UNIT 4 RADIO TALK AND PROFILE

Structure
4.0 Aims and Objectives
4.1 Introduction
4.2 Characteristics of eadio Talk
4.2.1 Attractiveness
4.2.2 Clarity
4.2.3 Content-density
4.3 Technique of Radio Talk
4 3.1 Clarity
4.3.2 Informality
4.3.3 Self-Explanatory
4.4 Target Audience
4.5 Radio Profile
4.6 Summing Up
4.7 Aids to Answers 1

4.0 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

By the end of the unit, you should be able to :
explain the feature of radio scripts in the 'spoken-word' mode;
describe the technique of radio talk;
present a good talk after 'rehearsing' your script;
distinguish between a radio talk and a radio profile; and
plan a radio profile.

4.1 INTRODUCTION
The previous unit (3) of this Block has made you familiar with certain general features
of writing for Radio. This includes writing for the ear, the use of spoken language,
narration and sound-effects and the formats for radio scripting. The present unit aims
at equipping you with the understanding of what makes a good radio talk. The
guidelines given should help you to discern the basic requirements of a radio talk -
the audience and - the situations. This unit prepares you for the task of writing a
radio talk. In order to write and present a radio talk successfully, you must
understand what are the essential elements which make for communication between
the talker and the listener. Communication will take place only if these elements are
included in the talk. Some of these requirements may seem obvious, but the fact is
that talkers neglect them, both in the writing and in the delivery of talks.
We will learn that language skills, like mechanical skills, require endless practice. The
activities interspersed in the unit merely give you an idea of how to go about refining
and polishing your skills. You should be able to construct similar exercises on your
own for further practice.

4.2 CHARACTER$STICSOF RADIO TALK

Radio talks are of different kinds - longer or shorter in duration, addressed to
special groups such as students, community workers, field workers, educated elite,
teachers and instructors and so on. But whatever the audience, it is the business of
the talker to formulate for himself, with the help of those who commission the talk,
some idea of the projected Audience. What is their level of information on the
subject? What are the issues which are upper most in the minds of the people? The
talker must attempt to answler their questions and meet their needs. Only thea will
the talk be relevant.
Let us note the unique characteristics of a radio talk.
a A talk is something which is listened to. It is not something which one reads. It is Radio Tdk and Profik
true, of course, that a talk may subsequently be published and can be read or
referred to. But that is another matter; and in any case, only a small number of
the talks delivered find their way into print.
A talk may be listened to by individuals, alone, in a room, in a home, or in the
company of members of the family or friends. In this respect, a talk differs from
a speech or a lecture, which is addressed to a collective audience or a group.
In a radio talk, the speaker is not face to face with his audience. They do not see
each other. Communication is in one direction only, from the speaker to the
audience, and it is totally dependent on words and the manner in which they are
delivered.
The talk is something which can be enjoyed in retrospect. But you should
remember what the speaker has said in order to be able to think over it, understand
its full implications, and thus appreciate it.
The talk is personal. It is a particular person who is speaking to you.

4.2.1 Attractiveness
The two most important subjective factors which make for-recall are interest and
attention. They are closely connected. If you are interested in something you will pay
attention to it, and if you listen to it carefully, you will remember it. So the first thing
the talker must do is to rouse the interest of the listener. If something concerns him,
he will naturally become interested in it and will pay attention to it. But if it is of
remote or merely academic interest, he will at best listen to it without closely
following its argument.

If a radio talk is on the functioning of the Railways, the focus should be on the safety
aspezt rather on a budgetry analysis. The radio talk is aimed at the listening public
and therefore should centre round points that will hold the listener's attention.

4.2.2 Clarity
Similarly, any material +thatis retained and remembered possesses certairi
characteristics. The listener perceives.the talk as 5 whole or as a pattern, and in
remembering it also it is this pattern that comes to the mind. Experimental evidence
shows that the listener tries to get hold of the pattern, the central theme oi what is
communicated in the talk.
Psychologists have described this process, the process of reacting to given material,
as an effort after meaning. We not only seek to find a meaning in what we perceive,
we also recall more easily something which we have understood. The lesson for the
talker is to ensure that there is a central theme in what he says. A talk which is a
series of disjointed observations will not be recalled. It will leave little impression on
the listener.
Psychologists have also drawn attention to a factor, described as the 'dominant detail'
which facilitates recall. What is dominant detail? If you ask a friend the story of a
film, the answer might be 'Oh'! it is the eternal triangle; but this is not the whole
story. The friend may add that it is the eternal triangle with a difference. This
difference is what gives the clue to the dominant detail. Thus, while huqan beings
attempt to perceive objects as unitary wholes, there is some detail which stands out
apart from the rest and influences what is perceived. This dominant detail is a kind
of nucleus around which the other images cluster in a process of recall. It sets the
stage for remembering. Take the well-known film Arth. It is the eternal triangle, but
right through we see the heroine trying to forge a life of her own. This movement
towards the woman's self-identity is the dominant detail.

