RADIO CRITIQUE BY STEPHANIE WAIRIMU 08-0750

HEALTH CHECK ON BBC WORLD SERVICE

DAY: Monday 4-10-10

TIME: 1632hrs-1700hrs

DURATION: 28 Minutes

HOST: Claudia Hammond

PRODUCER: Ms. Edwards

TARGET AUDIENCE: Aid donors, African governments, medical trainers and human beings in general.

PROGRAMME SOURCE: Foreign

The show begins with teasers of what is to come.

A discussion with Dr. Julian Lob-Levyt and Prof. Una Campbell who are in favor of child vaccination rather than maternal health care.

Station jingle

Dr. Roger Kneebone has come up with an inflatable igloo like operating room to be used for training.

Doug Kenrick, professor of Psychology at Arizona State University , has redrawn the pyramid of the hierarchy of human needs to make it less individualistic.

Time check

The programme idea is original compared to what is aired on the local radio station since it tackles international matters not just Kenyan issues.

Agenda

The programme seeks to get donors to provide more aid for child vaccination in Africa . Also medical training institutions are encouraged to get the portable O.R. Children hold you back from having a fruitful career, but the Bible tells us to reproduce.

Production values

v     There is very little tonal variation.

v     There is no mood change.

v     The sound levels are good.

v     One can tell the difference in audio transmitting from the studio and audio from outside.  Studio audio is of a higher quality and volume level.

v     Sound effects are used to give the listeners a mental image of what happens in an Operating Room.

v     The transitions are smooth with the station jingle being used to move form one story to another.

v     Script is well written and executed.

v     Programme is interactive since the audience is invited to comment and give the opinions.

Merits

v     Claudia is a good interviewer and takes into consideration the 4 Ps of radio presentation.

v     She has good follow up questions.

v     She has good mic control.

Demerits

v     Claudia at one point cuts the interviewee mid sentence.

v     Dr. Roger has a problem with mic distance.

v     She asks some double barreled questions.

THE BIG PREAKFAST ON KISS 100

DAY: 5-10-10

TIME: 0600hrs-1000hrs

DURATION: 4 hours

HOSTS: Caroline Mutoko, Larry Asego and Jalang’o

TARGET AUDIENCE: All Kenyans interested in getting insurance cover from the NHIF

PROGRAMME SOURCE: Local

The show is 4 hours long, but I chose to focus on the period between 7 A.M and 9 A.M. when the interviews are usually conducted.

There is a teaser on the upcoming interview. Then there is news by Najma Ismael.

Mr. Kerich, CEO of NHIF, is interviewed the benefits of the new NHIF cover. He is put on the spot too much and decides to call his colleague to assist him. Mr. Chacha fares much better in answering the questions. He says that he hopes the benefactors of the fund will spread the information by word of mouth.

The programme idea is original since the topic is one that has not been tackled before in depth on Kenyan radio.

Agenda

To find out whether the benefits of NHIF are worth the fee increase that is in the process of being implemented. The show also aims to get the NHIF to market the benefits better as the have been many complaints by people that they do not think the fee increase is justified.

Production values

v     Music is used regularly in between interviews to break monotony. There are also traffic updates, news headlines, news and station identity.

v     Advertisements are also included.

v     Voice exaggeration is used quite often as well as appropriate pauses to let the information sink in.

v     Mood varies from serious to happy depending on the message being put across.

v     The script does not seem to be well crafted and thus is poorly executed during the interview.

v     Sound levels are fine apart from a few times where the interviewers seem to be shouting.

v     Back announcements are used to remind the audience what is being talked about.

v     Audience is given a chance to comment or ask questions via phone ins or texts.

Merits

v     The programme tackles an issue that is affecting Kenyans at the moment.

v     They give NHIF a chance to justify the fee increment.

v     It is a lively programme and keeps one entertained.

v     Mr. Chacha is very fluent and confident.

Demerits

v     Interviewers are unprofessional and use improper language.

v     They interrupt the interviewees instead of letting them finish what it is they are trying to say.

v     There is redundancy in the question asking as the same question is asked over and over.

v     They make the interviewee uncomfortable forcing him to call in someone to help him.

