WEEK 4

Because of the Ekka, lectures and tutorials were cancelled this week, so we were given the task of listening to a sound recording on blackboard.  This was an interesting listen, the first part was an interview with talkback ABC radio presenter Richard Fidler.  Richard was a surprisingly humble guest who didn’t even consider himself to be a proper journalist.  Despite his self-deprecating manner, his advice on conducting an effective interview was very interesting. Fidler’s technique is the ‘less is more’ approach: By giving his guests the space to tell their story, and genuinely listening and taking an interest in what they have to say, he finds they eventually open up and momentarily forget they are on a radio program.  It was also interesting to hear Fidler’s life story and how he wound up as an ABC presenter.

The second part was another ABC presenter Steve Austin talking about his journey from motorcycle enthusiast to radio host. I found this less interesting than the first segment, despite the fact that I am a regular Austin listener in the mornings. Austin took himself a lot more seriously than Fidler, but definitely had some great things to say.  Austin is convinced that radio is where audiences can truly tell if a guest is being insincere or not, as it does not have visuals to distract, it is based purely on the inflections in someone’s voice. Austin went on to describe his various programs on ABC radio and how he varies his interviewing style to suit the context of the program.

 I found both of these segments to be thoroughly worthwhile listens; it was interesting that both the guests had ended up in jobs they had not necessarily envisioned at the start. As someone who is aspiring to specialise in political journalism, it demonstrated that opportunities that arise in life can lead you down unexpected avenues.