4.2.3 emtent-density
Do not burden your script with details which in any case make little impression, and
which are easily forgotten. Chief among these are figures. Once they get into lakhs
and crores, they mean nothing to the common person. It is much better to give
comparisons. For example, if you want to say that the population of Australia is very
small, it would be more revealing to say, the total population of Australia is only
equal to the number of children born in India in just one year. If you must give
 figures, give round figures.
Also easily forgotten are names, especially unfamiliar names, like those in a Russian
novel, where, additionally, you discover that characters have several names. You
have to face a similar prablem if required to discuss a border dispute between our
country and China. Somatimes one town may have three names - an Indian name,
a Tibetan name and a CNinese name. A wise talker who is anxious to communicate
will choose one name, the one that is least unfamiliar to his audience. The person
who is concerned to show off his learning will use all the three. The former will
succeed as a radio talker, while the latter may not.

Activity 1
Given below is a passage, Read it carefully and do the exercises given :
1) List the reasons why 9ou think that the passage given below is unsuitable for a
radio talk.
2) Select any four words which you would like to replace with other simpler words
or phrases of similar meaning.
3) Are there any facts or figures which can be deleted without loss of meaning?
More than half of the urban population is in cities, with more than one lakh
population. The urban agglomerations of Calcutta with a population exceeding
10 million followed by Bombay, which is about :o reach the 10 million mark are
the thickest populousurban areas in India. In addition to these, Delhi, Madras,
Bangalore, Hyderabdd, Visakhapatnam, etc. are the other cities growing by
- leaps and bounds in terms of size and populations., This abnormal growth in the
number of urban arehs and population therein demands the supply of more
transport facilities.
Serious consideratio0 is, therefore, required to be given to the transportation
and traffic problems of these fast growing cities. They are no longer capable of
satisfying excessive travel demands because of phenomena1 increase in
population. \

Transport is a servica catering to the mobility needs of rural populations and

urban dwellers with a wide range of modes and means. In modern times urban
transport installation4 operation and its management have become a challenge
in many of the develbping countries. The impact of ecortomic activity on urban
transport results in the demand for travel between work place and residential
places and the same has increased rapidly. Hardly any attention has been paid
for alleviating the trdnsportation and traffic problems in the cities.
(Check your answer w i t h l ~ i d sto Answers 4.7)
 Radio Talk and Profile

I 4.3 TECHNIQUE OF RADIO TALK .

Fladio talk demands meeting certain basic requirements. They are :

Clarity
Informality
Self-Explanatory
How is the talker to meet the special requirements of the radio talk? Let us discuss
each requirement and see what it demands. Of course, these requirements are
interrelated, and if you satisfy one you may also be satisfying one or more of the
clthers at the same time.
4#.3.1 Clarity
t In 4.2.2, we have discussed clarity which helps the listener to recall dominant details
a t the talk after a certain lapse of time. Let us see how we can achieve clarity. It is
commonly agreed that, unlike the written articles, the radio talk is heard; it is not
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read. Therefore, the meaning of each sentence must be clear when heard only once.
You cannot listen to it a second time to unravel its meaning. In the case of a printed
article, if you do not get the intention of the author on reading it once, you can
re-read the article or parts of it which you find obscure. But this is not possible in
- the case of a talk. So, the first principle of writing a radio talk is to make each
sentence transparently clear. This can be achieved in the following ways :

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Sentences should be short: A good rule to follow is to keep the sentences down to
about three lines each. Long sentences frequently involve qualifying clauses. You can
simplify them by putting the qualiing clauses into separate sentences.(see unit 3).
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Activity 2
Read the passage given below and make this effective for a Radio Talk.

