Articles by radionewsfeeds

Content from BPRMany radio people stress the importance of “being local”. And there is a valid argument to the concept but great networked shows perform strongly too.

But “being” local and “sounding” local are two very different things. Just because an announcer broadcasts from the same city they broadcast to doesn’t always mean they “sound” local.This was brought home to me recently when listening to the Kyle & Jackie O Show (the #1 FM morning show in Sydney, Australia). Kyle was broadcasting from Sydney while Jackie O was in Melbourne for the filming of a TV show. She made the comment about how people in Melbourne use different names than Sydney-siders to refer to the same thing. It was a very entertaining piece of content.For example, a slice of potato which is battered and deep fried is called a potato scallop in Sydney but if you order that in Melbourne they wouldn’t know what you were talking about. In Melbourne it’s called a potato cake.In Australia, the swimming costume creates even more confusion. In the state of Queensland, a swimming costume is called “togs”, in New South Wales they’re called “swimmers”, in Victoria …”bathers”.In the US, there are many regional differences in the names used for the same object or activity. In many parts of the country a water fountain is called just that….in the Northeast, it’s called a “bubbler”. Shopping carts are called “carriages” in the Northeast. And don’t refer to a roundabout as a roundabout there….. they’re called “rotaries”. The University of Wisconsin has even written the Dictionary of American Regional English that documents words and phrases that vary from one place to another across the United States.And then there are pronunciations. The suburb of Coogee in Sydney is pronounced very differently to Coogee in Perth.My point in mentioning all this is that most people in radio will work in many different parts of the same country, sometimes even different countries. To “sound” local on air, talent should research the different regional linguistic nuances. Being in the city to which you broadcast is only one part of “local”.If you are new to a city you can make this part of your show content just as the British broadcaster Christian O’Connell did when he arrived in Australia to do mornings at Melbourne’s Gold 104.3. Obviously his accent made it clear to the listeners that he didn’t grow up in Melbourne so he made “getting to know” the city part of his daily content.And guess what……. The Christian O’Connell Show remains the #1 FM morning show in that market.David Kidd […]

ABU and UNESCO have launched a new competition called T4P Media Awards, which will highlight and promote the crucial role of independent, ethical journalism and citizens’ media literacy for building positive peace in the minds of men and women.The Awards will honour innovative and creative Radio, TV and Digital Media content, which informs and educates audiences on best practices of building positive peace in three critical areas that have increasing urgency in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and “building back better” from the COVID-19 pandemic.The three sub-categories for each of the Radio, TV and Digital Content categories are:

Transformative EducationLiving in harmony with nature, including coping with climate change and biodiversity lossLiving well with diversity, fostering human flourishing and intercultural understandingPrograms broadcast between 5 August 2019 and 5 August 2021 on Radio or TV stations or online and smart devices are eligible to enter the competition. There are no entry fees. The deadline for submission is now 30th September.Entries are open to everyone, including non-ABU members and has a global reach.The Entry Form, Competition Rules and Topics Covered by the Awards can be accessed here.The Jury of the T4P Media Awards consists of internationally recognized media professionals and practitioners in the field of peace – building. The judging will be conducted online in two steps – shortlisting and final judging.The winners of the 2021 T4P Media Awards will be announced during the ABU Prizes Gala Ceremony, to be held online on 19 November 2021 in association with the ABU General Assembly. […]