To learn about radio you have to listen to radio. I think I've learnt more about practical radio production through the crackle and hiss of this lightweight portable Sony transistor radio than from any book or course.
Sure you have to learn basic production techniques. But in my view, nothing helps develop your skills further than by listening to as much radio as you can and being an active listener - identifying and analysing different formats and techniques and then getting inspired to try something new in your own stories or programmes.
These days my iPod and podcasts compete with my little trannie radio, but I'm still an active listener by habit.
On my recent trip to South Africa to train community radio journalists/producers, none of the participants had mp3 players, but everyone had a mobile phone. And, quite a few had either late model N-Series Nokias, Samsungs or Sony-Ericsons. It was interesting to see music and audio files of comedy sketches being shared. Those who had built in cameras snapped photos, and some tuned into the radio with their built in receiver. One journalist even uses her phone to record audio interviews. Social media sites Facebook and Mxitwere also mentioned a lot. Mxit in particular is huge among young South Africans.
Multimedia-wise, the beauty of training in South Africa is that broadband internet is widely available. Downloading podcasts or audio materials for training examples is only a click away and fast. With around 90% of South Africans having access to a radio, community radio will continue to play a vital role in the SA media landscape. However in parallel, the proliferation of mobile phones, broadband internet and access to a 3G network could well make the mobile phone a handy little multimedia tool for training broadcast journalists. Mojos are already on the scene in South Africa too.
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