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The Indian Constitution, said to guarantee freedom of religion, hedges it with
so many restrictions such as the ability of the state to prohibit religious practices
endangering iaw and order, health and morality and also determines to itself
the right to distinguish essentially religious practices from those which are
secular in nature and merely associated with religion, so that the so-called
guarantee actually amounts to precious little.

b (Check your answer with the answer given in 4.7)

Sentences in the active voice tend to make for easier comprehension than those in
indirect speech in the passive voice.'For instance, it is better to say, "Several
distinguished economists believe that a huge budgetan deficit tends to result in
inflation", rather than to say, "The view that a huge deficit in the budget will tend
to result in inflation, is held by many distinguished economists."
Difficult and uncommon words should be avoided: Remember that the listener
neither keeps a dictionary close on hand, nor has the time while listening to refer to
it, if difficult or uncommon words are used in the talk. Easy communication is basic
to radio talk.
 ~ Radio-I
W r f t l for

Activity 3
Read the sentence given below and convert into active voice.
Mental peace and the continuation of mental and physical faculties with passing
years was sought W be achieved by the eastern mystics by the practice of yogic
exercises.
(Check your answer wivh the hints given in 4.7)
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4.3.2 Informality 1
There is an important despect in which a radio talk differs from a public speech or
lecture. A speech or lecture is heard or listened to by a.collective audience or group.
In the case of the radid talk, however, it is the individual, a few family members,
perhaps a friend or two,who constitute the audience. The radio talker speaks to them
- thousands of such small groups - in the intimaq of their homes.
The radio talk is like a iconversation with friends. It is informal, it is chatty. True,
the other party, the listeners, can not butt in, they cannot interject. It is the talker's
job to do that for them by raising questions and doubts on their behalf, and trying to
answer them. The succq!ssful talker will attempt to do so.
In a radio talk, the persqnality of the presenter is important. One may have made a
special study of a subject, another may have inside knowledge, a third may have been
an eye-witness to an imhrtant event. That is why listeners are interested in what the
thlker has,to say. The talker is not a disembodied voice which is presenting
dry-as-dust fact. So, when you prepare a talk, assimilate your material thoroughly,
consider the main thesid you want to put across', and harness the crucial facts which
articulate your case. 'Tlje upshot of the issue as I see it is this....', '"This is what I
can make of the p r o b l e ~... . . Statements of this kind, in the first person, are entirely
in.order in a radio talk.

Activity 4
Read the passage given below and make it personal, informal and chatty.
A widow becomes the.flotsam and jetsam of Indian society washed ashore at
the portals of exploitative ashrams in the hope of dying there and attaining
moksha salvation)^, or remains prey to the predations of relatives who enslave
or mentally tortureher. Reduced to virtual non-status through a series of rituals
masquerading undbr obscurantist religious sanctions - the breaking of her
bangles or banishidg her from auspicious functions - she loses her
independence and capacity to fight for her property rights.
(Check with answer in 4.7)

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 Radio Talk and Rdlk
4.3.3 Self-Explanatory
The talker is not face-to-face with his audience. This is another point of difference
between the radio talk and the public speech or lecture. In the latter two cases, the
speaker faces his audience. The talker does not have this advantage, and so has
problems. Facial expression communicates a great deal. The audience can see from
the hint of a smile on the speaker's face that he is making a mild joke, or that he is
saying something tongue-in-cheek. Again, on the other hand, one can see from his
expression that he is serious- about the point he is making. Such visual aids are not
available for a radio talk. So the talker has to make up for them in the way he or she
reads the sqipt.
Reading out a script is rather like speaking lines in a play. The talk has to be carefully
rehearsed, so that every nuance of meaning is brought out. However, the talk must
on no accpunt be over-dramatised, because it would then cease to be a conversation,
and would sound unnatural.
One of the important advantages which face-to-face communication gives the speaker
is the feedback through the expressions on the faces of the audience. If he sees them
looking puzzled, he can explain the point further. If they look bored, he can move
on to the next point, and so on. The talker on the radio has to manage without these
important signals. The talker must, therefore, anticipate audience response when
writing his script, or when rehearsing it. If he finds anything lacking in clarity or
taking t60 much time, he should find a corrective for it.

