Unit 41: News Production for

Radio
and

Unit 36: Interview Techniques

Pre-Production Booklet for Radio News Show

Name: Ally Colquhoun

Production name: In the know
Order of contents
Introduction
Nepal on location news
Wallingford archaeologist on location news
In studio Henley regatta news
Sports news brief
Weather
Wrap

Mind Maps
Purpose of Interview
Topic and Guest Research
Interview Details
Question Formulation
Interview Style
Structural Progression of Interview
Location Recce
Identifying Show Format
Order of Show Content
Relevance of Content
Type of Stories
Sound Table
Risk Assessment

Complete this booklet for YOUR interview guest ONLY

Once all people in your production team have completed this
booklet combine all of them to make ONE larger booklet.
You both must upload the complete booklet.

Mind Maps

Purpose of Interview:
What is the purpose of this interview?
Nepal interview: The purpose of including the Nepal phone
interview with missionary worker is to give people a deeper insight
to the devastation caused by the earthquake. We are also including
this interview as a number of Henley College workers are from Nepal
so the earthquake has had an effect on people in the local
community.
Wallingford archeologist interview: The purpose of including
the Wallingford archeologist interview with a local volunteer is
because Wallingford is a local town which is well known for its
history and when something is discovered it is very big, exciting
news that the community enjoy discovering.
Henley Regatta interview: The purpose of including the interview
with a local rower competing in the Henley Regatta is because the
Henley Regatta is a very anticipated sporting event for both the
rowers and the local community and it good to create a hype on the
lead up to the event.

Circle which of the following formats it will be;

News Programme
National News Bulletin
Local News Bulletin
Community News Bulletin

Add research demonstrating the format of this show

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02p6vq0#auto
BBC Radio Berkshire is a great example of a radio show that
demonstrated the format of the radio show I will be making. This is
because it starts off with the introduction music and then goes into
introducing the radio show and presenter and then it goes into one
story after the other starting with the biggest, most important news
first and then gradually going to the smaller, more local news and

ends on the sports news. One difference with the structure of the
radio show is that we will start off summarizing the news headlines
before we go into the topics in more detail. There is also another
difference in the structure of the radio shows and that is in the BBC
Radio Berkshire radio show they do not include any news on the
weather but in our radio show we will include a summary of the local
weather at the end of the radio show.

Topic and Guest Research

You need to carry out EXTENSIVE research on your topic and guest.
You need to demonstrate why you have used your guest for this
topic. You need to reference where you found your research.
(Referencing is KEY)
Interviewer: Ally Colquhoun
Research of topic: Wallingford archaeologist
Key Facts:
Archaeology has been going on for a few years in Wallingford as
Wallingford is a very historical town and is famous for its history.
Through these digs very historical items have been discovered and
have helped the residents of Wallingford understand more about its
history.
http://www2.le.ac.uk/departments/archaeology/research/projects/wa
llingford/the-wallingford-burh-to-borough-research-project
All discoveries that are found when the archaeologist dig up
treasures are put into the Wallingford museum for the local
residents to view the history of the town.
http://www.wallingfordmuseum.org.uk/museums-history.html
In 2008 BBC News covered a story of a dig that was happening in
Wallingford.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7546285.stm

Potential areas of interest:

Recent discoveries that have been made and discoveries that have
been made over the years that are very rare. Also what news
coverage this has previously had so a link could be made with the
two stories.
Areas of concern:
When the digs take place there is a concern that traffic problems
and distributions to the wildlife may be caused that can have long
lasting knock on effects so all precautions must be made before and
make sure all residents are aware of the distributions that may be

caused.

Research of Guest
Primary Research: (Interviews with guest to find out what they
know; interviews with friends of guest to find out about guest) Insert
voice recordings /notes
The person that I am interviewing is one of the leaders of the
digging projects who organises when and where the digs will take
place alongside organising the volunteers who come to help out at
the digs.

Secondary Research: (Internet /books)

Interviewee: Alex Gilbey

Research of topic:
Key Facts:

https://www.hrr.co.uk/crews/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/berkshire/content/articles/2008/07/01/henley_r
egatta_fun_facts_feature.shtml
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henley_Royal_Regatta
http://www.henleyregatta.com/history.asp
1st 5th July
First held in 1839
Live broadcast all over the world
The race is 1 mile long
Races take about 7 minutes to complete
First international entry 1970
Races start every 5 minutes
16 trophies are rewarded the highest being Grand Challenge Cup

Potential areas of interest:

Is there increased pressure now that its televised?

Does being a Henley representative make a difference do you think? Does
it add pressure?

Areas of concern:
When discussing the sorts of people that attend the Regatta try to
word it carefully in order to avoid offending people.

