where to start? If you want to create great radio – it helps if you’re enjoying yourself at the same time. Therefore, it was important that the staff felt relaxed and enthusiastic about the task ahead of them. I wanted the team to experience the sheer fun of making radio. It shouldn’t be a chore. After all, we’re talking about entertainment. That’s not to say all commercials/spots should be whacky or humorous, but the process itself should certainly be an enjoyable one. It’s hard to be creative if you’re nervous and stressed out. In order to achieve this, the writers need to have a sense of freedom. Like any discipline you need an appreciation of the basics before your ideas can truly take flight. In other words… you’ve got to walk before you can run. In this posting I’ll discuss the training methods used to introduce the staff at Radio Ethiopia and the BBC WST to the basics of spot production.
Finding or even making your own sound effects can be can be a lot of fun. Tracking down the perfect musical accompaniment to the message is a particularly rewarding past time (if you’re a radio geek, I suppose). I recently put together a hard-drive for the BBC WST in the Sudan. This micro-drive was powered by a standard USB output and contained 40 Gig of BBC WS audio documentaries, Pdf’s of training manals, examples of BBC news programmes, a full music production library of musical backing beds – and most importantly, the complete BBC Sound Effects Library. A classic – used by diserning production houses across the world. Everything from horse trotting left to right – to Iberian tree frog. These had proved to be hugely popular out in Ethiopia and gave an instant boost to the professionalism of their commercial productions. It also provided an added dimension of creativity – which consequently spurred more lateral, unique ideas.
My initial approach to training spot production used the same techniques that I had employed with training sessions back in New Zealand and the UK. The importance of clearly defining who your audience is… What is the single most importance message you’re trying to get across… The A.I.D.A principle (Attention/Interest/Desire/Action)…etc.
The writers started by writing spots / commercials for local security companies, fruit juices – and even a local souvenir shop that sold beautiful ceramics (the presentation of this commercial can be found in the video section of this site).
The commercials being played on the radio stations I listened to in Addis Ababa were rather conventional in style. It was like the presenters were “reading” to listeners rather than actually engaging with them. This is reflective of the heavily regulated radio industry that exists in Ethiopia. Like all BBC WST projects – the programmes and commercials underwent rigorous pre-testing. It was through this research into the effectiveness of radio commercials – that the first issues of Government regulation/influence came to light. Thorough audience research is an integral part of all BBC WST projects. As they put it… this “will enable production teams to define their programming to resonate with audiences. Quantative research was also carried out – for pre-testing and to measure the impact and effectiveness of the project.”
These commercials were taken out around the country and played to research groups of young people. They were tested first on the target audience to gather their thoughts on the delivery of the message… Was it too shocking etc.
But first, a little background… this research was carried out in The Amhara National Regional state is highly populated region in Ethiopia. According to Bureaus of Finance and Economic Development (BOFED), the total population of Amhara region stands at 18.6 million, in 2005. The figure accounts for almost one- fourth of the total population of the Ethiopia, and the population growth rate 2.9% per year- (BOFED, 2005). If the population growth is left to continue the same rate, the size of the population will double within less than 30 years. Out of the total population 89.1% resides in the rural area. In terms of area size, the region has only 15.4 percent portion of the country’s area size. The population density is 115 persons per squire kilometer with a family size of 4.5 people per household.
The following extracts are taken from the actual BBC WST research documents.
•1.4 Study Methodology and Profile of Respondents
•Focus Group Discussion (FGD) as main technique of data collection
•Information obtained through FGDs were also supplemented by key informant interviews held in the same sites and review of literature and archival documents.
• Totally, 80 discussants grouped in 8 FGDs (4 in each site) have participated. Among these, female participants aged 15 –18 were 11 and 10 in Fogera and Bahirdar, respectively, while the number of males in the same age category was 22, (11 in each site). Female discussants in the age group 19-24, were 8 and 10 in respectively and male participants in the same age Fogera and Bahirdar category were 9 and 10 in Fogera and Bahirdar respectively.
OBJECTIVES
•To identify the appeal of radio spots addressing SRH and HIV/AIDS
•To make sure that the message is clearly communicated
• To make sure that the spots are sound in terms of values, beliefs and culture of the society in general and the target group in particular.
•To learn about how young people perceive and understand health related spots
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