Information, Education and Communication: Radio


Radio:

Radio is a medium which reaches practically all the people.

Advantages:

  1. It admits you to the homes of the people, providing a readymade audience, or, more exactly, innumerable separate audiences of one to six or more persons.
  2. You talk to people directly, and the voice is a very warn and friendly medium.
  3. Top-flight, big-name speaker, who could not be brought to local audiences can be secured for radio.
  4. Interesting activities can be described to people while they are taking place through on-the-spot" broadcasts.
  5. The voice is frequently the most revealing expression of human personality.
  6. Music is essentially a listening experience.
  7. Necessary scenery, properties, contumes, and weather conditions may be suggested by the imagination, stimulated by inexpensive sound effects, narration and dialogue.
  8. The metal pictures thus conceived may vary with the individual. This is especially convenient in dealing with Biblical themes, where many people have strong preconceptions.
  9. Unnecessary scenic details may be omitted, allowing the sound to concentrate on fundamental principles.


Limitations:

  1. It is so easy for the listener to turn you off that you may lose your audience.
  2. You are in constant competition with other programmes on other stations.
  3. You cannot assemble a special group interested in a special problem. Your audience (at least at the beginning of your broadcast) is a rather general one.
  4. Your audience cannot review your statement by questions or discussion. To some extent you can provide repetition by skilfully restating ideas in different ways.
  5. Only in television is there visualization.
  6. With nothing to watch, listeners are more subject to distractions, thus limiting their attention-span.
  7. Listeners are likely to imagine only those visual elements which they have already seen; it is difficult to suggest new visual experiences through the cars alone.
  8. Some concepts may be portrayed more clearly in visual than in auditory terms, Maps, for example, make clear at a glance relationships which would be difficult, if not impossible, to describe orally.


Your chance of getting the audience you want will depend upon the time of day you broadcast and the competing programmes at the time, as well as upon audience-building activities through advance notices in the press through the participation of local groups (schools, etc.) or notices to them, through radio stations and through bulletin boards and reminders in health bulletins.

Station relationships usually require contact with the static manager. The programme director may not have authority to allot space to your for programme. Continuing good relations will depend upon the way you use the time made available to you. Of course you show the manager that your cause is a worthy one, that it has important leaders behind it, and that it has popular support. But that is not enough. The station manager depends upon favourable public reaction for his livelihood. You may loss his audience to another station for the evening. The sponsor whose programme follows yours may get fewer listeners. A Station cannot be expected to provide time for health programmes which are poor in quality, poorly organized, poorly prepared, or inefficiently run.

In planning and conducting your radio and television activities do you:
  1. Spot Announcements.
  2. "On-the-Spot� Broadcasts.
  3. The Radio Talk.
  4. The Interview.
  5. The Round Table Discussion.
  6. Quiz Programmes.
  7. Playlets or Drama.
  8. Transcribed Programmes.
  9. Regular or Continuing Programmes.

  1. Know what talent you have available. (What radio talent exists in your own organization?. What speakers are available in your area who can hold a radio audience?. Are there schools of journalism, public speaking, or dramatics from which you can draw talent ?).
  2. Have a friendly contact and understanding with the manager and programme
  3. Check all material carefully for scientific accuracy.
  4. Use the best script writing skill available.
  5. Add interest to your programme through humour, the introduction of local incidents, the use of music.
  6. Rehearsal enough to be sure that all of your programmes are accurately timed.
  7. Pay enough attention to audience building.
  8. Recognize the value of small local stations as well as big once.
  9. Make adequate use of spot announcements.
  10. Schedule programmes on your yearly calendar to meet seasons needs and local happenings.
  11. Identify all speakers clearly on your programmes.
  12. Supply real health news to radio news editors when it is available.
  13. Get your acquaintances to report to you on the quality of your programmes.
  14. Offer to help school departments in their radio programmes which touch on health.
  15. Plan with school authorities for health programmes which will fit into school health instruction.
  16. Keep your programmes informal but on a high level.
  17. Test the extent of audience interest by offering free literature or through surveys by home visitors and other public health personnel.
  18. Express your appreciate adequately to the radio station and to the participants.