CBC Radio Broadcast

Riordan Henry

10/16/2008

INFO 390
Radio Broadcast

For this project I initially was completely lost. I had no idea what I wanted to do my project on, so instead of wasting time I decided to start looking at articles on Google about the most successful type of broadcasting. This eventually led to a lot of articles that suggested how to best perform a broadcast as well as articles on the most successful genre. The former was somewhat useful; however amongst all this I continually saw articles on something called the CBC. When I looked that up I found out there was a major scandal surrounding Canada’s largest broadcasting system about funding and the deletion of programming. I researched it a bit and found that I was actually interested in it.

What I was really trying for with this presentation is the fast-talking, no silence, ranting style of a character like Dennis Miller. I strayed away from his particular format, which uses too many politically and academically charged words that evoke a bit too much emotion from every side of the argument. Instead I chose only the parts of that style I wished to keep: namely the long-winded, blatant sarcasm. I also mixed this with a few stereotypical sounds, generally found on wacky morning shows that overuse their stock sounds due to their button-happy attitudes toward their soundboards. I add a few of these stock sounds to keep the mood light, as the speech does seem to drag on a bit at times and may appear slightly hostile at points. I did not use all the sound bites I would have liked to, especially due to one particular instance that would have caused an intensely awkward and unfortunate juxtaposition. (I use the words “god awful” and I originally had the sound of a toilet to show how crappy something was).

Also, I began the presentation as something that sounded as though it would be informative, which I believe it truly was. However, I feel that this was not simply informative, I think the sarcasm adds quite a different edge to it, rather than my voice just empirically mouthing off facts, percentages and specifications, which is exactly how the beginning appears as though it will be. To bolster this, as I lay further and further into the supporters of classical music, I satirically have Beethoven’s Ode to Joy playing in the background, which gradually gets louder, culminating in its loudest point at the end of my speech, which happens to coincide with my rudest comments toward the supporters and likewise most supportive of the CBC. This ever-increasing melody, coupled with the increasing intensity of the speech works fairly well, although it is a bit cliché. It brings to mind the stock imagery of General Patton striding across stage in front of an enormous American flag while the chanting becomes louder and trumpets blare even louder. I feel my layering of the sound works similarly, but to a different end with irony and satire as the selling points of this presentation.

Certain sound elements were purposely left out. Namely the element of silence was completely ignored because I felt that with the ranting and ever-increasing sound layer that it would work totally against what my goal was. This needed to seem like someone was legitimately upset about how this was working, as a supporter of classical music would, and even angered by their own rant of it, getting worked up. Generally speaking people filling with anger over a subject tend not to keep their voices to themselves or allow anything to overcome their words. This was my goal.