Steven Valentino, Producer, The New Yorker Radio Hour, WNYC, USA discussed the collaboration between WNYC Studios and The New Yorker magazine - covering news, politics, culture, and humour. He said that it isn’t a radio version of a magazine, but something all its own – and reflects the rich possibilities of the audio form.
Each week the program translates the work of the country's best writers into spontaneous and thought-provoking stories and conversations. It captures the spirit of the magazine, while cultivating new skills in print reporters.
He discussed the initial challenges they faced; such as microphones being so intrusive that content becomes less personal. But he also said how good audio is at capturing intangibles, in a way that written word cannot. He said that they often try to translate well-written and perfected copy into audio form, which brings its own set of challenges.
And he talked about structure, and using structure in the same way as written pieces do, to set up a piece – put forward the content – and close it. He also gave the audience tips for getting the juiciest details by deflection, or asking the subject questions about their life and not pushing them on the hardest details. He said that this is generally how the most difficult interviews come to their conclusion.
He particularly discussed their reporting of deportation, following a family in which the mother has been deported. They followed as she video called almost constantly in an effort to stay connected to her family. And he said that writers bring an uncontested knowledge and insight to the piece.