Chapter Analysis of Radio Programs
1. Who was Lionel Fielden?
Answer: Lionel Fielden was the first controller of Broadcasting in India. He was a
senior BBC producer who spent five years in India as the controller of broadcasting and
one of the main people who established All India Radio (AIR).
2. Explain the difference between news bulletins and newsreels.
Answer: News bulletins are put out by AIR almost every hour of the day in English and
the various regional languages. The major bulletins are of 15 minutes' duration, while
others are of only five minutes' duration. They present summaries of news stories in order
of importance and interest-value. National and international happenings get pride of
place, while regional and local news is read out if time permits. Human interest stories
and sports news generally round off the major bulletins.
Newsreels Newsreels, generally of 15 minutes' duration, present 'spot' reports, comments,
interviews, and extracts from speeches. A much more complex and expensive format than
the news bulletin, it calls for skilled tape editing and well-written link narrations.
3. What comprises the subject matter of radio documentaries or radio features?
Answer: Documentaries or radio features are usually factual, informational in character
and sometimes educational in intent. They bring together the techniques of talks and
drama to tell the story of events, past or present or those likely to happen in the future.
They may sketch the biography of a great leader, or merely offer an interpretation of the
world around us, or teach us about peoples and cultures unfamiliar to us, or even inquire
into social, political, economic or cultural problems. Indeed, any subject of interest is
grist to the mill of a feature writer. The use of a narrator interspersed with voices of real
people or/and actors and of appropriate background effects and music bring a
documentary/feature to throbbing life.
4. What kind of language should radio talk presenters use?
Answer: Radio talks are not public speeches; rather, they are chats with a friend who
does not see you, but is nevertheless close and attentive to you. Radio talks should give
the impression to a listener that the speaker is addressing him or her alone in an informal
manner. The words of a radio talk need to be kept simple and familiar, yet descriptive and
powerful, and the sentences short and without dependent clauses and awkward
inversions. Care should be taken to keep close to the rhythm of Accents. Special sound
quality. ordinary speech when writing the talk, and also when recording it. Radio talks
have no definite structure. All that the listener expects from them is that they should be
interesting and informative.
5. Why do you think music programmes on radio enjoy immense popularity?
Answer: Music programmes enjoy much greater popularity than talk shows, as is evident
from the popularity of FM channels. We enjoy music for its rhythms, melodies and
harmonies and above all for the relaxation it provides. Like any talk show, a music
programme must have unity and form. Disc Jockey (DJ) programmes of 'pop' or 'disco',
therefore should not be mixed up with classical or light classical music. Variety is the
keynote to any music programme; the different items should be linked together with
interesting comments, announcements and narration
6. How would you classify the various genres of radio programmes?
Answer: Radio programmes may be classified into two broad groups:
(1) Spoken word programmes, which include news bulletins, talks, discussions,
interviews, educational programmes for schools and colleges, specific audience
programmes directed at women, children, rural and urban listeners, drama, radio features
and documentaries.
(2) Music programmes which include disc jockey programmes, 'countdown' shows,
musical performances of all types and variety programmes (called 'magazine
programmes'). It is obvious that a good number of programmes like drama, features and
documentaries need both the spoken word and music
7. How different are radio plays from stage plays? Highlight the chief characteristic of
radio plays.
Answer: Radio drama is a story told through sound alone. The sound is of course that of
dialogue and voices of people, background or mood effects, musical effects, atmospheric
effects and the like. Radio drama, like stage drama, is based on conflict, uses characters
and has a beginning, a middle and an end. Movement and progress, generally to a crisis
or climax, must be suggested in radio drama through sounds. The voices of characters
must be sufficiently distinguishable, one from the other, lest the listener gets confused.
They must sound natural, speak true to character and above all, be interesting. Radio
listeners would be confused by the presence of more than three to four characters. In fact,
the shorter the drama (the average duration is 30 to 60 minutes) the fewer the major
characters.
8. What is the significant characteristic of radio plays?
Answer: Radio plays rely solely on the auditory sense. Unlike traditional plays or
movies, there are no visual elements. The entire story is conveyed through dialogue,
sound effects, and music. The use of sound effects and background music helps create the
atmosphere and sets the scene. It allows listeners to visualize the setting and actions in
their minds.
