After last week's discussion on audio, I thought I would try to look for a significant area of audio on BBC News- World online. In class we are learning how to create a compelling audio piece to complement text. Since BBC has television and radio, I thought it would be easy to find audio that went along with text for certain articles, but instead I found that they have an entirely separate section for audio in the "radio" tab. This links you to their various radio stations, which include mainstream music, talk shows, sports talk shows, and regular world news.
I thought separating audio and text was practical, given they are a very media-oriented company and must have so much to work with, but I also agree with the benefits of complementing a purely textual piece with audio and some visuals. I think it allows those who are more visually-oriented a choice between reading, listening to audio, or watching a video. Whichever way gets the information across quickest and easiest for everyone is the most conducive to a news outlet's final aim.
A lot of the audio content that went along with the text was in video form, which makes sense since visuals have the potential to make a great impact and make understanding a story much easier.
After giving it some thought, I have come to the conclusion that BBC News-World online does really need to complement its text with audio. It already has plenty of video content, which offers both audio and visuals, plus, it has an entire radio section where, if you really like audio, you could spend hours listening in. I suppose this does not have the same effect as a short, well-edited audio clip, but it does offer people a great deal in terms of choices. Just look at all their radio stations!
No comments:
Post a Comment