The big World of Audio Reporting

Audio Story Formats

Before the digital era, you needed to work in radio to do audio journalism, but nowadays it takes many forms:

Radio News:

Most commercial and public radio stations have an hourly news bulletin, usually between 5-10 minutes’ duration. Each bulletin contains stories of 30-45 seconds’ duration, which are written in a concise, factual style and read aloud by a news presenter.

Examples of radio news bulletins include:

Current Affairs:

These shows cover news stories in more depth, and typically include interviews by presenters with newsmakers and analysts. They may also include “packages” of 3-5 minutes in length, which present different perspectives through excerpts from multiple interviewees.

Examples of current affairs radio shows and podcasts include:

Specialist Shows:

There’s a radio show or podcast providing insights and updates for practically any specialist topic you can imagine. Specialist shows are made by radio stations, newspapers, TV stations, magazines, and digital-only media outlets – and by businesses, NGOs, and members of the public.

Examples of specialist shows include:

Living Planet, Deutsche Welle – environmental stories
Pop Chat, CBC Canada – popular culture
Crowd Science, BBC – science issues
Planet Money, NPR – finance and investment
Football Weekly, Guardian – UK soccer news
No Denying It, United Nations – climate change news

Audio Documentaries and Series:

Some topics lend themselves to a documentary or series radio show or podcast. This allows a subject to be explored from a variety of angles, and to include a large number of interviews. Documentary subjects can include investigative reports, true crime, and long-form features.

Examples of audio documentaries and series include:

Floodlines, The Atlantic – a series about Hurricane Katrina
Rabbit Hole, New York Times – a series about society and the internet
Learning on Country, ABC – a documentary about Indigenous knowledge

How Do Podcasts Differ from Radio?

Radio and podcasts may have similar content, but podcast technology is different. You subscribe to a podcast via a directory like iTunes, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and so on.

Your podcast audio file is uploaded as an MP3 to an audio host site like BuzzSprout, Podbean, Acast or Libsyn. New uploads generate an RSS feed, which passes information about your show to podcast directories so listeners know when to listen to the latest episode.

This means listeners deliberately choose to listen to your show. That means they’re more likely to be interested in or passionate about the topic. This makes it possible to build a strong community around your show and interact regularly with listeners via your website, social media, and even real-life events.

Podcasts that have built a strong community include:

Serial – a true crime series
Stuff You Should Know – general knowledge
The Moth – a podcast about storytelling

Corinne Podger is an Australian journalism educator, author, and training consultant who has worked in the media sector for more than 30 years. Her specialisms include mobile journalism, digital-first newsgathering, online verification, social multimedia production, podcasting and audio storytelling, and strategic audience engagement to drive brand awareness and media revenue. She has helped newsrooms, NGOs and social impact organisations in more than 60 countries to introduce digital innovations to grow audiences and support business priorities.

Corinne is an accredited trainer with BBC Media Action, Thomson Reuters Foundation, and the Solutions Journalism Network. She also works with science and public health organisations to tackle misinformation and disinformation. Organisations she has worked with include Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, UNESCO, Google News Initiative, the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union, WAN-IFRA, the World Federation of Science Journalists, Internews, Forbes, the World Health Organisation, BBC Academy, Oxfam, and the Global Forum for Media Development.