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

Today’s question

Writing to be heard, not seen

‘Radio is a sound salvation.’ — Elvis Costello

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?

This American Life episode

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.

Let’s analyze the writing

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)

What is Flesch Reading ease

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.

A word on the Flesch formula

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 went WAY, WAY beyond that, passing the most sweeping immigration bill in the country.” (capitalization my own)

Let’s use Bob Dotson’s method

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)

Next 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

Third is ...?

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.

Last we have...?

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?

Onto the critiques

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?

You are the reviewer

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?

Some other considerations

Make sure that your critique has these three things, which are required of all writing in this class.

A beginning Middle End

Above all...

Questions on the critiques