Research of Guest
Primary Research: (Interviews with guest to find out what
they know; interviews with friends of guest to find out
about guest) Insert voice recordings /notes
I have recorded a conversation I had with Ruairidh Johnston who knows
Tom personally
Hes from reading
He got scouted by the Leander Club
He only started with an above average time however they saw
potential
Been with Leander for 4 years
Rowing in the Regatta for 2 years
He came 1st in one event and 2nd in the other last year

Secondary Research: (Internet /books)

n/a

Interviewer: Ruairidh Johnston

Research of topic:
Key Facts: Nepal
killed more than 7,000 people and injured more than twice as many,[i]
occurred at 11:56 NST on 25 April,
It was the most powerful disaster to strike Nepal since the 1934 NepalBihar earthquake.[9][10][11] Some casualties were also reported in the
adjoining areas of India, China, and Bangladesh.[12]
Aid pledges are pouring in: $10 million from the US, $7.6 million from the
UK, and $3.9 million from Australia, among others. But as welcome as this
influx of funds is, the sad reality is that Nepal is ill-equipped to make full
use of these resources. That is why countries are lining up to donate
technical expertise via disaster response teams as well. China has sent a
62-member search-and-rescue team to help the recovery effort. Israel has
sent 260 rescue experts in addition to a 200-person strong medical team,
while Japan has sent another 70 people as part of a disaster relief team.
The United Nations, in addition to releasing $15 million from its central
emergency-response fund, is busy trying to coordinate international efforts
to maximize their effectiveness.
Nepals infrastructure was critically feeble even before disaster struck.
With per capita GDP less than $700 a year, many Nepalese build their own
houses without oversight from trained engineers. Nepal tried to institute a
building code in 1994 following another earthquake that claimed the lives
of 700 people, but it turned out to be essentially unenforceable. To make
matters worse, a shortage of paved roads in the country means that
assistance cant reach remote regions where its needed most. Local
authorities are simply overwhelmed, as is Nepals sole international airport
in Kathmandu. Planes filled with blankets, food and medicine are idling on
tarmacs because there are not enough terminals available.
The economic cost of the earthquake is estimated to be anywhere
between $1 billion to $10 billion, for a country with an annual GDP of
approximately $20 billion. The economic impact will be lasting. Tourism is
crucial to the Nepalese economy, accounting for about 8 percent of the
total economy and employing more than a million people. Mount Everest,
a dangerous destination under the best of circumstances, is the heart of
that industry. The earthquake this past weekend triggered an avalanche
that took the lives of at least 17 climbers, and as many as 200 people are
still stranded on the mountain.
Nepals domestic politics are not helping. Nepals 1996-2006 civil war
claimed the lives of at least 12,000 Nepalese, and the countrys political
system has never really recovered. The government that stood before the
quake was woefully ill-prepared to deal with a disaster of such scale. There
have been no elections at the district, village or municipal level for nearly

20 years, and the committees in charge of local councils are not organized
enough to deal with the difficult task of coordinating emergency
assistance. Things are not much better at the national level, where
Kathmandu has seen nine prime ministers in eight years.
Not all foreign aid is altruistic, and some countries never miss an
opportunity to capitalize on tragedy. For years, Nepal has been an object
of competition between India and China. For India, Nepal has been a
useful buffer state between itself and China ever since Beijing gained
control over Tibet. Relative to China, India and Nepal are much closer
linguistically and culturally. Nepalese soldiers train in India, and New Delhi
is a main weapons supplier to Nepal. For China, Nepal is an important
component of its New Silk Road plan to link Asia with Europe, and offers
a useful ally against Tibetan independence. China was already Nepals
biggest foreign investor as of 2014. While in the immediate aftermath of
the earthquake both Asian powers are providing significant assistance, its
in the reconstruction phase where the true competition between the two
will emerge. Pay particular attention to the race to build hydroelectric
power plants: both Beijing and New Delhi have been positioning
themselves to take advantage of Nepals 6,000 rivers to feed their
respective energy needs.
http://time.com/3843436/these-are-the-5-facts-that-explain-nepalsdevastating-earthquake/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2015_Nepal_earthquake

Potential areas of interest: How many people have died?

How many people injured?
How can you donate
What magnitude of the earthquake

Areas of concern:
Are we focusing too much on white deaths?
Are we being told the full story

Primary Research: (Interviews with guest to find out what they

know; interviews with friends of guest to find out about guest) Insert
voice recordings /notes
Mum:
Genie works in the administrative wing of amnesty international.
She was dispatched to Nepal due to her previous experience
overseas in china with the underground churches.

Secondary Research: (Internet /books)

N/A

Date and Time of interview:

How will you record the interview?
I will record the interview on a zoom microphone which will record
straight onto an sd card and can be inserted into the radio show at a
later date.

