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REPLICAS OF RADIO BROADCAST:The Staff, News Reading, Programming

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Introduction to Broadcasting ­ MCM 411
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LESSON 26
REPLICAS OF RADIO BROADCAST
The TV seemed an advanced visual- form of radio broadcast in its early days, in almost all the
countries without exception. In most cases TV programs in the US looked similar to the radio
programs in that continent with the only difference that one could see the talent and the
surrounding.
In Pakistan radio broadcast had come to age with some of very popular programs like radio
dramas, talk shows, news and musical programs. The production set up was firm and people
working at a radio station were very much familiar with the specific nature of the techniques
employed in the broadcasting business.
With the TV broadcast, starting in November 1964 from Lahore, some of the broadcasting
pattern matured at the radio station, were borrowed almost in the same fashion.
It was just a coincidence that the building where the TV station was housed was across the
road where the building of the Lahore radio station is situated. Later, when the TV station
building was ready in few years, it was again adjacent to the building of the radio station.
Why we highlight this point? A number of staff members at the radio station were engaged in
the TV broadcast that would move from one station to another ­ many times a day. This gave
TV broadcast a color of radio broadcast.
The Staff
There was hardly trained staff available to run a TV station, especially on the programming
side. On the technical, or ENG side, cameramen, lighting director or set designers were
available but to manage programs the TV had to rely on the people who were trained in radio
broadcast. Over a period, the staff required to operate a TV broadcasting house from all
possible aspects, has been trained at the academy set up in the early seventies in Islamabad.
The academy is also proving handy in imparting instructions to in-service staff on new
experimentation in the field of TV production. Foreign qualified and locally experienced people
have been managing matters at the academy.
News Reading
Since airing news was the foremost thing in the early days of TV broadcast, ironically people
trained in reading news for visual medium were not available. Services of the radio
newscasters were hired. They would rush from the radio station building to TV station studio,
get their make up done ­ a very different experience altogether, and be ready to read news ---
in almost the radio style.
In the early days of TV broadcast, there was hardly any footage of news related events at
hand, the news reading was a simple replica of radio news with the only difference that one
could see the broadcaster ­ and discuss his/her face and the gestures during the reading of
the news script, making it difficult for a viewer to keep that rapt attention attached with
listening to radio news.
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Introduction to Broadcasting ­ MCM 411
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Discussion / Talk Shows
Likewise, the visualizing of a talk show or a discussion program was not any different from the
one, viewers were familiar as radio listeners. An anchor person was there to guiding and
facilitating the partakers to continue their talk by sitting across a table. Since microphone was
not available the way they are available today, one mike would move from one speaker to
another to keep the voice in tact for recording purposes. In the meantime if another speaker
chips in, the viewers could see him or her making the observation but not able to get the
words uttered. These days one can hear even to a minute voice/ remarks made by a speaker
during a discussion ­ which gives more scope to understand what is going on and what others
are thinking when a speaker is talking.
Programming
The replica problem was not limit to current affair shows; the issue was very much the same
with the programming side of the TV broadcast.
Dramas
If you listen to the sound-track of a TV drama in its early broadcasting days, you may feel like
listening to a radio drama. And quite understandable for the sequence of the play, the
dialogue delivery, the diction and the speech treatment - all had come from radio plays. Mostly
the radio drama producers/ directors had got a job with the TV as there were no trained
people available in the market knowing the electronic media techniques and use of devices
like microphones, amplifiers and consol and handling the recording panel etc. Since the radio
drama producers were diehard in their trade, it was obviously a big ask from them to produce
a TV drama we re familiar with these days. Even the musical effects during a drama would
fully match with the ones given in a radio drama!
Musical Evenings
Music programs have always been a source of entertainment in the electronic media. Radio
had brought the music at every household through its various programs ­ from a single
person singing at a studio or a music concert arranged for this purpose. When it came to TV
broadcast, the style of presentation remained almost an imitation of the radio broadcast.
The visual and non visual mixed up badly in the early days of TV broadcast - the only
difference was as if one was watching the way it would have been happening at a radio
station but remained out of sight because visual medium was not available.
Children's Show
Among programs which appeared a ditto copy of a radio program, was children's weekly
show. Almost the same sitting arrangement, one uncle or aunt talking to the kids, making
them say some poem, joke or answer a question by coming on the mike. By seeing such
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Introduction to Broadcasting ­ MCM 411
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program a radio listener would always think; well, ok this was how a radio children's program
would have been recorded.
