perform best. Some announcers are best at news, some at country and western music, some at rock ‘n’ roll, and soon. In short, you must be like a chameleon. You must be able to conform to the many variations of style that the  average  broadcast  day  will  demand  of  you.  You should set high standards for voice control, diction and pronunciation; then strive constantly to live up to those standards.  This  is  a  never-ending,  ever-learning  process. However,  the  satisfaction  you  will  get  from  being  an effective announcer is well worth the effort. PRODUCING A RADIO FEATURE LEARNING  OBJECTIVE:  Detail  the  elements needed to produce a radio feature. In radio, you are primarily responsible for all stages of feature production. In commercial radio, particularly in smaller markets, the DJs of the station are responsible for producing features. The same thing applies at NBS detachments. Once you are assigned a production, the entire  process,  from  researching  the  subject  to  putting  it on tape, belongs to you. In   this   section,   “radio   feature”   and   “audio production” are used interchangeably. SELECTING  MUSIC Music is used to set the mood for a production. It can create a feeling of excitement, tranquility, suspense or sadness. The following four types of music can be used in audio production: Theme Background Bridge Fill Theme If  you  are  doing  a  series  of  spots  on  a  particular subject or using a particular character, theme music will lend  identification  to  that  subject  or  character.  Avoid using  familiar  songs  as  themes;  for  example,  “Gonna Fly  Now”  from  the  Rocky  movie  series  or  the  theme from  American  Gladiators.  These  selections  tend  to distract the listener and ultimately lessen the effect of the message. Background Background music helps set the mood of the feature production  and  it  increases  audience  appeal.  A voice-only production can be very boring, especially if it  is  just  one  voice.  For  example,  a  few  strains  of dramatic fanfare might heighten listener anticipation of a story climax. Conversely, you could use light, melodic music   to   support   a   comical   subject.   There   is instrumental music to fit almost any mood. It is just a matter  of  listening  to  the  selection,  perceiving  the emotion  or  mental  image  it  creates  and  matching  the appropriate mood to your subject. When  you  are  selecting  music  for  background, instrumentals  are  preferred  over  music  with  vocals. Vocal  songs  tend  to  distract  the  listener  from  the message of the production. Vocal music may be used, but only if it contributes to the message. When vocals are used, level balance becomes critical so that the music does not override the message. Background  music  should  be  unrecognizable  and match  the  subject.  By  adding  the  right  background music, you add to the aesthetic appeal of the feature. Bridge Bridge  music  connects  or  “bridges”  two  ideas  or thoughts. Bridge music, also called transitional music, was used in radio theater to change the scene. A short instrumental fanfare can signal a change in topics — or, a  new  scene  can  be  introduced  with  a  short  musical theme that suggests a particular location. Fill Fill music is often called “pad” music and is usually an  unrecognizable  instrumental  song.  If  your  feature production is required to be a certain length, you can use fill music to eat up time at the end. This also allows the person airing the production an opportunity to transition to the next program element gracefully with less chance of lapsing into dead air. SELECTING  SOUND  EFFECTS The use of sound and sound effects works much the same way as music. The purpose of sound effects is to enhance the spoken word. Creative  use  of  sound  can  help  develop  a  vivid picture in the mind of the listener. The success of an audio production often depends on the mental picture conjured up by different sound effects. Good examples are  the  spots  produced  for  the  Radio  Ad  Bureau promoting radio advertising. By using sound effects, the producer created a visual picture in the listener’s mind by doing such things as draining Lake Michigan, filling 13-21