Lecture 4: Telling Stories with Sound

As this is my blog, I might as well be honest, and cross my fingers that we are not marked on our opinions of the lectures. Its not that the ‘Telling Stories with Sound’ lecture was bad, radio just does not hold any interest with me. Whether that’s because I hate the sound of my own voice being played back to me or because the only radio I can remember listening to was the tacky popular stations, although before I got my first iPod I loved them, or being made to listen to ABC as Dad drove us to school. In year 11 and 12, I warmed up more to the AM show on the ABC, probably because it was more ‘hard, world’ news rather than the local fluff pieces. Radio holds no interest for me, not in the technical side, not in the manipulation of words and sound, it really just does not appeal to me. That said, I did not hate the lecture, I just did not find it particularly stimulating.

The lecture was two interviews with two radio hosts, Richard Fidler and Steve Austin. Richard talked about his two programs, ‘Conversations’ and ‘Afternoon.’ I really liked the point he made about a radio host needing to be more personal that the host of a TV show, as the viewer is more removed when watching TV compared to listening to radio, which Fidler claimed is like a voice “that comes from your head.” He also raised a good point that when interviewing or speaking to a guest the conversation needs to be kept open, as the listener may feel unwelcome or excluded to an extent. Fidler mentioned that he had interviewed Adam Gilchrist and Gough Whitlam, which really impressed me, more so about Whitlam as it would be a fascinating interview to host. He also mentioned the successfulness of podcasts in creating a larger and more accessible base for radio shows. My favourite part of Fidler’s interview was his advice to “expose yourself to the thoughts and ideas of people you don’t agree with” as this is such a valuable tool to be able to create stimulating conversation.

Steve Austin talked about the “radio being the theatre of the mind” as the host has to create images with words, similar to an author creating a picture with text. The most interesting point I think Austin made was the claim that listeners can tell when someone is lying on radio better than on the TV, as the visuals of television are too distracting. While I do not entirely share this belief, I think body language tells the viewer a lot, its interesting to think that one could examine a person through only there tone and language.

Both men said that one of the best moments in their jobs is when someone reveals or remembers something and shares that with the host and the listeners, almost as if they are revealing a part of their soul, which would be an amazing moment to witness and be part of.