Pop-Up Station Blog Post

For our food pop-up station, I have taken on two roles. One, to be a part of the sales team, getting voices and editing them together to make ads for the station. Two, I’m also part of the OB team being one of the presenters for the multiple OB that will be playing out across the station.

Week 1-

OB 

This was the first pilot week as we weren’t able to get anyone to interview for this week we decided to go down into the forum and practice exactly what we were going to do for the food week. Minnie and I were producing Phoebe as she was presenting the mock OB. The week before this week (pilot week) We traveled to Box Park Wembly as this was a potential place we could do the OB from. We did this so we could test out the connection as well as see what there is in Box Park Wembly that we could use for the OB, we spoke to someone from Bombay burrito and they said we were able to come and speak to them in the world week for the e pop up station which was good. Minnie and I also recorded a mock interview to practice presenting the OB.

SALES 

This week I mainly focused on OB as for the sales team I am collecting voices and editing the ads together and for the time being we have no briefs in for ads that need to be created as Stuart is finding them and then Ola is writing the scripts then Minnie and I are gathering voices and editing them together.

Week 2-

OB

This was the first week to get everything sorted for the pilot which is set for the following week. As OB team (Minnie, Harriet & Phoebe) we took a trip to Wembley to have a look around the new Box Park there. We thought this was a good idea as it is full of different food stalls so we had multiple opportunities and options of where and who we wanted to interview for the pilot show. We decided on Bombay Burrito, after talking to the worker she told us she would be happy enough to talk to us next week along with letting us try a hot sauce they have there which we thought would be great for the OB food challenge. Also, Minnie and I trailed out what it would sound like at Box Park for when we have to present. After recording that we set off back to Uni to work on our other tasks for other roles as well as contacting the different places that we want to go to for the real OB’s when the station is live. I contacted cutter & squidge for the OB for the desert week but I still haven’t heard back from them.

SALES

When coming back after the OB I spoke to Stuart (Head of Sales) to see if there was anything I needed to do for the sales team. I was directed to look at the document on good docs and just to start contacting different companies to see if they wanted any ads made for them. I contacted a few of the companies but still haven’t heard anything back. My plan for next week is to walk around either Harrow town center (where Uni is) or Willesden Green (where I live) and go into shops personally with the brief for the ads and see if they want one made for free for their business. I believe we will have more of a success rate by doing this rather than just emailing and calling and that can make the process much longer.

Week 3- 

OB

This week for OB I didn’t go to the outside broadcast but I stayed at uni and researched places for desert week and have sent out some emails to see if we can possibly go there for the desert OB. I have also contacted Redemption Bar a vegan restaurant for the vegan OB and while talking on the phone with them, they seemed very intrigued and happy to do it. So I sent an email with all the details for the OB, such as time, questions etc. I am just waiting for a response from them and hopefully we have them confirmed for the vegan OB.

SALES-

I decided this week that I wanted to focus more on the sales side as the past couple of weeks I’ve only really been with the OB team. So on Monday I spoke to Stuart and sorted out the briefs and ads that I wanted to create and on Monday, I created both of the M&S ads. I also contacted the voices which I wanted for the rest of the ads and successfully created two more ads on Wednesday. (Field to fork and Absolute Vintage). I have also contacted more people for more voices so that I can have all my ads done by Friday so that they can be put into the clock and myriad. After I have completed all the ads I will then go back to the OB making sure we have a good restaurant/business for all the weeks.

Week 4

OB

For preparation for the OB for vegan week, we didn’t have anywhere to go for the actual OB so I decided to call around again and to see what we could get hold of. Luckily I was able to get in contact with Redemption Bar which was great as they have multiple vegan restaurants around London, so we were able to book it in that we would be going to the redemption bar in Covent Garden. When arriving at the OB everything was running smoothly we got there with enough time to set up and to make sure we had a connection. I had the role of producer for the OB this week and was producing Harriet who was presenting. The connection kept failing for some reason so we had to do the first hit of the OB from a phone while we fixed this problem. I then made sure we connected to wifi and this resolved the connection issue. We were also meant to be live with the OB and our guest for 7 minutes but for some reason, we were told minutes before we thought that we were going to go live that we wouldn’t be going live then and that the OB was now cut down to 3/4 minutes. This was a bit embarrassing as the OB guest thought we had longer and she thought she would have had longer to answer the questions. Also, these kinds threw me and Harriet as we had to quickly change what questions we would want to ask as we had limited time. So going forward I would like to recommend that if there is going to be any drastic changes that we should be told at least 5 minutes before so we then can inform the guest and get ourselves ready for the shorter time.

