Knight Center offers course “The Making of a Great Radio Producer;” Apply now

Radio journalism continues to be a crucial tool in reaching and informing communities throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, and in order to thrive in a competitive environment, the effective radio producer must learn to remain innovative and relevant. The Association of the Caribbean Media Workers, in collaboration with the Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas, is offering a four-week course in English on “The Making of a Great Radio Producer,” taught by Liz Bennett Marsh. The course will be offered from April 8 through May 5.

Registration is now open and will close on March 27 at 5 p.m., Austin, Texas time.

This course is one of a three-course series hosted in collaboration with the Association of Caribbean Media Workers. More details about the course can be found here.

This course is designed for journalists who have an interest in radio production and how to improve their skills in this area. Specifically, students will learn the various elements of radio production, including successfully producing live and recorded radio programs, using techniques to bring features to life, and the do’s and don’ts of radio production.

 Liz Bennett Marsh

Bennett Marsh will be the instructor for the course. Marsh has been a media practitioner for over 17 years and worked as a reporter covering various beats before switching her focus to production. She produced a morning news and current affairs program called First Edition in KLAS FM89 in Jamaica. Marsh also worked at the government news agency Jamaica Information Service (JIS) as a presenter/reporter/producer before accepting the post of chief producer of the popular drive-time radio program Nationwide at Five with Cliff Hughes, Fae Ellington, the late Hugh Crosskill and Erica Allen. The program was first broadcast on Hot 102 FM, before moving to Power 106FM. She spent thirteen years with the entity that eventually became the Nationwide News Network (NNN), where she held various posts including managing producer and program manager. She is currently a public education specialist at the Office of Utilities Regulation in Jamaica. She has a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in English, and a diploma in media and communications from CARIMAC. She recently completed her MBA at the Mona School of Business, UWI, Mona.

According to Marsh, radio production remains an important part of the media landscape in the Caribbean and other markets in Latin America.

“In an increasingly competitive radio market in the Caribbean, stations have to compete harder for that advertising dollar,” Bennett Marsh said. “What will set radio stations apart will be their ability to think outside of the box: to be intuitive and relevant. The savvy producer plays a key role in this. With consumers’ changing tastes and listening patterns, the competent producer will find creative ways to bring a story or feature alive in order to hold listeners’ interest.”

Students who are selected into the course will pay a fee of US$100 payable to ACM. If the student is a member of ACM, they will pay US$70 for the course.

Applicants should have no less than one year of experience in radio production. Students should be critical thinkers, who are willing to think outside of the box, but possess sufficient intelligence to know when it is necessary to work within the confines of organizational dictates. In addition, applicants should be competent at editing with Adobe Audition 3.0 and using Microsoft Word.

This online course is divided into weekly modules containing multimedia presentations and links to online resources. Most of the course activities can be followed in the days and times most appropriate for each student. Exercises, online discussions and additional assignments will also be part of the curriculum. Participants can expect to spend 6-10 hours per week on the course.

The course will be taught using the Knight Center’s distance learning platform that has benefited more than 7,000 journalists from Latin American and the Caribbean, since it was created in the fall of 2003. On completion of the course persons will receive a joint Knight Center/ACM certificate of participation.

The Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas was created in 2002 by Professor Rosental Alves at the University of Texas at Austin School of Journalism, thanks to a generous donation from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. The Center also receives contributions from other donors, including the Open Society Foundations and The University of Texas at Austin. The Center’s main goal is to help journalists in Latin American and the Caribbean improve the quality of journalism in their countries.