Ira Glass is the host and producer of the public radio and television show This American Life. His four-part talk on the building blocks of a great story allows the viewer great insight into the mind of the 30-year public radio veteran. He is clearly knowledgeable on the subject but more importantly to me, Glass was easy to listen to and understand. He conveyed his advice and experience in an entertaining fashion and was very forthcoming about his own shortcomings in the business when he was getting started. I enjoyed his honesty and his enthusiasm for great stories.  

In part-one Glass touches on two key elements that he defines as being the most important building blocks. The first is the anecdote, which is a sequence of actions or events with one action or event leading to the next. Such actions give rise to a question on the part of the viewer or reader. The second key element, Glass says, is the moment of reflection in the story, otherwise known as the point of the story or the bigger “something” behind it. He says beginners will often have trouble mastering both of the aforementioned elements at once.

In part-two Glass laments on just how hard it is to find a great story. In fact, he says it takes more time to find a great story than it does to produce one and that about one-half of story ideas simply do not pan out. He says failure is the name of the game and that one has to be ruthless to get where he or she wants to go. I found this to be true during my time as a T.V. reporter and I’m finding it true all over again as I try to pin down an idea for my multimedia package for this semester.

“Good taste,” that’s what part-three is all about. Glass says beginners often know their work falls short; the work isn’t quite at the level the writer wants or expects it to be. He says this is normal and that it’s important to do as much work as possible to fight through the process. When tracking one’s voice, Glass advises to speak in one’s normal voice in a conversational fashion, which leads him into part-four.

Here, Glass addresses the common mistakes of many beginners who want to sound and act like people who are on T.V. and radio. He says to be you. He then touches on the importance of maintaining a balance of interviewee and interviewer in the story. This, he says, will allow for the interaction of people within the story which he defines as the root of drama.

Here are three ideas for my multimedia package: (it’s 1:34 PM but the time on the post says it’s after 5 PM, not sure why)

1. My first idea will address hurricanes as they relate to Maryland and the Chesapeake Bay. More specifically, I have two friends who live on Miller’s Island in Baltimore County, one of whom completely lost his home due to the flooding that occurred when Hurricane Isabelle hit several years ago; the second friend was able to salvage his home but it was quite devastated as well. One doesn’t often think of Maryland being a place that can be effected so severely by hurricanes (it’s more common to think of Louisiana, and most recently of course, of Texas and the destruction caused by Hurricane Ike.) Both of my friends are willing to interview on camera with what happened to them and their families and their respective homes. They have pictures detailing the events as they unfolded (which could make for an interesting slide-show and if I’m lucky they will be able to find the video footage they shot on home-movie cameras). I will also speak with one of my former colleagues at the news station I worked at in Salisbury, a meteorologist, as well as an environmental professor for background information on hurricanes and what effect they can have in Maryland based on the geography. This will raise the question: is Maryland prepared for a large hurricane? Are there retainer walls along the bay? etc. I will speak with insurance companies about what kind of insurance is available to protect families from such catastrophes – this aspect is key as it relates to my two friends and how they have been able to rebuild. I’d like to include a module detailing some of the more recent hurricanes that have affected the southern United States as a means of comparison, as well as a write-up detailing the formation of Ocean City, MD. – which of course was created by a hurricane (this will show that yes, large hurricanes can and have had an impact in shaping the geography of our state). Audio features may include the sounds of a storm and or extreme wind. Additionally, I could even address the theory that global warming is the reason more and more hurricanes are springing up more frequently and packing more of a punch than in past years. The basis for all of this, however, are the first-hand accounts of my two friends and their families and the stories they have to share.

2. My second idea is less defined but I feel it has some potential (I may just need a little bit of guidance as to which direction may be best to go). The second idea involves the issue of high school and college athletes and the usage and testing of steroids. With the highly publicized hearings on steroid-use in Major League Baseball and other professional sports, there has been a perceived effort to crackdown on the use where it originates – in young athletes. I could speak with local high school and collegiate athletic directors about their testing policies – have they implemented a policy? Is it working? Has anyone been caught using steroids? Are the numbers going down? If they haven’t installed a policy, why not? I could also take a look at what is happening at the federal level as far as what kind of legislation that has been passed to address steroid-use in young athletes. I could compare high school and college athletes to identify where the usage often begins. I could also compare public schools and private schools. Modules may also include the dangers of steroid use and the effects they can have on a young person’s body (possible slide-show of physical ailments caused by the drugs). My only concern here is the confidentiality aspect. I’m not sure that I will be able to find a young athlete who will admittedly talk about his or her steroid use and how it has helped them (in their eyes) or why they ignore all the warnings and continue to use. I’m also not sure if school administrators will openly talk about a potential drug problem within their respective schools. I like this idea, but I feel it has some flaws. Suggestions?

3. A third idea could be a great story, but I have yet to make a phone call on it. I’d have to go to Salisbury to get the phone number – during my time there as a TV reporter I extensively covered the watermen (crabber’s specifically) and their plight based on the recently imposed restrictions on the crab harvest. I did several stories with the watermen as they stated that their way of life is in jeopardy and that in a few years time, there won’t be any watermen left on the Chesapeake Bay. They say it’s a dying industry and the government is doing nothing to help them out but rather, they’re putting the watermen out of business. I have several contacts who would be more than willing to talk about the dire situation, their thoughts on the restrictions, and the looming collapse of the industry. They could provide some specific numbers as to how they are struggling financially. I could go out on the water with these guys to get some great pictures and video of them at work to include with their interviews. I could speak with environmentalists about the perceived shortage of blue crabs in the bay as well as detail the restrictions and why the government says they were necessary to impose in the first place. Several environmentalists I have spoken with say it’s pollution that is dwindling the crab population, not over-harvesting and that the health of the water should be addressed not the crab harvest. One waterman was candid in speaking about his son, who is 17 and learning to be a waterman. He said his son has no future in the business because it’s dying and he wonders what his son will do because the water is all they and their ancestors have ever known. This could be another module – the effect the restrictions may have on future generations. One of the most interesting components is that the watermen have reported a strong catch this year despite the fact the government says there is a shortage of crabs. There are many aspects to this of which I am knowledgeable and interested in, having spent my Summers growing up crabbing on the Bay with my family.

I have chosen to assess the Baltimore Sun article about the German eatery called the Edelweiss Bakery and Cafe that is located on Harford Road in North Baltimore. The print version of the story certainly does its job. The story introduces the reader to the man, Alfred Zeller, who with his accordion-playing and German ancestry spawned the Thursday tradition of “German Day” at the bakery. The story introduces the reader to the owners of the establishment and to the patrons who have kept the tradition alive by attending each Thursday and participating in the festivities. The article provides the backdrop.

By simply engaging with the article, however, the reader must imagine what the scene looks and sounds like. The slide-show is a key component of this story because the story is very much about the people, the culture, the music, and the language. The slide-show allows the reader to actually see the bakery and to put names with faces via photographs, to hear the music and language via audio, and therefore, to achieve a greater sense of the “German Day” experience without physically being there. (I just wish there was a way to taste the muffins without physically being there!)

http://www.towson.edu/~lieb/MCOM407/germanbakery.doc

http://www.baltimoresun.com/services/site/bal-germanbakery-flash,0,4079735.flash