Friday, August 7, 2009

Radio News Reporting Project #3

Hi Bloggy Friends,

I thought I'd take a break from my house hunting blog to share more projects from my radio class. As our semester went on our projects became more intricate. With each new assignment we were asked to produce longer pieces, with more actualities (sound bites). In my third project I did a story on an unexpected snow storm that swept through Philadelphia in late winter. It was so bad that I didn't go to school that day, so instead of sitting around the house feeling useless, I decided to throw on my snow suit so I could hit the streets to see what the locals were thinking. Trudging through the snow with microphone in hand, I stopped to ask people about their experience.

At first it was intimidating to approach total strangers on the street, the first woman I stopped went running in the other direction, but once I warmed up to the idea people started to be more responsive. It's amazing what a little confidence will do. I was able to add an interesting twist to the story when I ran into two men who were hired by the city to plow the streets. With the economy failing, it seemed relevant to mention how the snowstorm helped create jobs. I also interviewed a student who was surprised to have another day of classes canceled so late in the season.

I enjoyed the spontaneity of this assignment. I had been wracking my brain about what story to cover, when I just decided to get outside and find one. I was very pleased with the way it turned out. With each new assignment I could feel myself growing as a journalist. It was starting to feel more like an actual job, rather than a mere school assignment I would accomplish then walk away from. My teacher seemed to be pleased as well.

Final Grade: A

Thanks for taking the time to share another of my projects with me. I hope you have a great day.

Love, Josh

3 comments:

Vinhster said...

Great project Josh. How did you do that effect to your voice to make it sound like you were on a radio?

Bill Fogle said...

Hey this is good! It's very professional-sounding. And you have that upbeat voice that is easy to listen to (Debbie Downer has too much "drama" in her voice to be an announcer). No, seriously, I was impressed by this little "news aria." It is light, but encouraging. Your ending is perfect.

I don't think we got this storm!

Rick Watson said...

Wow! Good job girl! I think you sound a little too excited in some areas. Maybe more of a balance would be good?

Malcolm (16 y/o) sounds sexy! Was he?