Tag Archives: RRR

RRRadiothon.

Posted on by
Reply

RRR Radiothon Answer The Call - On Now

“If you’re a student, membership costs 75 cents a week which is just over ten cents a day, you’re a full fare then it’s $1.40 a week which when you think about it, is less than even one takeaway cup of coffee and contributes to something far greater than your morning caffeine hit. RRR provides such a broad and eclectic range of programming that even if you only ever tune into to one show a week, it’s worth the small amount. And if you actually do only tune in once a week, get onto the website and check out the amazing programs happening across the grid.”

Yesterday was the Room with a View Radiothon edition and it was SO MUCH FUN! The vibe was around the station was so amazing, everyone was just jumping in a helping where they could and the phone volunteers were so enthusiastic and it really was a total jungle party atmosphere. Cassie and I really wanted to take the opportunity to thank RRR for their ongoing support of the radio program at RRR. Here’s some talking points from our running sheet:

  • I love the way community radio encourages all kinds of broadcasters and content.My personal experience of RRR is that yes, it can be weird and wacky, but its always has something new to say or an idea to offer. Nothing is ever generic and you hear the most wonderful, diverse range of stories, music and characters on air. It’s a true portrait of our city and the multitude of humanity who exist within it.
  • Without RRR’s ongoing support of RMIT radio students the course probably wouldn’t be a viable option – talk about the unique opportunity it provides us to work in a professional context and watch how a community station operates from a grassroots level.
  • In our Media course at school, although the two media options are Radio and Film-TV the Radio course is always a lot smaller – it gets the enrolments it does due to 3RRR, which also gives the course industry recognition. (I’ve worked in community radio before (don’t say where) but it’s such a different experiencewhen you know that thousands of people could be listening – you really have to step up your game and be accountable for your actions and your opinions).  You really begin to take yourselves seriously – you’re not just students anymore, you’re broadcasters. You’re taking up an hour’s worth of time that others would love tohave, so you have to try and prove your worth.

As the Radiothon was jungle themed, Cassie and I decided to answer the call and get dressed up in jungle themed onesies, which bemused everyone around the station.

Heres a picture of us with a couple of old Room with a Viewer-er’s – Leapin Larry L and Brent McLeod. Having these guys on air really gave Cassie and I a taste of what it’s like to be on air with guests who are quite dominating when it comes to air space. Having the guys on air was a lot of run but i’ve never had 20 minutes pass so quickly, it was like a barrage of noise and it was hard to push through and really take control.

It was great to get some truly solid industry advice from people who have really been through the traps of the Australian radio industry, and it was really heartwarming to hear that they both valued their time on community radio so much that they continue to return to the platform. I think it’s a testimony to how community radio really brings people together and leaves an impression on people because of the true team effort it requires.

Heres the broadcast – and don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE!

RWAV Lecture

Posted on by
Reply

After Elizabeth came into uni this week I thought it might be worthwhile to recap the quite extensive feedback she provided us on our shows thus far as I thought a lot of it, though it seemed picky was extremely relevant and aimed to help us become better more professional presenters. She basically stressed the importance of sticking to the ‘house style’, meaning that we have to adhere to the approach RRR takes to the way they frame issues, present the news and most importantly, find their own unique spin on current or widely discussed/publicised topics.

Here’s what I found useful//

HOUSE STYLE//

  • Consider the point of difference you can find in an issue an don’t ever mimic the manner in which the commercial stations are portraying big news items such as recent the recent alarmist take on refugees – it is RRR aim to take an alternative more compassionate approach to such humanitarian issues. The angle you take must be relevant to your audience. 
  • Dont try and cram big, umbrella topics such as ‘feminism’ into one chunk of time, narrow down a certain element of the issue to discuss or pinpoint an important event and discuss its particulars rather than attempting to cram every aspect of the issue into one segment.
  • Go for content that has scope for widespread interest – appealing to niche markets can be interesting for a wide audience, but also has the potential to alienate others. Niche topics can only be interesting for so long to people who are not involved in them.
  • Keep things conversational yet intelligent and informed.
  • Use your local paper as a tool for discovering interesting, local and quirky stories that could work on RRR
INTERVIEWING//
  • Always be willing to abandon any ‘set out’ questions or ‘structure’. Follow the path the subject takes and always have a set of dot points listing the topics you absolutely want to cover and draw the answers back to those,rather than shutting off potential discoveries by sticking to a set of prewritten questions
  • Always listen, it’s the most important part of discovering things about the subject your questions may not have.
  • Throughout the interview (especially on air) keep flagging who your interviewing and about what. EG) We’re here talking to Greg about his Garden Snails – you can even use this kind of announcement as a ‘punctuation mark’ to break up topics or provide a kind of interval/breathing space if the subject is getting too bogged down in one particular topic.
Ways we can use this in our upcoming broadcast//
  • We are interviewing the owner of the first cafe in the world to produce no waste. RRR is a community radio station and does not aim to promote articular events or businesses. In this regard, we have chosen to talk to the owner not about his establishment as a destination, but as an active a push for a more sustainable way of running food outlets and cafes. His cafe aims to raise awareness of issues such as waste, landfill and recycling which will we believe is important to a large section of RRR listeners.