If it’s possible to be a master of narrative podcasting, Karen Given comes close. Published by Transom, her Eight Axioms of Semi-Efficient Narrative Production draw on 27 years with WBUR and NPR. Each concept will help podcasters tell better stories — in spite of limitations on time, budget and access.
Weaving others’ voices into an audio story is a tough process. Given’s actionable solutions insist on quality at every turn. Remote interviews can work, she says. “But here’s the deal. If you’re not going to be there, you need to pay extra close attention to the ways you can bring your listener into the story.”
‘Semi-Efficient’ production is only partially sarcastic. Some elements need to be worked out in your own way, Given reminds podcasters. Back at WBUR, being teased for her structuring style (arranging and rearranging strips of paper) only set the habit. Axiom #8 is a gem: “Don’t be afraid to look a little foolish.”
When in-person tape syncs stopped last spring, resuming them was a question of timing and safety. Now, Aria Bracci of Hot Pod asks if they should resume at all. (For a tape sync, both ends of a phone interview are recorded. The interviewer’s audio is later mixed with the guest’s audio, captured by a producer.)
“No longer the marker of a small-staffed or non-monetized operation, DIY recordings, normalized through their pandemic ubiquity — and many captured through the ever-improving software of smartphones — are, frankly, pretty decent,” Bracci acknowledges. Why would radio and podcasting return to tradition?
Shifting away from this long-held standard would have positive and negative impacts. (As 99% Invisible producer Katie Mingle has written, “Tape syncs make the radio world turn.”) Bracci considers expert viewpoints from different parts of the industry. By next year, we will have questioned if we’ll go back to a lot more.
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