Same had been the case with programs meant for women, farmers, forces and others.
In most cases one would find that the program was being conducted by the voice / person
doing almost the same program on radio!
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Table of Contents:
  1. BROADCASTING:Historical Facts about Radio, Wireless and Radio
  2. CLASSIFICATION OF PROGRAMS:NEWS, Language, Sensationalizing
  3. CURRENT AFFAIRS:Talk Shows, Discussions, Seminars, Live Shows
  4. OUTDOOR BROADCASTING I:VIP Movement, Suddenly Assigned Events
  5. OUTDOOR BROADCASTING II:Pakistan Day March Past, General Elections
  6. CURTAIN RAISER:Political, Financial, Sports, Academics
  7. RADIO FEATURE:Personality Features, Features on Events
  8. MUSICAL PROGRAMS:Classical Music, Light and Film Music, Folk Music
  9. RADIO DOCUMENTARY:Narrative, Dramatized, Imagination, Close to places
  10. DISC JOCKEY:Women in Focus, Daily/ Weekly Division, Making Titles
  11. VOICE IN BROADCASTING:Speech, Accent, Loudness, Stress
  12. NOISE:Physical, Medium itself, Problem at sender’s end, Semantics
  13. STUDIO:Drama Studio, Studios for Talk Shows/ Discussions, Music Studios,
  14. RADIO DRAMA I:Stage Dramas, Early Radio Dramas, Ethics, Classification
  15. RADIO DRAMA II:Selection of director, The Playwrights, Script, Voices
  16. ADVERTISEMENT – INCOME GENERATION:Similarities, More Analysis
  17. ADVERTISERS’ APPROACH:Dramatized, Dialogue based, News
  18. FM – A NEW GENERATION IN BROADCASTING:Low Cost, The Difference
  19. MICROPHONE TO TRANSMITTER:Amplifiers, Modulator, Transmitter
  20. WRITING SCRIPT FOR RADIO BROADCAST:NEWS Script, Interviews
  21. INTERACTIVE BROADCASTING:On-line, E-mails, Interview, Views in News
  22. REVISION:CURRENT AFFAIRS, RADIO FEATURE, MUSICAL PROGRAMS
  23. HISTORY OF TELEVISION:Early History, The Black & White Images, Color Television
  24. PAKISTAN TELEVISION (PTV):The Excitement, Timing, Live Broadcast
  25. BROADCASTING LAWS:Laws in the 19th century, Press Council of Pakistan
  26. REPLICAS OF RADIO BROADCAST:The Staff, News Reading, Programming
  27. NEW SCRIPT WRITING AND DIRECTION TECHNIQUES:TV Script
  28. SETS:Permanent Sets, Hot & Cover Sets, Special Sets, Economical
  29. CAMERA SHOTS – THE VISUAL LANGUAGE:Angle Shots, Movement shots
  30. LIGHTS IN VISUAL BROADCASTING:Light Temperature, Light and Distance
  31. INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR:NEWS and Interviews, Dramas and Music
  32. BROADCASTING AND MEDIA IMPERIALISM:The truth in the debate
  33. ENVIRONMENT OF TV BROADCAST:Optical Illusions, POV, Depth of Field
  34. BUDGET:First Part, Second Part, Third Part, The Sponsors
  35. COMPARISON AND CONTRAST OF DIFFERENT RADIO AND TV FORMATS:TV NEWS
  36. CURRENT AFFAIRS – FROM RADIO TO TV:Seminars, Interviews
  37. PRE-PRODUCTION:Brain Storming, Scripting a new program, Approval
  38. PRODUCTION & POST-PRODUCTION:Booking Shifts, Rehearsals
  39. TV ADVERTISEMENTS – MONEY WITH ENTERTAINMENT:Early Phase, Getting Spots
  40. ENIGMA OF MORE CHANNELS:The Investment, Fresh Ideas, Closure of channels
  41. ANCHORPERSON:Appearance and Confidence, Job Opportunities
  42. COMPARISON BETWEEN RADIO AND TV BROADCAST:The Difference, Script
  43. TERRESTRIAL TO SATELLITE TO CABLE TV:Cable Network, CD Channels
  44. CAREER IN BROADCASTING:Production, Direction, Lighting Director, Script Writer
  45. REVISION (LESSON 23 TO 44):Broadcasting Laws, PEMRA, Budget