SALES 

For sales, I was successful in making 6 adverts in the week coming up to the first live show. I made both M&S Ads, Filed to fork, Absoulte vintage, 69B boutique, wingman. While creating the ads I realized that some of the briefs didn’t match up with the scripts, so I had to go back over the briefs and change the scripts to make sure that every business we were making an ad for had exactly what they wanted from the created ad. But after changing the scripts I got the voice actors I was using to re-do and re-send me the ad so I could get it all edited together for Monday. But I got all my adverts done for Friday afternoon which was . the deadline Stuart gave us.

Week 5

OB

This week it was Phoebe and Jasons turn to go and present and producer the OB. So Harriet and I came in and recorded and edited together the world food vox pop, for world food week. We have also sat down and started planning out what we are going to create for the dessert package for dessert week. I have started coming together with a plan of starting with a vox pop and heading into every fun, quirky desert in London. We were also told by Phoebe that Mary didn’t want me or Harriet presenting the OB as she believed Phoebe was better. Which is fully okay and understandable if it sounds better for the station that’s fine. But Mary didn’t address this in the Slack chat but decided to message Phoebe privately. Also really wanted to present as that’s what I put myself forward with at the start. I also think its slightly unfair as I haven’t presented in any of the weeks so I don’t know how they know my OB presenting style and interview techniques. I feel the OB team decisions are being made and certain roles are being taken away from us without us being told or it even being discussed. Which I believe is unfair.

SALES 

This week for sales we had to change and get a new recording of voices from the feedback from the first week. The only ad I created that had to be changed was the field to fork one as the feedback was that it was too long as it was 1 minute. So I edited it down and made sure that it was 30 seconds long. Also, Minnie messaged me asking if I was able to get a new male voice for the subway adverts, so I contacted some voice actors and got they recorded and sent back to Minnie for her to edit them together ready for the shows.

Week 6

OB 

This week I was producing the OB again with Phoebe this time, we went to Ollys Fish Experience to try some food and interview the owner. When arriving we were greeted by Harry luckily we got to interview him before the shop even opened so we were the only people in the restaurant this was good as we didn’t have the noise and the busyness of the restaurant. I set up the Tieline and was in contact with the people in the studio throughout. We got to stand by the fryer when doing the first hit of the OB which was good as you could hear the oil sizzling which brought a good atmos to the OB.  This week was better than the first week I produced the OB as everything seemed to be a lot more thought out and less rushed. We got the time we wanted and I believe we fit it perfectly with Harry’s crazy personality. We also got a desert place sorted for the final week of the pop-up station and decided that Harriet and Phoebe would go that week to produce and present the OB.

SALES 

I contacted more people and past voices I used the re-record their voice for some of the adverts that weren’t perfect and I am still waiting for them to send over there new recordings. There were only two adverts out of my six that I created that had an issue and that was the M&S advert and the Wingman advert, I will make sure these two adverts are changed and done correctly for the final week of the pop-up station.

Week 7

OB

This week I am not working on the OB due to the fact that Phoebe and Harriet are producing and presenting desert week. But I will be at University if they need any help on the day.

SALES 

I changed the bed to the M&S advert which needed to be done and I have uploaded the new advert as well as the session to the google drive so that everyone can give it a listen before it goes out live on air on Monday. There was some confusion with what M&S advert needed to be changed as I was told multiple time it was the slower ad with the rooster at the beginning when it was really the M&S easter ad that needed to be changed. But I have changed that now and successfully uploaded it. I also changed one of the voices in the Wingman app advert as was told they sound too similar. So I changed this advert twice and uploaded both copies so that there is a choice in which one should be used. One is with someone with a Wiltshire accent and the other is someone with an American accent this changed the advert and I believe made it a bit more upbeat having two completely different voices.

Package 

Harriet and I were given the task to create a dessert package for dessert week on Bite radio. We have successfully written a script and recorded it as well as adding in vox pops about deserts as well as having multiple different sound effects throughout the piece making it fun and upbeat. Harriet gathered the information and wrote the script for the package as well as getting a voice for a vox pop and I recorded the speech for the package as well as gathering the other voices for the vox pop and I also edited it together putting different beds and sound effects throughout the piece.

By William Hambidge -W1598680