Multimedia Reporting Fall 2019

I’ve always wanted to start my own podcast about basketball, especially since I want to go into the field of sports journalism, specifically basketball. I can’t think of any topic other than this, to do the radio project on. Wanted to do like  an interview show, since the new season of nba basketball is about to start. Idea is to have a panel of guests talk about the upcoming season, who they think will win, etc, kind of like the debate shows we see on tv (First take, Undisputed).

Showtime musicians. I want to follow the story of a few subway musicians throughout the day. I’ve been following a few musicians on the subway who play music for a living. Some of these musicians are older in age and often only work certain hours of the day due to that. There is a group of musicians on the C and A train who play the same music and have created a small community. I will be focusing on 3 musicians who have more than 30 years of experience put together. I will dive into the work they do, the music they prefer to play, how much money they earn, and conflicts that occur to them as street performers. The piece will include ambient sounds (trains, crowds, subway announcements, etc) and live music.

The Harlem Renaissance 100 year anniversary is approaching and I would like to visit the Shrine and find performers in Harlem today. I want my story to focus on the performers influence on The Harlem Renaissance through Jazz music, and compare Jazz’s influence years ago to Hip Hop’s influence throughout Harlem currently.

Pitch 1: I would like to visit NYC’s 6 Annual Festival of Dreams. The Festival of Dreams celebrates the vibrant immigrant community and provide support for people who are facing immigration problems. It provides the opportunity for immigrants to meet people who can help them through various issues. I would like to interview someone who has had immigration problems and how it affected their family. The celebration has a variety of food and cocktails from different cultures. In addition, this issue is still politically relevant.

Pitch 2: I would also like to do a story on the 400 Years of Inequality Observance. The observance is done as a way of bringing publicity to racial and gender inequality. I would like to interview a member of an activist group or political representative who supports racial or gender equality programs.

Radio Pitch: The person I want to interview is an old friend of mine who has recently become a cop. There are a lot of things to talk about but the main thing I want to speak with him about is the high suicide rate amongst police officers. From what he has told me some cops see things that would scar you for life, and that can be a common occurrence for cop. So for them having to bottle it up can take a huge toll on their mental health. He also mentioned that people don’t really respect cops as much as they used to according to some of his more senior co-workers, I believe this might also be contributing to it.

I intend to do a docu/interview-esque story on my friend Eniel. He is a musician, writes his own music, and performs various gigs across the city. It would work well because well because I could pick his brain when it comes to the writing process, networking, the music industry and where he looks to take his musical career. I could take snippets of him playing live or the recording process.

a second pitch could possibly be focused on a protestant church and their effort to be involved with their community. sound snippets could include the church choir, various events they hold.

My first possible radio project would be on Colin Huggins, a pianist who plays piano at Washington Square Park almost every weekend. He gets a lot of attention from his listeners, and there are articles about him in many newspapers. However, even though he says that he had done dozens of interviews, he says that there was not any creative projects. I want to work on a more creative story, focusing mainly on his music and reactions of the audience.

The second idea I had was about another artist at Washington Square Park. The artist sells poetry in the park on weekends. The project would be a personal feature, using poetry and rhyme as charming sound opportunities.

 

Pitch 1: I would like to interview 3 women in different age groups (18-25) (25-35) (35-45). There is much talk about the obstacles in dating among us all. With advances in technology, among other things, the “old” or “chivalrous” ways of courting seem to be less expected or even necessary. I hope to hear of the expectations and experiences in a way that I can compare and contrast why things ‘are how they are’.

Pitch 2: The Babalowo that I met while following my friend seems like such an interesting person. He is somewhere between Nigeria and New York, navigating both spaces as a ‘resident’ hereby being a full part of both cultures. I would love to speak with him about carrying his tradition here and what the experience is like dealing with non natives to Yoruba who are assimilating to his culture.

Pitch 1

 

My neighborhood has a volleyball field that has shaken up the whole area. They have been around since I can remember, my father, being an active customer in their field since I was born. But the difference is they are in a residential home’s backyard. The owner has transformed it into a successful business, local hangout spot and has been an innovator in the sports business. They play Ecuavolley, which is a form of volleyball played in Ecuador(different rules, the net is placed at a greater height). The owner is an Ecuadorian born citizen and has spent the last 15 years making it an attraction. They hold tournaments, betting, gambling, as well as having formed their own league. I plan to ask her how she has made all of this success possible, any downsides to the business and how she feels is impacting the neighborhood itself, as well as the participants in these games and their families. I think the Ambi could be the men playing, the food being cooked and the chants of the crowd, you can always hear them from down the block on a Saturday afternoon. I would like to focus my projects for this class in my neighborhood and feel this establishment has made big strides in pushing our community in a progressive direction and is a key feature.

 

Pitch 2

 

I am a huge fan of street food and my area has so many varieties at all times of the day. It’s sad to say they all know me and even my dog on a first-name basis because I always eat out. But although the food mainly caters to Hispanic and Asian food, I have recently begun to notice a change in my neighborhood which leads me to believe that my neighborhood is going to be going through gentrification. I would like to sit down with some of my favorite vendors and ask how they feel about possible changes in clientele if they feel adaptation is an option for them. As well as get to hear their stories on how their business came to be in order to get some background info on the types of people this change will affect. In addition to the sound of food being prepared, you will be able to hear orders being called out by the chefs, and the coasters eating the sounds of the neighborhood.

 

* * I feel as though I may be able to combine both ideas into one, and am leaning towards doing that and make the Volleyball establishment a part of the story for pitch 2**

Pitch 1: Overheard Baruch: An anonymous Instagram tailored to Baruch students which posts random conversations overheard by Baruch students in various places such as the elevator, the library, etc. 

 I would like to interview the person or people involved in creating the Instagram account but I would like to do so anonymously, maybe by changing the sound of their voice? 

Pitch 2: Kolkata Chai: Two brothers, Ani and Ayan Sanyal opened up a new cafe in NYC where one could get a real authentic cup of masala chai. It is called; Kolkata Chai, but it goes way beyond chai. The two brothers wanted to serve a cup of chai that would transport people to Kolkata, India where they spent their childhood, to appreciate and respect the traditions where their family came from. 

The brothers emphasize the importance of tradition because they are first-generation immigrants, they are Bengali, Indian and American, and their store represents the beautiful mix of cultures. 

They are opening this cafe so that the community has a place to “Gather, create and grow.”I would like to interview the owners about what the place means to them, why it is so important to preserve tradition and culture, what does it mean to be a brown entrepreneur in 2019, and what are the challenges they have had to face. I would also like to interview several customers about the Chai, whether they like what it stands for, or if they relate to it.