WYSO Behind the Scenes
The first day my story for Community Voices went on the air, I was sitting in my room listening with a friend. My head was in my hands and my face was turning really red from just knowing that my voice was being broadcast all over the Miami Valley. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again… the hardest part about radio (after you’re done writing your script) is learning to tolerate the sound of your own voice. I think I recorded my voice tracks at least eight times, and I still wasn’t super pleased with how I sounded. Alas, there will always be something that you think you could fix or could’ve done better, aaand that’s why deadlines exist!
But I had read this somewhere a few days before: “As far as I can tell, the key to being good at any creative endeavor is to have the freedom and courage to first be bad for a long time.” It made me feel a lot better because I think there is a lot of truth to it. I don’t think my story is great, just kind of okay. But you gotta start somewhere, right? So there I was, sitting in my room and cringing through the whole piece. It was a relief when it was finally over and my friend said, “That was really good! You sounded great!” That whole week I was kind of overwhelmed by all the positive feedback I got on the story. Like that great feeling of surprise you get when you finish a project that you never thought would end, and people actually like it!
I was also able to experience the discomfort that comes with having your story played in a room of about fifty people at the Screenless Screening. And if that wasn’t enough, I had to then get on stage and talk about it. The applause that happened afterwards helped to give me some courage to stand up and talk in front of everyone. I joked about how I had just turned 21 when I started working on this story, so I figured it would be as good a time as any to learn a bit more about beer and how it’s made. Everyone thought that was funny. But I was mainly interested in what Shane and Jacqui were doing and knew that they had a good story to tell. Talking about the experience overall, I shared with the crowd that during my last edit with Sarah I put my head on the desk and said, “uhhhg, I hate radio,” which is something that I’m sure most radio producers have felt at one time or another. My feelings towards radio now are more along the lines of, “yeah, okay… maybe this is something I can actually do.” I ended with talking about how overall, this has been a very rewarding experience and I’m very thankful for the opportunity to be a part of Community Voices. Again, I was relieved when the whole thing was over and my friend said, “You did great up there!”
It was really awesome to hear everyone’s final pieces and know all of the hard that went into it. Very proud of everyone in the class and super thankful for all the support I received to get my piece done.
Zeb Reichert made this short film about WYSO’s big moving day. It’s pretty great.
The big day is almost here. Our final Community Voices Training day was at the end of June. Some of the pieces have already gone on the air. My piece is set to go on next week. But all of our hard work really comes together at the Film Dayton Festival on August 26th. We’re going to have a “screenless screening” and listen to all ten of our pieces. I’m pretty excited for this. It’s been a long and sometimes frustrating journey. But I have learned so much and feel really lucky to have been a part of this. As Noah Adams says, “If radio were easy, anyone could do it.” I am proud to present nine people to you that are off to a great start:
“Sacred Harp” by Alan Staiger takes us to a shape note ‘singing.’
Will Davis tells the story of local filmmaker Justin Russell’s retro slasher film, “The Sleeper”.
Alexis Larsen profiles local artist Winnie Fiedler.
Wally Rehm finds out why volunteers at Glen Helen keep removing invasive plants – knowing they’ll eventually grow back.
“Boogie Nights” by Basim Blunt chronicles the history of funk music in Dayton.
Kristen Wicker finds out what really goes on in local man caves.
Judy Whelley looks at what happens to people in relationships with sex addicts.
Tracy Staley tells the story of Burundian refugees building community through an urban garden.
This photo is the profile picture for WYSO’s Facebook page right now… let’s take a moment to appreciate this awesome photobomb.
Check out the new ReInvention page on WYSO’s website.
This morning I had the opportunity to attend a book release party. Mrs. Scavone’s first grade class from Mills Lawn Elementary School published an ABC book, All About Nature. This was my first time to really go out and do an assignment like this, so I was a little nervous at first. But after a few awkward moments, I realized that these first graders were probably more intimidated by the woman with a microphone than I was of having the responsibility to report on their new book. I actually ended up having a lot of fun interviewing the kids and hearing their answers. I posted my interview with Oliver to give you a preview. It seemed like he had more to say after I asked him all of my questions, so then I said, “Do you have anything else to say?” His answer made me laugh. We had to cut it short so he wouldn’t miss out on the group photo. Kids are awesome.
Now I’m working on editing it all together. If it’s good enough, it just might make it on the air for WYSO Weekend. Stay tuned.
Every Friday Charlie Campbell’s voice is sent out over WYSO’s airwaves informing you about what’s great in Dayton. I’ve been recording and editing What’s Great in Dayton for the past few weeks now. When Charlie comes into the studio to record his segment once a week, his presence automatically brightens everyone’s day. It’s hard not to have a smile on your face when Charlie is around.
Last year, Luke Dennis set out to do a story on a local band for Community Voices. But after meeting Charlie, things changed a bit.
“The story that emerged once I scratched at the surface just a bit, is much bigger than the birth of a community band. It’s about more than accordions. It’s about life, of course. Well, one man choosing how to live his life. Meet Charlie Campbell.”
Take a listen and I’m sure you’ll understand why Charlie is such beloved part of WYSO.
The WYSO crew trying to get a van full of CD shelves out of the mud… never a dull moment.
It has been a while since my last post, and a lot has happened! I am now working at WYSO full time through the end of June for co-op. The move to the new, above ground building is in its final stages. I really can’t get over how nice it is. If you have yet to see the new space, you should definitely come by to the open house in June.
In other exciting news, the Localore project is starting up. Localore is a project focussed on experimenting and inventing new ways to find and tell stories, discovering fresh models blending old and new media, and forging new pathways between stations and their local communities. WYSO got a grant to partner with local documentary film makers Julia Reichart and Steven Bognar and were one of the ten teams chosen around the nation to be a part of Localore. We will be working together to bring you stories about reinvention after the recession in the Dayton area. They will be teaching us about storytelling through film while we teach them about storytelling through sound. I feel extremely lucky to be a part of this project. Another Antioch student and Miller Fellow , Zeb Reichart (no relation to Julia), will also be working with Steven and Julia. I’ll be writing a lot about this experience over the next few months, so stay tuned.
Things are moving along with the Community Voices training. My story idea has changed quite a bit since I last wrote about it. Originally, I was going to do a story about refugees in Dayton. I narrowed that idea down through some research when I found out about the East End Community Center and their mission to end generational poverty in east Dayton neighborhoods. I wanted to spend some time down there and find out how people had been impacted by the work of this organization. After some consideration though, I decided to do a story that was more local since I don’t have a car. Telling stories like these is also something that I wanted to save for a later date when I have more experience. So I switched gears a bit and now I am doing a story on local brewers Shane and Jacqui Creepingbear. They are starting up their own brewing business in Yellow Springs, Vitruvian Brew Company. I’ve been learning a lot about everything it takes to produce your own radio story. More on that later!
