Between the Beyond Broadcast event at MIT on Saturday and public broadcasting’s Integrated Media Association confab in the days leading up to it, there was whole lot of of thinking and talking last week in Boston. Some good eatin’, too. Everybody is trying to figure the way forward. The stakes are high. After a few days of simmering, here are six ideas that have percolated up:
I applied for a Radcliffe Institute Fellowship. Didn’t get it, but here is the audio that accompanied my application. I pulled it out last Friday to play for an ad-hoc listening group that meets from time to time here in Boston. I got some great feedback, and one of the most interesting parts of the discussion involved how producing with editing software (ProTools/CoolEdit Pro, etc…) compares to work produced live…the relationship of the presentation to music, sound elements, the difference in emotional impact… The majority of the group were station-based or national program producer-reporters, and hadn’t produced live radio before. Between Here and Gone is a “live” production. Me in a studio with a mixing board and a CDRW. I wrote out the script, picked out music and (rough) audio tracks, hit the “record” button on CD recorder and opened the mic.. mixed it all live. It took me about 5 “takes” to get what you’ll hear here.
Pacifica Archives is a national treasury of sound, documenting a critical period of American history. The stacks of reel-to-reel tapes in their L.A. bunker include amazing recordings of the thinkers and practicioners who shaped the ’50’s and ’60’s, from civil rights activists to free lovers to outside jazzers who made the scene. This week’s Billboard zine’s feature on the Archives smart “adopt-a-tape” fundraiser will hopefully give a big boost to restoring and preserving this sound. Congratulations to Brian DeShazor, Chief Archivist, and also to long-time magic wand-waver Adi Gevins who has worked behind the scenes on this important project for some time.
Here’s a quick update on the “Needling Nina” debut episode of “Spices of Life,” which is being distributed to pubradio via PRX, and to the rest of the world via blip.tv, iTunes, and YouTube. As of this morning, there have been 122 views of the piece on PRX (member-only site dominated by pubradio “insiders”… stations and producers). No stations have picked up on it so far. A few are considering the radio feature, but putting the video up on their station websites is, not surprisingly, a stretch. According to our vlogger Steve Garfield, there have been 711 views on blip, YouTube 79, and don’t know yet about iTunes.
My notebook scratchings include comparisions between traditional/new media, and producing for eye/ear. I hope to write a piece, or perhaps just further musings here on these pages. Here’s a start, with more to come, vlog versus radio:
* spirit and higher purpose * * audience * * gatekeeper culture: what’s at stake? * * power of word * * * the Day of the Maker is here * * Deals *
If you want to kick things off, tick the comment link and fire away….
Here’s an annoucement for a project I launched this week. It’s off and running into the wild on blip.tv. A big question mark is where pubradio lands with it. It’ll be interesting to see what views are out there amongst producers and gatekeepers.
February 15, 2007, Boston, MA: Public Radio’s first independently produced entertainment series conceived and produced for audio and video-blog platforms takes off today. Spices of Life, a project developed by Boston-based SchardtMEDIA with Nina Simonds/Culinaria, Ltd and vlog pace-setter Steve Garfield, pairs innovative food/health/ lifestyle radio segments with video-blogs. The Public Radio Exchange (PRX) and blip.tv serve as distribution platforms for radio stations and video consumers, respectively. The pilot episodes launched today, commemorate the festival of Chinese New Year, and introduce other aspects of culture and food.
NPR’s hosting an in-house/staff only lunch today (1-3pmET) featuring a panel of blogger and “social media guru’s” — David Weinberger, Doc Searls, Euan Semple, Rob Paterson, Tom Regen, Zadi Diaz, Jeff Jarvis, Jay Rosen, and Faria Chideva. Andy Carvin is the convener, and he’s blogging it right now at http://andycarvin.com/:
Jeff Jarvis: We’re all npr listeners and love it. But in defense of crap, it’s multidimensional. Lots of people don’t like putting out their first drafts online, but that’s what bloggers do. Some stuff taken out of context can seem like crap, even though it’s valuable in context. A tiny percentage of stuff is high quality, but a greater amount of stuff isn’t perfect, but is still valuable and worthy of being shared. Just because people are recording content with poor equipment doesn’t mean you ignore it. People can differential between what NPR creates and what the public creates.
Zadi: NPR has expertise in the field. Young people want to improve their skills, their expertise, connect with correspondents. They could gain so much from having an actual relationship with NPR. They want to be listened to, be recognized their thoughts are relevant. They may not be old, but they do have their own wisdom. It can be a two-way street, even with a younger audience, since they’re the ones creating so much of the stuff out there.
Between the Beyond Broadcast event at MIT on Saturday and public broadcasting’s Integrated Media Association confab in the days leading up to it, there was whole lot of of thinking and talking last week in Boston. Some good eatin’, too. Everybody is trying to figure the way forward. The stakes are high. After a few days of simmering, here are six ideas that have percolated up:
