeed; up to 3,000 Post Offices, mainly in rural areas, face closure but there is something that the government aren't telling you: can you guess what it is?

I shall pass you over to the lovely Trixy so that she can spell it out for you.

So, Alastair Darling is going to ask the European Commission very nicely if he can provide investment of £1.7 billion for the Post Offices, is he? It's so nice to know that these people we elect to run our country, who have recently decided they just don't get paid enough, can't even decide how they are going to spend tax revenue.

Mr Darling said the annual £150m subsidy to help rural branches stay open will be extended beyond 2008 until 2011.

What, however, Mr Darling doesn't say is that under Article 88 of the Treaty of Amsterdam, a national government needs permission from the European Commission to grant state aid, and under Directive 2002/39/EC, this permission must be granted before the aid can be given.
...

Can you imagine the grief Mr Darling would get (oh, if only he was a Captain) from dear old Tone' if he stood up and, perhaps, told the fucking truth about this post office debacle?

"Sorry, chaps, the European Commission says we can't fund post offices, even if they are the only facility in a rural area or tiny village miles from anywhere, somewhere that the elderly rely on. Sorry, but that's the way it is. They are the bosses now, and if they want to bend me over and bugger me with the Acquis Communautaire then they can."

If you look at the BBC News article that I linked to, you'll see not one mention of the EU's part in all this. Just for your enlightenment, let's hop over to UKIP's Press Release on the subject.

The Postal Services Directive 2002/39/EC reduced the part of the postal market which could be reserved for the national monopoly.

The breakup of the Royal Mail was actually initiated by an EU Directive.

Treaty of Amsterdam , Article 88 demands that a national government seeks permission from the Commission to grant state aid.

EU Directive 2002/39/EC requires permission before any state aid can be granted.

So, who rules in this country? Our elected government—awful, devious, dishonest, venal, little shits though they might be—or the unelected bureaucrats of the EU Commission. Well, I think that the answer to that question is becoming increasingly obvious.

So, can we leave yet?

Felixstowe to Margate "Coast",on BBC this evening

What a brilliant TV programme! I haven't seen any of the previous episodes of "Coast".

There were some great topics discussed in this evening's episode. They ranged from Felixstowe's container port and the programme finished at the place I was born. Margate, not the treacherous Goodwin Sands!

Well done BBC.

Global Warming

Sir David Attenborough has called for a return to war-time values as Lewis Smith in today's Times newspaper points out..................................

He hit out at 4x4s, electrical standby facilities and lights that are left on unnecessarily as he demanded a change in moral and intellectual attitudes towards climate change.

He said that even tiny amounts of wasted electricity were immoral because they put “our grandchildren’s lives in danger”.

“I grew up during the war and during the war it was a common value that wasting food was wrong,” he told MPs. “It wasn’t that we thought we were going to beat Hitler by eating every bit of gristle of meat, but it was accepted as wrong to waste food. People felt that widely, universally.”

Such attitudes, Sir David said, should be revived. “There should be a general moral view that wasting energy is wrong. It doesn’t matter if it’s a tiny bit or a big bit. It’s a general attitude to life. We are putting in hazards for our grand- children,” he said.

Sir David made his call for change a few hours after the Met Office announced that 2006 was about to go down in history as the hottest in Britain since records began.

Is Sir David right, or is he scaremongering? After all, the Met Office records only go back 100 years or so? For all we know, climate change or global warming is a naturally occuring phenomenon. I'd also like to ask Sir David how his return to "war-time attitudes" will go down in the USA, the world's major user of fossile fuels, and in the emerging economies of China, India and Brazil?

Top Tips for Sports Broadcasting on Radio

Earlier today, I paid a visit to Sussex. No BBC TV haven't moved from London W12. Just my latest outing for BBC Radio Kent earlier today. Not Gillingham FC but Margate FC who were playing at Horsham.

Sports presenting on radio, as many of you know, is one of my great passions. It's fun and particuarly great when your broadcasting about your own team! It may sound easy but let me assure you that to be reasonably good at it, you'll need these qualities and characteristics:

The ability to write scripts under pressure.

Prepare in good time - and get there in good time!

Research the match you're covering.

Understand what's at stake.

Listen to and carry out instructions from your producer/anchor/editor.

Ensure all technical equipment is in good working order.

Understand the laws of libel, and how they relate to journalists.

Be tactful

Don't engage in polemical arguments.

Have a great "radio voice"


........and that's just for starters


BTW, for those of you who are wondering what the score was, then pay a visit here.

"That's another fine mess you've got me into"

One for the album. Me (on the right!) and friend at a BRE do at Watford on Friday night.

The event was superbly organised by Deanne Gold with hubby, Marc.

One of the award winners were Green & Peter. A very good firm of Chartered Accountants!!

Business networking can be fun and you do get to meet loads of new people.

UKIP on the way up?

The Devil highlights a brilliant media coup for the United Kingdom Independence Party.

Rememberance

Having made the decision to eschew a gentle stroll over Hampstead Heath and to walk to the Cenotaph, I managed to get to within 50 yards of the light grey monolith at around 10.30am. My final vantage point would have been reached earlier had it not been for the extra security measures and the sheer volume of spectators.

After the usual 2 minutes silence at 11.00am, Her Majesty the Queen laid the first wreath of poppies, followed by other members of the Royal Family, politicians, service chiefs and Commonwealth envoys. Did you see a very frail Margaret Thatcher on John Major's arm?

Above left, are the wreaths left by the Royals and to the right those left Messrs Blair, Cameron et al. Unusually, the Prime Minster of New Zealand, Helen Clark left a wreath. This followed yesterday's unveiling of a new memorial, at Hyde Park Corner, to those Kiwi's who fell in battle in the two World Wars. My favourite wreath is the one, left this year, by Margaret Beckett, on behalf of the Foreign & Commonwealth Office. It's the one which includes myrtle and snowberry.

After the brief ceremony, some 8000 veterans marched past the Cenotaph to "old favourites" like "It's a Long Way to Tipperary"; "There'll always be an England", "Rule Brittania and so on. I'm eligible to march wearing my fathers medals. Something to consider next year.

It may not be the Times but...............

any publicity for my Trek is welcome.

( The Archer is a community newspaper for East Finchley run entirely by volunteers )