What information do you need to get from this interview?

We need to discover any recent discoveries that have been made
whilst digging, any huge discoveries that have been made in the
process as a whole, why they do these digs, what it helps discover
about the history of Wallingford and where the items that are found
go once they have been dug up.

Describe how you are planning on contacting and liaising with your
talent (interviewee)
I am planning to contact the interviewee through my work colleague
who is one of the volunteers on the project but isnt as involved in
the project as the gentleman I am interviewing. I am planning on
organizing to meet the interviewee on sight at one of the digs so I
can get a sense on the environment and if needed alter some of my
questions asked and I can also

How will you make sure unnecessary sounds etc are not recorded?
By using the zoom microphone which is designed for interviewing
and journalism so it hopefully will not pick up background noise.
Also if there is a generator or something on in the background ask
them to switch off for the duration of the interview or move the
interview away from the source of the noise.

What equipment will you need to carry out this interview?

I will need a zoom microphone and an sd card to record the
interview to be used at a later date.

Structuring your interview: Scripts and

Question Formulation
Question:
The project has been running since 2008, why did it get started?

Likely Response:
It was started because Wallingford is a very historical town and many of its residents
were interested in the history so we all teamed together and started the big dig
project.

Next Question:
Whats the most historical item that has been found since the project started?

Likely Response:
We have found many historical items however I would say the most historical item
that we have discovered would be some Anglo Saxon pottery.

Likely Response:
Once an item has been discovered it goes to the Wallingford museum with all
Next Question:
previous discoveries for the digging projects.
All the discoveries go to the Wallingford museum, why is this?

Question:
What made you get started in archaeology?

Likely Response:
Well when I was younger both my mother and father were keen archaeologists so I
have always been around the hobby and then I developed a love for it as I grew up
with influences around me and now I found a love in it for myself.

Next Question:
What would you say to any of our listeners who are interested in getting into
archaeology?

Likely Response:
I would say to them that they should research about any projects such as the big dig
and go to one of their sessions as most of the projects are voluntary so everyone is
welcome to come and join in.

Next Question:
Are the younger generation into archaeology?

Likely Response:
I would say that unfortunately only a very small percentage of the younger
generation are into archaeology and I believe this is due to the effect that technology
and the internet is having on them.

Next Question:
Can anyone get involved in the dig or do you need an education in it?

Interview Style
Likely Response:

What We
willprefer
yourthat
interview
style
be? (formal,
informal however
and chatty,
you do have
a knowledge
of archaeology
the project is
intense, questioning, argumentative, friendly, jokey)
so anyone
whobe
wants
to get but
involved
in thewant
dig can
justbe
come
alongso
to one
Thevoluntary
interview
style will
factual
I dont
it to
boring
it will be chatty but not tooofinformal
or and
formal.
the sessions
join in.
Why have you chosen that style?
I dont want the interview to be too formal as I want to keep the
audience entertained and interested in the radio show. It is going to
be set up like a local radio station similar to BBC Radio Berkshire so
the chatty feel will appeal to the wide, varied target audience that
will be listening.
Next Question:

Add Where
research
of other
interviews/news
where the presenter has a
do you
see this
project going inshows
the future?
similar style. You can insert another page here for your research.

Likely Response:
I feel like there will always be an archaeology project going on in Wallingford and
surrounding areas as it is a very historical place, even after this certain project has
finished.

Define the structural progression of

Interview One
Introduction
eg introduction, leading questions, progressive questions,
Summary
Progressive questions
What questions will you ask and when

Location Recce

Summary

Please produce a location recce for EVERY location used

Introduction
thedraw)
radio show and main presenter
Insert photo of
location (dotonot
Type of room/area:
Location Address:
Sat Nav details (Post
code):
Summary of the headlines, introduction of the Nepal interview
followed by
the interview, introduction of the Wallingford interview followed by the
NearestbyTrain
actual interview, introduction of the Henley Regatta followed
the Station:
interview then a summary of the news headlines.
Nearest Bus stop:

The weather followed by a summary of the show to wrap it up.

Lighting Information:
N/A

Solutions:
N/A

Sound Information:
Noise from the volunteers working
in the background, the generators,
wind and cars passing by.

Solutions:
Move the interview away from the
main source of noise and into a
sheltered area to avoid picking up
the wind. The microphone being
used should cancel out most
background noise.

Power Information
Power sources are available if
needed, located near the generator
and water pump.

Solutions:
No solutions needed.

Hazards
Falling down a hole that is being
used for the digging project.

Solutions:
Always stay alert when walking
around the archaeology site.

Identifying Show Format

What style of news broadcast are you going to produce and
why?
I am going to present my news broadcast in a formal style but we
are adding a chatty style to appeal to the target audience.