HEALTH CHECK ON BBC WORLD SERVICE

DAY: Monday 11-10-10

TIME: 1632hrs-1700hrs

DURATION: 28 Minutes

HOST: Claudia Hammond

PRODUCER: Hellen Sharp

TARGET AUDIENCE: Doctors, Parkinson’s disease sufferers as well as potential sufferers, aid donors, drug abusers and pregnant women at risk of hemorrhage after child birth.

PROGRAMME SOURCE: Foreign

Caffeine may decrease the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. Dr. Haydeh Payami on phone says that 25% of the people tested with a certain gene were found to be responsive; the other 75% were not.

Linda Pollman, journalist and Mark Lawson, charity organizer both agree that aid delivery should be changed. This is because there is a lot of misuse of aid. Linda says that aid is not seen to be doing a lot, but Mark disagrees.

Ketamine, a horse tranquilizer, is being abused as a drug by youth in China say Dr. Albert Low. Dr. Paki Chew says that this can have acute damage especially on the bladder, kidney and even liver. Mr. Wong, a former abuser, advices people to steer clear of the drug. Ann Harrid is the reporter who is responsible for this story from China .

Helima Shakur says there is a drug trial called Woman Trial. It seeks to find a drug that can stop hemorrhaging after childbirth.

Agenda

It aims to discourage any kind of substance abuse. Also to give hope to Parkinson’s patients and pregnant women.

Production values

v     No music except for the station jingle.

v     Good transitions.

v     Good sound levels.

v     Good script writing and presentation.

v     Tonal variation is up to par.

v     Good audio quality.

v     Claudia has mastered mic use and technique.

Merits

v     Claudia is in control of the discussion.

v     She asks relevant and appropriate questions.

v     A voicer is used to break studio monotony.

v     She calls for comments via email.

Demerits

v     Poor mic control by Linda as hissing can be heard as she is talking.

THE BIG PREAKFAST ON KISS 100

DAY: 7-10-10

TIME: 0600hrs-1000hrs

DURATION: 4 hours

HOSTS: Caroline Mutoko, Larry Asego and Jalang’o. Najma Ismael reads the news.

TARGET AUDIENCE: Youth and adults

PROGRAMME SOURCE: Local

Justice Phillip Waki talks about the new technological advancements that the judiciary wants to make. Video recording of court proceedings, video conferencing and e-government are just some of the ICT changes that are in the process of being made at the judiciary to enable them to serve Kenyans better. They fall under the Judiciary ICT Policy Plan.

Agenda

They aim to inform Kenyans of the new changes that will soon be made in the judiciary thus giving them hope of better and more efficient justice system.

Production values

v     Good audio quality.

v     Proper sound levels.

v     Good script writing and good execution.

v     Music was used in between breaks.

v     Time check, advertisements and traffic updates helped provide variety in the programme.

v     Voice exaggeration.

v     Good mic technique.

Merits

v     The hosts are very lively making the programme interesting.

v     Relevant questions are asked.

v     The Inside story by Jalang’o provides comic relief.

v     Justice Waki is well prepared and has a good grasp of the topic he is talking about.

Demerits

v     Close ended questions are asked.

v     Hosts use voice fillers.

v     Abusive language is used among the hosts.

HEALTH CHECK ON BBC WORLD SERVICE

DAY: Monday 18-10-10

TIME: 1632hrs-1700hrs

DURATION: 28 Minutes

HOST: Claudia Hammond

TARGET AUDIENCE: Doctors or medical practitioners and adults

PROGRAMME SOURCE: Foreign

Large gatherings are a hub for spread of diseases. Claudia asks the Hajj organizers in Saudia Arabia how they deal with the large crowds.

Medical procedures can be excruciating especially those done when one is awake. Dr. Noah Lechtzin is conducting a research on whether playing soothing sounds and showing pictures on natural scenes have been seen to respond.

There is more invested in research and treatment of infectious diseases, but very little on chronic diseases. Chronic diseases have become a major cause of worry and there needs to be more invested in their research and treatment.

Jaipur is an artificial limb designed and made in India . It is cheap and long lasting. It has been of great help to those who have been unfortunate to lose a foot. There is a vox pop of an Indian man whose life was made whole again by the Jaipur. He is very grateful and hopes more people will get to benefit from it like he did.

