Radio musings

I’ve been thinking a lot this week about ideas for a potential radio show. Listening to the ds106radio was really helpful in understanding the idea of a radio show that could incorporate the elements of noir. At this point in the course, we have focused on both storytelling and audio features of noir (amongst other things), and that is also helpful as they will be the two main components of a radio show.

When I tuned into ds106radio, I started a little early, which gave me a cool perspective because I was able to hear part of the program before our designated story. It was interesting to hear more than one program because it gave me the idea of the different things the radio show could be.

I also learned that it will be important to incorporate significant audio beyond just speaking. By that I mean music, sound effects, and other aspects that will enhance the experience for the listeners. Audio stories necessitate that a variety of sounds that mix and play well against each other work in order to create a strong and powerful story, especially working with noir.

I also understand how important it will be to be engaging audibly when it comes to doing a radio show. I learned through this week’s audio assignments that you must present an exciting and unique audio experience in order to capture the listener’s attention. The fact that there is no visual involved means the listener’s eye will wander in their real world, and thus their mind will wander. Unless you present a strong audible experience, the show will simply go in one ear and out the other.

As far as topics go, I think noir allows for some really interesting things that we can do as a radio show. It could be a typical performance story – much like the ones we listened to on ds106radio this week – or it could be more of a focus on characters through a conversation. Whatever it is, I know that it will have to somehow be suspenseful and captivating, which won’t necessarily be easy.