[prtq] Round 2 here we come!
Ok everybody, time to get a move on to the next round of the Quest.
This is kind of the obstacle course phase of the Talent Quest (hence the "muddy buddy" photo), where we put our 10 finalists through their hosting paces and test some basic skills.
NOTE: The Round 2 challenges are for the 10 finalists and only their entries for this round will be accepted for voting and judging on the site.
There will be three main tasks each finalist will have to complete, resulting in a single combined audio entry posted to the site for popular voting and judging.
1) The Billboard. In public radio almost every show has a short scripted intro that both summarizes and promotes the upcoming hour. It's exactly 60 seconds long, ending with "...but first, this news" that goes into the top-of-the-hour headlines before returning to the main body of the show. Writing and performing billboards is an art, and a good test of any host's skills. We'll give the finalists the show topic and info about guests and other details, and then they have to write a stellar billboard.
2) The Copy. In a simulated on-air environment (in a studio, or on a phone call with us "live"), we are going to hand the contestants some copy, perhaps a guest introduction or a bit of news, and after a short moment to prep they have to read it live. This is basic think-on-your-feet and performance testing. Watch out for phrasing and tricky names!
3) Free Association. This final bit tests general creativity and improvisatory abilities, and has been a tried and true method for auditioning hosts at other public radio shows. We come up with a word or phrase, the aspiring host takes a deep breath, and then has to talk for two minutes about something that flows out of associations with that initial word or phrase.
We'll edit the three resulting segments into one audio file and post it on the site for the whole world to hear, voters to vote and the judges to judge. The three tasks won't be judged separately, it's all considered one submission for Round 2.
We plan to start recording the submissions in mid-June and post them to the site before the end of the month.
We've started a forum about Round 2 here for questions, comments, etc.
photo credit: meanpauline
delicious
diggProduction makes a huge difference, particularly if they're subtle differences. Doubtless the contest crew already knows they need to be very careful when putting these pieces together so that each contestant is offered a fair shake. It's amazing how an added pause here or there can affect the pacing and feel of a piece. Could a few added pauses make it seem the contestant isn't as confident as the others? Anyway, once in radio other people will often edit someone's work, so it's a fact of radio life.
I would assume that later rounds will be more interactive with the public and in a less controlled environment(but I could be wrong)-- it will be interesting to see how things proceed.
-kb
Looking for answers? After checking out my submission here you can find them on www.prx.org/pieces/18374.
(I tried posting this under the Round 2 forum, but it won't let me..)
They've gone an combined 2 different Forensics events that the Pennsylvania High School Speech League used to do in the 80's. The billboard is unique and is what I did for the first round (shucks).
The Copy is the Radio Announcing event done at the state tourney every year at Penn State.
Free Association is called impromptu and is done not only by PHSSL, but by the NFL (National Forensics League) and CFL (Catholic Forencsics League) too...
I'm not sure if they still do these things, I've been out of touch with high school speech and debate for years now as New Hampshire doesn't get into it much.
All in all, I'm not sure what to think. Am I to be impressed that I did these things 20+ years ago and that they hold tried and true to this day to be a good radio host? (if so I am SOOOOO going to go out and bang on doors for a job!)
Or that this round is incredibly lame and doesn't present much of a challenge (except maybe the billboard) because a bunch of 14 to 18 year olds do it as a sport?
I am inclined at this moment to think that they could have come up with something a little more difficult...but I await to hear what the gang has to say...Please let's not even get into question of that by going traditional with radio announcing tasks are they abandoning the search for something different (let's post that one in the forum when they get it fixed)?
Speechguy
Why someone hasn't done a movie about the wierd world of high-stakes High School debate is beyond me. Contact me if interested.
All in all, I'm not sure what to think. Am I to be impressed that I did these things 20+ years ago and that they hold tried and true to this day to be a good radio host? (if so I am SOOOOO going to go out and bang on doors for a job!)
