BROADCASTING FOR BEGINNERS

by I.G. & William H. Gebbhardt Edmonds ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 11, 1980

Sportscasting, newscasting, and (the favorite of the young) disc-jockeying are the three studio jobs highlighted in this readable introduction to radio careers. Edmonds and Gebbhardt note that employers regularly complain that studio people don't know the ""business"" of broadcasting. However, they don't go into that here. They do stress the importance of speech, voice, and delivery, and urge would-be broadcasters to practice, practice, practice with a tape recorder. Would-be newscasters are urged to rewrite newspaper stories in radio form and practice delivering them on tape. Once on the job, they'll need the ability to pull the human interest out of a local news story. Throughout, the authors' discussions of work days and requirements focus on the local, on the small-community stations where beginners have a chance of breaking in. (For big-team sportscasting, on the other hand, ""one has to have extensive experience, the proper personality, and--let's admit it--pull."") Once on a small local staff, a sports announcer has to be ready to rush to the library and cram for a sport he's not up on. Disc jockeys need a liberal education and, like news announcers, a world ""awareness""--especially on small stations where they might suddenly be called to fill in with a political interview. With a few interesting tidbits (on the origin of the word ""stringer"" for example) informally mixed in, Edmonds and Gebbhardt offer a reasonable career preview, more down-to-earth and person-to-person than the McGonagles' glossy Preparing for a Career in Radio and Television (1974).

Pub Date: Sept. 11, 1980

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Holt, Rinehart & Winston

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1980

Categories: NONFICTION