Multimedia Reporting – Spring 2014

I am still going to do my podcast on the Roseland Ballroom closing down and I am going to interview employees and essentially do a nostalgia piece on things they have experienced while working there. I also want to talk to concertgoers to find out about their experiences at the Ballroom and what it means to them that it’s closing down. The Ballroom is more than just a venue, it’s a landmark. This makes it mean a lot to those who work there and those who have regularly attended shows and events. I want to use the experiences and feelings people have for the ballroom as my angle on the story.

My podcast is about the struggle of students, teachers and parents in NYC who have had to deal with going out in the recent snow storms because of the mayors decision of not closing school in the past potential snow storms. I wanted to interview two teachers from two different schools, a public high school student,  a Baruch student as well as a student from another CUNY college, and one or two parents. I plan on asking questions like, “How do you feel about DeBlasio’s decision?” and “Do you think the past storms were worth closing the schools?”As for my natural sounds I want to get snow and ice being crushed under someones feet, hopefully if it snows again, I’ll be able to record snow being shoveled. Hopefully, I’ll be able to get some icky sounds like buses driving in the dirty slush and puddles of water in the street.

I was initially trying to focus on the Civilian Complaint Review Board and new developments in their Community Outreach program and with the addition of the Administrative Prosecution Unit. However, last minute, I ran into a lot of problems with access and being allowed to audio record.

I have changed gears, and now am focusing on the Relay for Life event happening at Baruch College, on Friday, March 21st. It has held annually, at the gym, and is an overnight fundraising event in which the Baruch Community gathers together to continue the fight for life. It includes guest speakers who are survivors of Cancer and continue to fight. Last year, when the event was held, there was a disturbance in the gym, and they had to cancel it sometime at night. As a result, many clubs on campus and the Relay for Life committee for Baruch continued their efforts in others ways, afterwards. Now with the event coming, the committee is preparing for the event, and people are getting ready to fight through the night.

I am going to interview a member of  the Relay for Life committee, who is spearheadint the efforts of the event. Most clubs at baruch form their own teams, and then fundraise for the event. Each club gets a table in the gym, in rotations. I am also interviewing the volunteer coordinator of a club who has made a team for the event. In addition, I am volunteering passionate students who have been affected by Cancer in come way and now are supporting the event. I am also trying to find a faculty member who goes out and supports the event every year.

For natural sounds, I am going to the event on Friday night, and will get the sounds of speeches, running and walking in the gym (as they make rounds), and the general sound of the busy and buslting place the gym will be.

For my pitch idea I was thinking of also leaning towards something animal related. Today, I came across a popular news story that made it on New York one news about a Wildlife Rehabilitation Center that offers a home to 120 different species of abandoned or hurt animals around the city. This place is full of interns trying to become vets, doctors, and lots of volunteers that I could interview about all kinds of things that go on there such as how it all began and why they dedicate so much time to helping these wild animals out. I have found that I could schedule an appointment, and possibly even have a one on one interview with the owner of the place. I think it would be interesting because I can get a lot out of this.

For my podcast I would like to think of doing it on NYC’s juice craze and how the trend continues to get more and more popular. I will be asking people who drink freshly made juice why they drink it, and delve into why it is so popular especially in NYC. Most new yorkers are on the go and sacrifice a lot of things because they are in a rush, drinking juice gives vitamins and missed micro nutrients in a quick and easy fashion. Some do it for health or medical reasons, while other do it for wellness, I will be visiting several juice bars and asking regulars about their opinion and reasons for drinking fresh juice.