Or that this round is incredibly lame and doesn't present much of a challenge (except maybe the billboard) because a bunch of 14 to 18 year olds do it as a sport?
you're kidding right? by this logic, anyone who did well in track in high school is an automatic candidate for the Olympics.
Come on speechguy, you can do better.
-sam
Samantha Clemens
http://www.publicradioquest.com/audio/user/3257
www.causeandeffectworld.com
Getting to the bottom of things...
When I made these comments I was looking for a point of view. As open-ended the preliminary round was I was suprised as to the almost "pedestrian" aspect of the round 2 challenges. BUT as you and others have pointed out, CORRECTLY, that even though the tasks may be 'basic' it's the RESULTS that are important.
THANKS GANG! for giving me a proper point of view. I needed it.
Speechguy
I can't believe I ate the whole thing.
(my billboard)
http://www.publicradioquest.com/node/840
Speechguy,
I suppose I could agree with you that the billboard and perhaps even the reading aren't impossible challenges (though I'm sure there's plenty of opportunity for weak or gaffed performances), but as for the two minute live free association, I'm shaking in my boots a bit. I've spent my 36 years yammering on, fer sure, but to come up with a truly tidy piece off the top of my head is going to be a definite challenge. I'm sure there are some good tricks and skills one can work on to help make impromptu musings sound more polished, and I imagine that some of my competitors who've been in the radio/performance biz for many years have got these tricks down already. Gulp.
Still, I guess it's all about being oneself and just going with the flow of ones thoughts. If I blow it because I was being myself and just had a bad day, I could learn to live with that failure, but if I failed by trying to be more polished and slick than I am, it'd be a nightmare.
So, yeah, these may be some fairly conventional challenges, but to me they seem like a solid test of what hosting is about. I'd be curious to hear some of your alternate ideas for challenges though.
Cheers,
Chris de Ville
Yes, to free associate within specific confines creates its own paradox, does it not? And does that part blend well with the other two to create a harmonious whole? On the surface, quite basic. What's beneath it is key. All right, you've convinced me. A challenge, indeed.
But I trust the judges know what they are doing. Jay Allison is one of my heros so whatever Jay says is fine with me.
Of course, if some of the semi-finalists can't handle this challenge it makes it that much easier to cull the herd. Also, the next challenges will be much more difficult.
I debated against John Hockenberry in high school. Although our little farm school generally held our own against more high-powered opponents, the fact that John has found a place on NPR and I have not gives some clue as to the result. I had similar success when I became a debate judge in college. When BOTH coaches come in and ask you what happened...
I got myself blacklisted at the Central Wisconsin NFL qualifiers one year because I told both sides in the round exactly what I thought of their performance...I decided the round on the content, which was ok, but the performance rotted...I guess being totally honest isn't what coaches want to hear...
Speechguy
Where are you going? Can you take me with you?
Speechguy,
As someone who has struggled with dyslexia my entire life, I can tell you that part of the challenge is going to be tough for me personally. For someone to give me copy and only minute or two to work it out will be extremly tough. The billboard and free association shouldn't be too bad, but I'm not going to take them lightly.
On a whole I think this is a good first test, we'll see how it shakes.
Light,
Al
Congrats Al,
As someone who has worked with children with learning needs for the past 15 years as a Speech-Language Pathologist and as a former Forensics competetor and coach, I applaud your effort! If you have any worries you would like to discuss, or want to hear of some suggestions I may have, Please give me a line via the contact form on my account. That goes for anybody else. :) I'm an equal opportunity advise giver.
Speechguy
My god, its full of stars.
I feel for you. I have always had what I would call directional dyslexia. I am constantly getting left and right mixed up, as well as signs in math problems (+/-).
Are there any tricks you can use to mitigate the problem?
Recent comments
2 weeks 5 days ago
8 weeks 23 hours ago
9 weeks 2 days ago
9 weeks 3 days ago
10 weeks 4 days ago