ABSTRACT
Radio has a marvellous facility for creating pictures in the listener’s mind. It is more flexible than television in that it is possible to isolate a tiny detail without waiting for the camera to ‘zoom in’ and it can create a breadth of vision much larger than the dimensions of a glass screen. The listener does more than simply eavesdrop on an event; radio, more easily than television or video, can convey the impression of actual participation. The aim of the radio commentator is therefore to recreate in the listener’s mind not simply a picture but a total impression of the occasion. This is done in three distinct ways:
1 The words used will be visually descriptive of the scene. 2 The speed and style of their delivery will underline the emotional
mood of the event. 3 Additional ‘effects’ microphones will reinforce the sounds of the
action, or the public reaction to it.