Activity 5
Given below are some opening sentences (a-f) from excerpts.
1) Identify those you think can be used, as they are, as opening for radio talks.
2) Give the ones selected, suitable titles to focus the theme.
a) Three o'clock in the morning - dark, cold, peaceful. The telephone rings
with a start, I get up and lift the receiver : Kaun?
b) It is found out that in the manufacture of safety matches the material contents -
chlorate of potash, sulphur, phosphorus, red antimony, black antimony,
glue, veneers, splints, blue paper and gun powder form 61 per cent of the
total cost of production.
c) There is a convenient penchant to sweep under the rug some of the most
grotesque evils that plague society until some apocalyptic incident jolts
people from their escapist reveries.
d) One can watch the varying moods of rivers - almost human - in the
ceaselcss cycle of the seasons. A narrow, slow, silvery streak of water during
the hot summer, a wide roaring broad-bosomed torrential spectacle during
the monsoons.
e) The second Asiad, the tenth Asian Games, will be remembered for the
emergence of a new power in sports arena of the Continent : While China
reasserted its supremacy by maintaining the dominance gained at the New
Delhi games four years ago, the host country, South Korea, rewrote history
by toppling Japan for the secmd position.
f) Voltaire, enumerating the advantage that animals have over man, observed
that they have no theologian to instruct them, their funerals cost them
nothing and no one starts lawsuits over their wills. This set me wondering.
What is the advantage man has over animals?
(Check your answers with Aids to ~nswers'4.7)

4.4 TARGET AUDIENCE

The radio talk is usually enjoyed in retrospect. While it is on the air your attention
is f w s e d on what is goint on. You dare not relax your attention for fear of missing
a crucial link. It is only when it is over that you can think over what has been said,
especially the main point, to grasp the significance of what has been said. But in order
to do this you must be able to remember it. The secret of writing effectively for the
Writing for Radio-I
- radio is to write so as to Be remembered. Radio writing must be memorable.
Broadly speaking, there afe two sets of factors which determine recall. They are
subjective factors and objective factors, and a talk should be organised keeping these
factors in mind. The subjqctive factors relate to the mental make-up of the person
who has to remember, and the objective factors to the material which has to be
remembered.

4.5 RADIO PROFILE

The radio profile is usually a talk, feature, magazine or even documentary on a
certain personality. There is no one way of doing a radio profile and very often its
presentation depends on circumstances. Say for instance, Salman Rushdie, the
distinguished writer, wins a Pulitzer Prize for writing. There can be a Radio Profile
of him so that Indian listeners get an idea of Salman Rushdie. There are various ways
one can go about:
i) We may want to interlriew him as part of the profile. If Salman Rushdie is is
India, we can make an attempt to get him for a brief interview. We can write a
script about him and get him to speak on cekain important issues.
ii) We may discover that Salman Rushdie is in England and has no immediate plans
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of visiting India. We make a hurried attempt to find out whether anyone has ever
recorded a conversation with Rushdie, If yes, can we have access to it and use it
for our programme? Our script would certainly become more lively if it
incorporates excetpts from interviews from the archives. In which case we can
have a scripted profile of Rushdie intercut with archival material (i.e.
prerecorded interviews).
iii) We search high and low for archival materials and discover that no one has ever
interviewed Rushdie. Even if there has been one there's no trace of any such
material. We do not want our programme to be a straight talk. Why not interview
people who know Rushdie or are familiar with his work? We manage to track
down several people who are familiar with Rushdie and his work and have a lot
of interesting informatlion to share. In which case, we can have a scripted profile
of Rushdie that incorporates several other speakers.
iv) We discover that we ate very lucky and have access to all of the above. In which
case we have a script& commentary, Rushdie himself as well as some archival
interviews of Rushdie, If we have all these resources at our command, we can
even go to the extent of producing a radio commentary.
v) If we do not have access to any of the above, all is not lost. We can produce a
well scripted talk that will both inform and interest listeners.
Now, all the rules for writing that we have talked of in unit 3 and the present one
are relevant for producing a radio profile. Even though options 1,2,3 and 4 may
needdemand a lot of running around, it is hard to produce a well written 'talk'. On
the other hand it runs the iisk of being monotonous and dull, How does one get out
of that? Well, there are no hard and fast rules, but keeping the following in mind can
certainly help.
i) Research is always most important. Whether you include all your materials into
the programme or nott you should know everything that there is to know about
that person. Your facts should be checked and cross-checked several times over.
ii) Avoid dates, numbers, and technical jargon. For instance, nobody is interested
in knowing how many articles Rushdie has published, on which day and in which
magazine and in what edition.
iii) Your presentation should be informal. You may be writing about a writer but
there's no need to get into any high-flown emotional rhetoric (....As the sun sets
to the west and the hills are tinged with pale orange, Salman Rushdie, writer,
thinker and 'lost soul in hiding, makes a secret vow to himself...) It should also
be noted that the script writer cannot run away with infoimality. So when,you
make a programme on say, a pop singer, think twice before using words like
'ripoff, 'rap', 'funky', etc. Not only do these words risk extinction but they are
probably not found in the dictionary. It's always preferable to use words that
 . - -- R d o Talk and Profile
everybody is familiar with.
iv) Selection is an important part of praducing a profile. Human beings are
multifaced. It's quite impossible to deal with everything all at once. Take one
aspect of that person and write about it. Of cmrse, you should acknowledge the
existence of other aspects but do not attempt to deal with everything in depth.
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v) An attempt must be made to concretize the abstract with specific examples.
Anecdotes and examples come in very handy here. If say, we are making a profile
I of famous theatre director Peter Brooke, we may say; "Peter Brooke's work is
replete with symbolism" (generallabstract statement). This could be concretized
I with: "Peter Brooke's work is replete with symbolism. In The Mahabharata for

