BELLOWS FALLS — WOOL Radio has announced its first audio documentary competition. The station has issued a call for submissions of audio pieces, suitable for airing, about non-fictional topics.
Targeted in this effort are the many area people who enjoy listening to stories about people, places, and things by which they learn and are entertained. Many people now have the means to create these stories themselves; recent developments in computer technology have put free recording tools at the disposal of anyone with a computer and some free time.
WOOL hopes that this competition encourages people to find a topic that interests them and to explore a short exposition of that topic in a strictly aural medium.
“We sometimes become dependent on the world of visual images,” says radio station volunteer Gary Smith. “Television and the Internet are so dependent on looking that often we forget the value of just listening. Building a piece of audio art doesn't just help us speak, it teaches us to listen, as well.”
The competition is being publicized on WOOL's website, www.wool.fm, as well as on the air, and has been sent around the world through the Internet and promises to produce a heaping helping of new creative work and plentiful opportunity for learning and entertainment.
While offering virtually no restrictions on content, the competition's rules note that pieces can be submitted in three categories: half-hour, one-hour, and 15 minute formats. Station representatives note that this strategy opens participation for people with greater and lesser free time and resources.
“We are just as enthusiastic for a 15-minute piece about your grandfather as for a five-episode analysis of the Russian Revolution,” notes Smith. “And we're hoping some people break away from the now-standard formula of NPR and This American Life. The medium is wide open, and our station is very receptive to innovation.”
The deadline for submission is Dec. 30. Winners will be announced in February. The top 20 submissions will find airtime on WOOL. All eligible submissions will be aired on the station's website.
Information about the competition is available at www.wool.fm and questions can be sent to [email protected]. Free audio editing software for Mac and PC is available at audacity.sourceforge.net.