vox: 302-684-4401
snail mail:
137 Bangor Lane, Milton, DE 19968
220 Locust St., 24e/f, Philadelphia, PA 19106
NFCB 2003 Golden Reel, Station Promotion
Bruce Schimmel, Project Director, independent radio producer
WSCL, Salisbury Md - http://www.wscl.org/info.html
Broadcast began Oct. 2002, ongoing
Overview
Life on Delmarva (LOD) is a series of extended station IDs, featuring highly-edited listener actualities, ending with a legal ID and the station's promotional tagline.
For their actualities, listener/subjects describe a valued avocation, and how it is "a part of life on Delmarva" -- which is the station's current tagline.
The IDs are broadcast in random rotation at the top of the hour thoughout the day. Segments range from 25 secs to 1 minute. To date, 75 segments have been produced, and more are in production.
Content Development
LOD is an promotional series that is at heart a humanities project. The project's core premise is that the values which underlie noble avocations can be understood (and possibly shared) by almost everyone.
Typical Segment
A typical 45-sec segment begins with the musical signature for the series (:03), which ducks under nat sound, as the subjects sets the scene with an image or observation (:10). Then, either the subject or a VO introduces the subject and avocation (:10). Subjects next usually tell an anecdote or story about themselves to suggest what their avocation means to them and to others (:15 - :35). Finally, the subject or VO delivers a legal ID (:07) -- which includes the tagline "A Part of Life on Delmarva."
Working with Subjects
Subjects are coached extensively, including voicing; segments are heavily edited. A subject typically spends an average of 1 1/2 hrs working with producers. Subjects are interviewed first by phone for about 1/2 hour, during which the project is explained and possible stories are discussed. If all goes well, a few days later, producers -- ideally two -- meet with the subject for an hour to write, rewrite. rehearse and record. Taping is limited to 12-15 minutes.
Disclosure and Consent
Producers and subjects follow the same content, production and legal checklist. A shared set of protocols helps develop trust on both sides. Subjects are treated like "clients" -- i.e., it is the producers' "job" is to help them "sound on the radio like someone they would like to meet." Subjects explicitly waive rights of final editing.
Production Costs and Funding
Each subject requires about 5 hours in direct labor costs. Each subject yields one, sometimes two segments. LOD is funded in part by the Delaware Humanities Council.
Promotion and Community-Building
The series highlights the values that listeners have in common, and so demonstrates the community-building function of the station. LOD continually generates many requests from listeners eager to explore publicly the larger meaning of "their part of life on Delmarva."
More Info
The entire series is on the web, http://www.wscl.org/info.html . This is a satisfying project for both listeners and staffers. Questions? Email me at bruce@schimmel.com, or call 302 684 4401.
rev.3/03