A dozen radioheads snugly learning about the craft of researching and producing radio documentary here at the Community Resource Centre on July 21, 2016. Presenters Claudia Medina, Carrie Swiggum and Ioni Wais did a great job covering everything from concept to post-production. Some of the topics covered were:
- Personal access to stories or topics; passion there and where the personal becomes public
- Storytelling craft (narrative arc and creating a ‘container’ for the audience to position themselves within a narrative)
- Audience considerations and the motivation of characters
- When to let your interviewees and materials collected lead you in different directions — and when not to let this happen
- Interview techniques
- Recording techniques and considerations (recording ambient sounds, wearing headphones while recording, eliminating external sound sources, etc.)
- Structure: leading with attention grabbers, and the need to have a clear initial ‘elevator speech’ topic or theme
- Pre-interviewing; not leading characters; avoiding ‘yes’/’no’ answers
- Embracing silence
- Letting interviewees know that it’s ok to have silence and that there will be editing involved
- Rule of 3’s: retell the central theme
- Sound editing essentials
and more, with samples too!
Stay tuned for more FREE audio workshops coming up soon.

LET’S TALK: CJMP News Director Carrie Swiggum was recently recognized by the Society of Professional Journalists for a documentary radio feature.
CJMP News Director Carrie Swiggum was recently recognized by the Society of Professional Journalists with an award for her radio documentary, “Polka’s Not Dead” (linked here). Carrie undertook this work for KFAI Community Radio in Minneapolis, but actually completed the project amongst the hibernating bears in Lund last winter.
In addition to directing CJMP News content Carrie’s work has appeared in print media such as The Globe and Mail, The Tyee, Mental Floss, Utne Reader as well as on the air at the CBC.
This is not the first time Carrie’s excellence in journalism has been recognized. She also brought home a Canadian Online Publishing Award for a project she co-produced with CBC contributor Lisa Hale.
Carrie will be travelling to Minneapolis to receive the award later this month.
Way to go Carrie!