The experimental work and class exercises you've been doing have shown the real depth of talent in the room and the interest in the process and methodology of expressing ideas outside of the usual conventions of radio broadcasting - but we have been struggling a little to find a new place to play. The web and audio platforms, such as podcasting, give you a unique opportunity and an extraordinary freedom to get your toys out and throw them around without fear of regulation-junkies or limitations of target audience expectations.
The content and subject matter of the pieces played yesterday largely pointed, directly and indirectly, to issues faced by young people. The discussions, critique and q&a sessions revealed your wish to be proactive and to use the audio in a positive, discursive and educational way - but how and where?
A really good example of young people creating their own unique platform is in Canterbury where the concentrated schools, FE and HE student population have got together to form an FM radio station called City Sound. They have secured a five year professional license for 50% speech and 50% music and have been very well supported by the universities and their unions. The creation of CSR which runs a fairly traditionally styled operation has also presented an opportunity for less traditional production output to be aired - but the unique qualities of the web have allowed this to go much further. One group of students put together a sit com about a fictional university called the University of Konkerbury which has taken on a life of it's own as you will see. The sit com episodes can be heard live on CSR on Wednesdays at 9pm or downloaded via the Konkerbury site.
A little further afield is Youth Radio which is well worth a look and listen to see what other young people are talking about and trying to achieve through the audio-web arena. There are lots of examples like this which you can find on the net - let us all know what you find.
Yes Amanda, but what does this have to do with me and my experimental features class? Well, the problem is clearly not a lack of talent, production ability, ideas or motivation to make positive change - but perhaps the lack of a stage upon which to express your ideas and get some exposure.
As an author from the West Midlands once said, 'All the world's a stage' and thanks to the web that is a tangible reality - so why not take the lead from your peers in Canterbury and create your own theatre, build your own stage and direct your own production as you like it.
The content and subject matter of the pieces played yesterday largely pointed, directly and indirectly, to issues faced by young people. The discussions, critique and q&a sessions revealed your wish to be proactive and to use the audio in a positive, discursive and educational way - but how and where?
A really good example of young people creating their own unique platform is in Canterbury where the concentrated schools, FE and HE student population have got together to form an FM radio station called City Sound. They have secured a five year professional license for 50% speech and 50% music and have been very well supported by the universities and their unions. The creation of CSR which runs a fairly traditionally styled operation has also presented an opportunity for less traditional production output to be aired - but the unique qualities of the web have allowed this to go much further. One group of students put together a sit com about a fictional university called the University of Konkerbury which has taken on a life of it's own as you will see. The sit com episodes can be heard live on CSR on Wednesdays at 9pm or downloaded via the Konkerbury site.
A little further afield is Youth Radio which is well worth a look and listen to see what other young people are talking about and trying to achieve through the audio-web arena. There are lots of examples like this which you can find on the net - let us all know what you find.
Yes Amanda, but what does this have to do with me and my experimental features class? Well, the problem is clearly not a lack of talent, production ability, ideas or motivation to make positive change - but perhaps the lack of a stage upon which to express your ideas and get some exposure.
As an author from the West Midlands once said, 'All the world's a stage' and thanks to the web that is a tangible reality - so why not take the lead from your peers in Canterbury and create your own theatre, build your own stage and direct your own production as you like it.
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