Customer Reviews

Radio: An Illustrated Guide

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you have ever entertained the notion of trying to slow society's slide into stupor by giving your take on things some sort of voice, this is a great manual for using radio as your format. The format, as an iluustrated guide, takes on the feel of a Boy Scout manual or some other type of DIY instruction. and you can't beat the price.

Ira Glass' walkthrough of producing his show "This American Life" for NPR is boiled down to a primer on first focusing on the work to be presented, then the techinical aspect of broadcasting it - an itemized list that can be applied to nearly ANY endeavor with a little metaphorical flexibility.

Jessica Abel is a very competent caricaturist and graphic artist, whose presentation of a very technical (and occasionally wordy) subject matter added greatly not only to the understandability, but made it an enjoyable read and browse. I pick this up and look at it all the time.

I have to give it four stars because it's not really for every body - BUT! If you are thinking of doing radio because you love it and you can't imagine not doing it (because there's no money, apparently) this is a great map to set you on your way, and a sensible guide to assembling tools and techniques. If you are a fan of "this American Life," maybe this is the final factor in your own transition from radio listener to radio contributor.

I recently started a one-man show on a community radio station. I quickly learned it isn't hard to do, but its very hard to do very well. Wanting some tips on the cheap, I found this book. It reads like a good Ira Glass story - the small picture blending seamlessly into the big one. I particularly appreciated sections on how to interview effectively, and basics of how to edit tape on a home computer. If you love This American Life, or want to try your own radio show, or both, this is the best four bucks you will ever spend.

If Amazon is out of stock and you don't want to pay the crazy used/collector price, check out the This American Life store to pick up a copy at a more reasonable price. :-)

To anyone who has ever listened to This American Life and thought "I have a good story to tell", this is the book to read. "Thank you!" to Ira Glass for sharing his knowledge on how to write for radio. This book is easy to read and fun. So if you have a dream of hearing your story on NPR, get this book!

'This Americian Life' brings new perspectives into the the mind of listeners every week on NPR. Buy this comic to get a new perspective on 'This Americian Life' itself. Jessica Abel wonderfully illustrates the process of making this weekly radio show.

$40 new on Amazon? What? You can get it for $5 on the This American Life website store.

Having read "Radio", I can say it is packed with information not only on the production, but on how to tell a story. My son is a natural conversationalist, I asked him how does he put together his stories. He said he didn't know and I suggested wouldn't it be cool to understand how the dynamics/mechanics of storytelling work. He simply shrugged his shoulders and said, "I dunno". He works for me in the summer and I told him I would pay him to read this book in lieu of working. He liked that idea. He read the story in about an hour. Now he has the rhyme to the reason. This comic is a great read and should be required for any collegiate types.

This book makes me smile. It's a cute little illustrated piece and it is still able to touch on the basics of radio production. If you need a start, this is it.

I didn't know what to expect when I ordered this. All I knew what that I knew nothing about radio. This little comic has changed that however. With its easy to read format and great illustrations I was able to understand the fundamentals of radio production in about an hour. I'm not going to be producing any award winning series anytime soon but I will be able to mumble an 'affirmative' grunt here and there should the topic ever arise in a conversation. Overall, it was worth the money. I gave it a 4 star rating rather than a 5 only because I wish there was more of it. If you want to know the absolute basics of production then buy it.

Jessica Abel and Ira Glass have done an admirable job of explaining the basics of what it takes to do radio reportage and story telling in a novel format, mainly that of a comic. Inexpensive, easy to read and even easier to understand, the book gave me a clearer idea of what it talks to engage in this field and how to do it properly. While it is by no means a substitute for hands-on or field experience, I was able to glean enough from this to know that I would like to do this full time!