Agenda

It aims to get event organizers to take adequate safety measures in ensuring that their events go well with the least amount of disease spread. There is also the informative aspect whereby people are made aware of the availability of a cheap artificial limb. In these hard economic times every shilling one can save is helpful.

Production values

v     Sound effects have been used to make the programme more captivating.

v     Audio and sound levels are good.

v     The script is well written and executed.

v     Claudia has good mic control.

v     The 4 Ps are used to ensure that there is no monotony.

v     Station jingle serves to indicate the end of one segment of the programme and the beginning of another.

v     Teasers are used at the beginning and in between interviews.

v     Proper breathing.

Merits

v     The vox pop testimonial makes the message even more believable.

v     The reporter provides a good narration for the piece from India .

Demerits

v     Claudia asks many double barreled questions.

THE BIG PREAKFAST ON KISS 100

DAY: 12-10-10

TIME: 0600hrs-1000hrs

DURATION: 4 hours

HOSTS: Caroline Mutoko, Larry Asego and Jalang’o.

TARGET AUDIENCE: Parents, their children and future parents

PROGRAMME SOURCE: Local

Saiton and Munga talk about rampant drug abuse among the youth between the ages of 10-18 years. They use cheap drugs that they buy with their pocket money. However most of them can not purchase the drugs on their own thus have to enlist the help of their elders to do the buying for them at a fee of course.

The programme idea is original since in the past discussions have been on teens buying their own drugs. But this time around they have their elders buy the drugs for them.

Agenda

They aim spread the message that drugs are bad. Also parents should act as good examples as children emulate what they see their parents doing.

Stereotype

Kikuyus love money and will do anything for money. “Give Njoroge 100 Shillings and he will do any errand for you.”

Another stereotype is that drinking is cool. Carol boasts of being a lime and vodka girl.

Production values

v     Good audio and sound quality.

v     Good script writing and good execution.

v     Music was used to make they show more interesting.

v     Time check, advertisements and traffic updates helped provide variety in the programme.

v     Voice exaggeration.

v     Good transitions and continuity.

v     Humor is used here and there for comic relief.

v     Moderately good mic use.

Merits

v     The interviewees are at ease with the topic of discussion.

v     The programme was very informative as well as eye opening.

Demerits

v     The hosts still end up shouting at some point and spend too much time talking amongst themselves.

 HEALTH CHECK ON BBC WORLD SERVICE

DAY: Monday 25-10-10

TIME: 1632hrs-1700hrs

DURATION: 28 Minutes

HOST: Claudia Hammond

TARGET AUDIENCE: Medical practitioners, their patients, medical trainees,youth and adults.

PROGRAMME SOURCE: Foreign

There is good news for excessive worriers. Ad Kerkhof, clinical psychologist at VU University in Amsterdam , says that simple mental exercises that involve concentrating on the worry for a bit of time help. He says that they can be done at home.

It is difficult to diagnose dizziness and vertigo thus the right treatment is not provided. A group of doctors from the Massachusetts Ear and Eye Infirmary have a new method to help in diagnosis. Andrew Luck-Baker gives a report from Boston .

Half of the children in Malawi have stunted growth due to starvation. Dr George Josepha, clinical officer says that there are very many malnourished children in Malawi due to lack of food. Experts have been debating the world food crisis in London and Claudia was able to talk to Martin Bloem, Chief of Nutrition and HV/AIDS at the UN World Food Programme. They discuss how to give good quality food to those faced with starvation

There is a drug resistant strain of malaria that has emerged on the Thailand and Cambodia border. The traditional Khmer scarf, kromar, has been sprayed with insecticides to help reduce malaria. Guy de Launey reports from Cambodia .

Agenda

To inform the audience of the advancements being made in the medical field that will be of benefit to many.

Production values

v     Sound effects have been used a lot to appeal to the listener’s ear.

v     Tonal variation.

v     Good mic technique.

v     High quality audio.

v     Moderate sound levels.

v     Varying pitch.

v     Proper pronunciation.

v     Pauses at appropriate times.

Merits

v     The psychologist is very informative.

v     The psychologist uses very interesting analogies and is adequately descriptive.

v     A translator is used in Malawi . This increases story authenticity.

Demerits

v     Claudia asks too many questions in one.

v     Martin has lower voice thus they needed to amplify it for him to be audible.