How are you going to ensure your broadcast meets this

style?
I am going to ensure that my broadcast meets this style by having
news stories that are important and serious matters we will achieve
the formal style that we are wanting my news story to have an
element of. I will ensure my broadcast has a chatty side by having
the Henley Regatta interview done in a much more laid back style
and the questions asked are not going to be completely structured
and some questions that only get added due to the answer that has
been given to the previous question.

Provide some examples of similar styles of news broadcasts

below explaining why you have chosen them
One radio show that is broadcasted with a similar style to my radio
show BBC Radio Berkshire as they are targeted to a small local
audience so it doesnt have to be completely formal however it is a
BBC radio station so it still has to have an element of formality due
to their job being to inform, educate and entertain to their target
audience.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radioberkshire

Order of Content
Why is it important to consider the order in which news is
presented?
It is important to consider the order in which the news is presented
as you want to keep the audience entertained and listening to the
show and by having a structure to show and make it
understandable. It also makes the show easy to follow by having the
main, global news at the beginning of the show and as you go
through the show you gradually go to the less hard hitting, more
local news which follows a similar structure to the main radio shows
and news on the television.

What is the order of content for your show?

Introduction
Nepal on location interview
Archaeology on location interview

Regatta in studio interview

Sports news brief
Local weather
Wrap
Why have you
decided to
order your show
in this way?
I have decided to
order the show
this way as every
news show
should start with a
brief
introduction to any radio show. Then we go into the main, big story
that is a global and gradually work down to the less important, more
local news. Then a short brief of the local sport headlines and a
summary of the local weather for the upcoming weekend. Then I will

have a wrap at the end of the show to tie all the features together
and to have a controlled end to the show.

Relevance of Content

Who is the target audience of your news broadcast?

We are using the younger generation as our target audience like
BBC Radio 1 but we are going to present it in a style of BBC Radio
Berkshire.
BBC Radio 1s target audience is 15-21 year olds and BBC Radio
Berkshires people over the age of 50 so by having an older target
audience there is a more formal tone used which I will have an
element of in my radio show however it wont be too formal due to
having a younger target audience.

How is the content of your news broadcast relevant to its

audience?
Our content is relevant to the target audience because it has 3
different news stories that will appeal to a wide target audience. By
including the Henley Regatta story we are appealing to the majority
of the target audience as it is a huge news story for the residents of
Henley and the local residents as it attracts a lot of attention and
tourists.

How will you ensure your target audiences interests/needs

are met?
I will ensure that the target audiences interests and needs are met
by using the same language and communication skills as what the
audience will use every day in real life situations.

Type of Stories
What types of stories are you reporting? Human interest or
Public interest
My news story in the radio news show about archaeology in
Wallingford is a public interest story. This is because it is not a story
that involves a large global interest or any disasters, its a story that
only appeals to people in the immediate local residents.

Show research of similar types of stories below including

links
One example of another public news story would be the following
story regarding the Henley Regatta as it wont appeal to the whole
of the UK, just people who live in Henley and its immediate local
area and people who have a keen interest in rowing:
http://www.miltonkeynes.co.uk/sport/henley-preparation-begins-inearnest-1-6778660

Sound Table
Here you should detail what station sounds you have found
and where you will use them.

Sound
The radio
shows main
jingle

Where used
At the start
and end of the
radio show

Length
Roughly 5
seconds

Link

Sports whistle

Just before the

sports
headlines

Roughly 2
seconds

Risk Assessment
State the potential risk of your multi-camera production. Check all precautions are in place and tick off during your set up for your show.

V9

RISK ASSESSMENT
ACTIVITY

Walking around the

archaeology site.

HAZARD

Falling down a hole that is

being used for the
archaeology.

RISK
H/M/L

PRECAUTIONS

H/M

Make sure that everyone is fully aware of

all digging sites and are on full alert when
near them.

Please leave this section blank:

Risk Assessment checked by: Name ..
Date
KEY:

Activity :
Hazard :

IN
PLACE

Yes

REVIEW
DATE

13/05/15

REVIEWER

Ally
Colquhoun

Signed .

Describe the component part of your pursuit.

List the things you anticipate might cause harm or the things associated with your activity that have the potential to
cause harm. Consider the likely harm.
Risk:
Assess the risk as either H (High), M (Medium) or L (Low). When concluding your assessment consider all of the
circumstances.
Precautions: Consider what you could do to minimise / negate the risk.
In Place:
Will the precautionary measures be in place at the time of the activity?
Review Date: When would it be reasonable to review your assessment? Remember it might be whilst you are undertaking the
activity.

Reviewer:

Name of the person responsible for completing the risk assessment.

A copy of this form should be taken on the activity or visit by the Reviewer