Today’s question

1. Today’s question • Generally speaking, does radio require MORE or LESS dialogue than visual media (i.e. television) to tell a story? One word answer is fine. • Place your answer in the “leave a comment” link on the top post at cmat131.wordpress.com

2. Writing to be heard, not seen ‘Radio is a sound salvation.’ — Elvis Costello

3. This American Life episode • What was it about? • Was it written and presented in an way you could understand? • Did you stay interested throughout? • Did it seem objective or biased?

4. Let’s analyze the writing • 5,676 words. That’s 22 pages! • The piece averaged 13.2 words per sentence. • How much is that? “You may not have known that this sentence has thirteen words in it.” • 4 percent of sentences are passive • Letters per word: 4.5 • Flesch reading ease score: 68 on scale of 100. You want to be between 60 and 70. • Flesch-Kinkaid grade level: 7. You want to be between 7 and 8.

5. What is Flesch Reading ease • The formula for the Flesch Reading Ease score is: • 206.835 – (1.015 x ASL) – (84.6 x ASW) • Where: ASL = average sentence length (the number of words divided by the number of sentences) and ASW = average number of syllables per word (the number of syllables divided by the number of words)

6. A word on the Flesch formula • Don’t freak out about that. • I can’t tell the difference between a 6th grade paper and an 8th grade paper. • But I can generally tell the difference between a 7th and an 11th. • My discussion of the grade levels and the formula is intended to get your thinking about the mechanics of writing and its effect on the listener/viewer.

7. Let’s use Bob Dotson’s method • Hey • It’s in the first couple of sentences. • “When Arizona passed its notorious immigration bill in 2010, there was outrage and a national debate about whether it had crossed some constitutional line. Then, last summer, Alabama wentWAY, WAY beyond that, passing the most sweeping immigration bill in the country.” (capitalization my own)

8. Next is..? • You • It’s in the next paragraph • “YOU may have seen reports of desperate farmers complaining that their crops were rotting in the fields. Tomatoes, blueberries, squash, unpicked as workers fled the state. Members of the military who couldn't prove citizenship were frustrated in the simplest thing ...” (capitalization my own, again)

9. Third is ...? • See • It’s the meat of the story • Details on how the law works, interviews with Latinos and lawmakers, the law’s unintended consequences

10. Last we have...? • So • It comes at the end • “By the time the Republicans decide their nominee, voters will come to know the meaning of this word, and it will no doubt be part of the electoral shorthand. Repeal health care. Cut taxes. Reform Medicare. Self-deportation.” And Ira Glass’s bit at the end about court challenges to come.

11. But writing for the ear-only is different than other writing styles • Your words should convey IMAGES. • Let’s turn to page 56 in Hilliard and read the film script and then the radio script. • Volunteers?

12. Onto the critiques

13. You are the reviewer • Your audience: People who care about media • The central question you must answer is: How successful is the program in communicating its message(s)? • What enhanced this effort? What detracted from it?

14. Some other considerations • If there was comedy, was it funny? • Were the arguments logical or were holes in them the size of 18-wheelers? • What effect did the background music have? • What did it leave out? Perhaps more interviews, more ambient sound to set scenes, stronger visuals, a central theme, etc. • What effect do you think the broadcast will have on its listeners?

15. Above all... • Make sure that your critique has these three things, which are required of all writing in this class. • A beginning • Middle • End

16. Questions on the critiques