|
||
 Teaching Radio in an Ivory Tower Dave Seglins (written when he was an instructor at University of Western Ontario, 1999) I've developed a reputation among my radio students as being a bit of a 'hard-ass.' But I'm glad for it. You see, I have an axe to grind. I teach radio skills, writing and technique, to a group of young, aspiring journalists at the University of Western Ontario in London. They are ambitious, smart, and hopeful. But for many, this one year they spend dabbling, pushing buttons and trying out the mics is the first time they've done any radio work. In 12 months they'll earn a Masters degree, but what is this degree worth? Can students assume that its a measure of their own skill and competence in the craft? Can employers in the radio industry use it asa guide for hiring? I graduated from the same program three years ago. I was top of my radio class, and viewed my degree as proof of a certain expertise. Such is the hubris of youth - and the false promise of the degree. On graduating, I was quickly humbled. I packed my bags and took the first job I could find. In Sudbury. It turned out it was a great job, and it taught me oodles. I learned more about radio in those eight weeks than I did during my entire 12 months in university J-School. Nothing can replace doing real radio. Based on my experience at Western and on anecdotes from grads of Carleton and Dalhousie (Ryerson remains something of an exception.), University based j-schools today spend too little time actually 'doing.' radio. For years J-schools have grappled with trying to teach hands-on skills, while at the same time offering a healthy serving of academics, theory and history to please the keepers of the ivory tower. In the battle between the practical and the academic, both can end up as mediocre. Radio gets short shrift. Next to glamorous TV, and the Woodward and Bertstein allure of print, radio is an endangered species. There are fewer jobs in the radio field. Fewer students want to pursue the craft. University resources are allotted accordingly. I barely have time to teach basic radio writing and editing in the standard forms of news and short feature production. Classes are too jammed and there's no time for students to pursue major length radio documentaries. Further (and this transcends radio), marking standards are lax - or too polite. University instructors are afraid to tell students the harsh truth about whether their work, or whether it even meets the professional standards they'll encounter on graduating. No one sent me back to the drawing board saying "Dave - that's a dumb story idea." or "This radio story needs a lot of work, better sound, a re-mix?". Instructors hand out B's and A's by the boat load. There's a certain un-reality fostered in journalism schools when everyone's afraid of setting a 'real world standard.' So, back to me being a hard ass. I've reflected long and hard on the short comings of my own radio schooling. Today as an instructor, I refuse to hand out A's for anything but exceptional radio work. I refuse to accept weak story ideas that wouldn't fly in the real world. I push my students and refuse to coddle them. They may think this is unfair. But I know what awaits them in the competitive, work-a-day-world of a continually shrinking radio industry. I also know how much each of them pays in tuition these days, so I figure it's the least I can do to prepare them. Copyright CSIRP 2001 Copyright for materials on this website is the property of the content creators and the Canadian Society for Independent Radio Production, unless otherwise noted. Materials may be freely used by non-profit organizations and educational institutions for non-commercial purposes only. For evaluation purposes, CSIRP would appreciate it if you would let us know how you have used these materials, and in what context. Material reproduced from this website must include the CSIRP logo, website address and this message. |
