In part I, Ira Glass talked about 2 basic building blocks used in broadcasting: anecdote (?) and the moment of reflection. (Details can be found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loxJ3FtCJJA) Then in part II and III, he explained how hard it is to find a decent story and he added “all video productions are trying to be crap.” (It might sound confusing here but it’s really not in the video) He also mentioned that people who get into creative works have good taste, even though their creative works might seem disappointing at first. Lastly, in part IV, Ira Glass talked about 2 common pitfalls/errors that beginners make in which I believe he was trying to say: “don’t talk like someone on the radio; be who you are” and “be a good interviewer and a good listener.”
After watching these videos, I listened to one of the episodes on This American Life website, First Day. It was about the stories that people experience on their first day, any first day. To relate to some of the things that Ira Glass mentioned in the videos, he definitely didn’t sound like someone who just happened to be on the radio. The two basic building blocks that I mentioned earlier were used effectively that I was able to feel through the stories. The songs that were played as background music were somewhat awkward time to time but overall the stories were told in an organized manner that it was very relaxing. I would listen to it again!