I really enjoyed listening to the videos of Ira Glass and Jad Abumrad.  While listening to their videos I took notes so I could remember what they talked about.

Ira Glass:  Ira Glass’s video was in four parts and each part talked about something different.  In this post I have embedded all four of his videos.  At the bottom of each video I have also included a brief summary of what he talked about.

Part 1:

To start off the video Glass states that you should not say the sequence of events like you learned in high school.  Telling a story through radio helps and you should be constantly be raising questions.  The way a story is told is all up to the storyteller.  They can make suspense out of a really boring story and make the listener want tot know what will happen next.  Overall in this first part Glass emphasizes that when telling a story there should be a sequence of actions followed by a moment of reflection.

Part 2:

In part 2 Glass emphasizes on how hard it is to find decent story.  He mentions that it takes a lot more time finding a good story than producing one.  There are many times when you think a story will be great but in the end it doesn’t turn out the way you expect.  This isn’t always your fault because the person you’re focusing your story on can not be as interesting as you thought.  Glass mentions that all video production is crap.  Failure is part of success, because it helps you learn what to do differently the next time.  Make something memorable and special.

Part 3:

Glass mentions in this video that a lot of people get into radio broadcasting because they have good taste.  They can  tell when their work is bad as well as when it is good. do a lot of work.  make work as good as taste,  looking back.  normal to take a while.  fight way through it  make things that aren’t great but can work way up to your expectations.

Part 4:

Glass mentions two common errors that people make while radio broadcasting.  The first error trying to talk to someone on radio.  Glass says it;s a lot better to just talk like you normally do.  The second error is that often people submit stories that have horrible personality.  A good story is about person’s life being documented, but it is also you.  Interacting with other people is good or there is no drama in the story.  There has to be a good mix.

Jad Abumrad :

Jad Abumrad says that radio doesn’t have pictures, but that’s why it’s cool.  Abumrad says that not having pictures allows the listener to create their own image in their head.  There is a co-authorship between the radio broadcaster and the listener.  He mentions that radio has died 50 times and will be dead 50 more times but people tune into the radio for a reason.  They like the ability to create their own picture in their mind.