#devc 30

       After watching the symposium ‘Speaking of Devcom: Conversations with Devcom’s Finest’, I started wondering about my end goal would be, what would I commit myself into in the future. I asked myself if I could also become one of those distinguished alumna who have achieved so much towards their career as a Development Communication practitioner. Later on, I also realized that all of them are indeed pursuing a noble cause, and that is to commit towards the greater good of a large number of people.

       On Air: Conversations on Broadcast Journalism is a dialogue held by reporter, news anchor for ANC headlines and News Now, ANC Mr. Miguel Bustos. He covered and tackled topics about news gathering, news writing, live reporting, and ethics. In a span of one hour, he raised a few points that enlightened us, students, how to deal achieve success in the field of broadcast journalism. 

      First, Mr. Bustos said that we should get out of our comfort zone. From that point, I realized that our comfort zones do bring us steadiness and relief, and it will always remain that way. For someone who is ambitious, and for someone who wants to achieve her goals and dreams like me, I need to take action by moving out of my comfort zone, and to start exploring from there. Just like what the popular motto has been saying, “Like a bicycle, in order to keep our balance, we must keep moving,” in order to achieve our dreams, we must always be on the move. We must stay alert and keep our eyes open for opportunities. 

      Second, Mr. Bustos also stated that success is composed of 30% performance and 70% socialization. At to some point, I agree. Social connections are like bridges to opportunities. Courtesy and fellowship would lead you places, and this speaks a lot about your social intelligence. The higher you are able to easily adapt to a proper social decorum, the higher the degree of your social intelligence. When people like how you are dealing with them, it could also result to them liking you back. While it’s important to maintain your individuality to become widely acknowledged by many people, conforming to your peers is still an important factor worth considering of when it comes to the path towards success.

I never actually realize that I learned something from a class unless someone asks me to list them down. So, here they are! These are some things I learned from DEVC 30 lectures, from being a community broadcasting practitioner, and from Sir Mark Lester Chico himself. 

Believe me when I say that this is actually an exam.

Top 10 takeaways from DEVC 30: Fundamentals of Community Broadcasting

1. Radio broadcasts are simple, yet interesting. 

You have to be direct to the point because you don’t have all the time in the world when you’re broadcasting, but at the same time be sure to capture the audience right away. 

2. Communication before wasn’t as easy as how it is today.

You might even mistake your antique radio for a glittering bread toaster. Plus imagine listening to broadcast news using this. 

3. There are different types of broadcasting, varying from their intended audience to their specific objectives.

Did you even know that ‘narrowcasting’ exists? It’s the opposite of broadcasting - no joke!

4. Radio is not only for entertainment - it can also be a medium for education.

Learning doesn’t only happen in school, we know that. It also happens in places we least expect - even in radio. I mean there’s school-on-the-air! 

5. The voice is a very flexible and powerful tool.

Of course voice is the main tool for radio, but it’s amazing how you can be anyone with your voice. ;)

6. Know your audience very well before doing your broadcast.

This applies to almost all situations. Know thy audience’s needs and wants, then talk about that.

7. Don’t let yourself run out of things to say. Or don’t say inappropriate things.

Dead air is something we don’t want. The listeners might think that you actually died while broadcasting hehe. Stick to your topic as well.

8. Be a people-person.

Or in this case, an owl-person. Relate yourself with everyone you interact with as much as possible, because it is really important as a broadcaster to build rapport. 

9. People will let you interview them if only you know how to ask.

Ask the right questions and don’t beat around the bush. People actually give answers even if there’s no question. Just enjoy.

10. Lastly, the most important thing I learned from Sir Chico - go for it! Simple. Do whatever you can do and don’t limit yourself. 

DEVC 30 has been one fulfilling subject. I didn’t expect to have so much fun taking the course, because well, it’s broadcasting. But true enough, that you’ll never know how fun and worth it something is unless you try it yourself. 

VoxPop people! Hahaha

MTRCB’s 3rd Family and Child Summit hi guys

That Thing Called DEVC30

Disclaimer: This post serves is a partial fulfillment of our second (take-home) exam in DEVC 30 (Fundamentals of Community Broadcasting). This subject has definitely been so fun, insightful, and memorable. The activities also showcased our best in radio broadcasting – from writing the scripts to producing the segments and finally, to the actual broadcasting. I also have our professor, Sir Mark…