i instance, Arjuna is a character who changes constantly. In the end, he is

victorious but not above blame. We watch him increasingly become besmirched
with mud and blood from his wounds."

4.6 SUMMING UP
A Radio Talk implies communication between the talker and the listener. There are
certain essential elements which, if ignored or neglected, will render the talk
ineffective. 'They are interrelated, and in satisfying one you may be satisfying one or
more of the others at the same time.
As thje Radio Talk is usually listened to by individuals, it should be informal, even
chatty.
The talk should concern the issue uppermost in the mind of the listeners.
The writer must, therefore, use appropriate language to hold the interest of his
listeners. For instance, short sentences, simple words, personal interjections,
rhetorical questions, etc., make for clahty and liveliness in delivery.
The talker should not burden his talk with figures which are usually forgotten.
Likewise, he should not use unfamiliar names, and, if forced to use. them, he
should choose the name least unfamiliar to his audience.
The talk should be personal and should reflect the talker's knowledge and his own
v i l w or perspective.
The talk should be memorable at its first presentation, since it will not be repeated.
If the theme is clearly expressed, the dominant detail highlighted and irrelevant
matter struck out, there is no reason why the talk should not leave a lastina
r-- impression on the mind of the listener.
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Radio profiles could be talks, features, magazines or even a documentary on a

personality.
P" Research and organisation are equally importantin the writing of a radio profile.

I- 4.7 AIDS TO ANSWERS

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Activity 1
i) a) Some sentences are too long.
b) The vocabulary is pedantic with quite a few words of four or more syllables.
c) The presentation will be dull.
d) There is no effort to link the talk directly with the urban commuter's

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problems, so he can see himself in the picture.
e) Think of other reasons.
ii) Agglomerations, phenomenal, installation, alleviating
iii) a) Too many figures make a radio talk monotonous.
b) The fact of .rapid population growth has been repeated in at least five

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sentences.

A c t i v i ~2
The sentences consists of nearly seventy words, and the listener would lost the sense
of it before he gets to the end. To make it effective in a radio talk you should break it
up into diffcrcnt sentences. and the key idea should come into the first short sentence.
thus : 'The Indian Constipution is said to guaranteeofreedom of religion. hut thi4
freedom comes to naught in view of a e power of the state to restrict it'. (27 words)
"These restraining power4 include the right to interfere with any rcligio~h'~racticc if
it endangers. etc. etc."

Activity 3
a) 'Eastern mystics, becbmes the subject of your sentence.
b) 'Achieved' becomes '$chieve'.

Activity 4 I
a) Write in the first p e m n , 'I; - 'you' form.
b) Substitute simple words for the more pcdantic ones. i.e.. cxploit;ttivc.
predations, obscurantist, etc.
C) Replace the cliche 'flotsam and jetsam' with words indicating your scnsc 01
. disgust at the status allotted to widows in scxiety.
Activity 5
a) The Day Everything Went Wrong
My Past Catches U p y i t h Me
d) The Seasons of a Riv r
Rivers Make Me Thin
e) The'Second Asiad
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f) What Makes Man ~ u k r i o tor Animals?
The Simple Life
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