How to gather sound for a podcast

The following podcast is by workshop participants Al Scott and Kirsten Grind, both of the Puget Sound Business Journal.
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Al Scott (foreground) and Kirsten Grind edit their podcast.

A podcast is a short audio report that can be played on a computer or iPod. It should stand alone. Here are his tips on gathering sound for a podcast: 

• Journalism doesn’t change just because you are working with audio.
• Think with your ears. Avoid yes/no questions. It’s helpful to direct your interview subject to answer questions in sentence format and in a declarative way. You don’t want to direct what they say; just make some suggestions on how they say it.
• Ask for your subject’s name and title at the top of the interview.
• Write succinctly. See Merv Block’s book, “Writing News for Broadcast: Shorter, Sharper, Stronger.”


Chuck Epstein, editor of MutualFundReform.com, gathers ambient sound at a Phoenix eatery.

• In every environment where you do an interview, just switch on your recorder and get 15-30 seconds of ambient sound at that location.
• Include your voice only if you’re asking a question or making an important clarification. Don’t say “uh-huh” just to keep the subject talking.
• It’s okay to ask someone the same question twice. Use the version that either makes the subject’s case better or sounds better in the story.
• In a 90-second podcast, it’s preferable to have two voices besides your own in it.

 

The journalists then went to area businesses, including a Chinese restaurant, Phoenix Public Market and Z Pizza, to record sound and edit it into a 90-second podcast under Moran’s direction.