UC IMCN is one of many “working groups” at the IMC. Volunteers produce a half-hour local public affairs program. The collective meets intermitantly at the IMC located in the Historic Urbana Post Office. The collective also discusses shows and issues on its listserv: radio (at) ucimc.org. You can sign up here.

How to Get Involved

We are always looking for new members and fresh perspectives. No experience is required to participate. All ages welcome. IMCRN provides training as needed and as available. To get involved:

• Join the listserv.

You do not have to be a member of the IMC to contribute, although regular participants are encouraged to become a member ($50 annual membership, $25 for low income).

Roles in the Radio Collective

There are lots of ways to participate in the collective. Most of these are rotating responsibilities.

• Show Coordinator
• Host – must be airshifter trained through WEFT
• Headlines coordinator
• Reporters and story gatherers
• Headline writers and gatherers
• Tech support on call
• Documenters
• Regular uploader of the show to the website
• Cleaners and organizers (production room)
• Meeting facilitators
• Media geeks and idea generators

How to Support IMCRN through Donations

IMC Radio News spends every penny you donate on equipment to produce the show. To make a donation to IMC Radio News or the IMC generally, click below. Please put the "radio news" in the "designation" field if you wish to have your donation go to the radio group.

Show Criteria

We strive to produce stories that:

• Have local significance
• Provide information on issues before they are decided
• Offer listeners information and tools that help them participate in decision making and the framing of debate
• Represent diverse voices and perspectives
• Are fair and accurate
• Incorporate the voices of “non-experts”
• Cover stories not uncovered or under-covered by the mainstream media
• Are not afraid to take a stand or provide opinion or analysis with facts

General show format

IMCRN can be flexible in format. A show could have multiple features, or just one in-depth report. A show may also include in-studio guests. We try to provide “the week in review” with a handful of headline stories. Although the show format is up to the producer, here is the a show format that is used frequently because it works well:

1. IMCRN Theme music
2. Introduction of show and host. WEFT disclaimer.
3. Headlines
4. Feature 1
5. Reintroduction of show
6. Public Service Announcement (PSA)
7. Feature 2
8. Conclusion
9. Outro music

Meetings

The show is maintained by the volunteer collective which meets intermitantly at the IMC. These are facilitated meetings and are open to all. The agenda is set by those present. A typical agenda looks like this:

1. Introductions
2. Review of last show – strengths and weaknesses, process problems
3. Story ideas, story development (story assignments are tracked)
4. Upcoming events to cover
5. Scheduling of producers and apprentices for shows (we try to stay scheduled 4 weeks in advance)
6. Scheduling training, technical support, apprenticeships
7. Short clean up on production room

Story ideas, angles, and contacts are discussed and enhanced by the collective. Collective members are responsible for raising concerns and issues. If story ideas or produced pieces fall far outside the criteria for stories listed above, the collective may require story producers to rework their pieces for airing. The collective has the right to refuse to air pieces.
Minutes of meetings are posted to the listserv: radio (at) ucimc.org and on the bulletin board at the IMC.

Equipment

The IMC has the following audio equipment available for check out or use by IMC members:

• Portable Minidisc recorders
• Portable cassette recorders
• Microphones – handheld, clip on, boundary, condenser
• Microphone stands
• Adapters to be used on international trips
• Phone interface to record interviews by phone (to be used at the IMC only).

The IMC has the following audio editing equipment:

• Soundforge (for audio editing up to two channels)
• ACID (for multi-track mixing)
• Minidisk and cassette decks
• Mixer
  

Reporters should also create a personal bag of the following:

• minidisks and/or cassette tapes
• AA batteries (rechargeables are the best)
• Sharpie pen (to label discs and CDs)
• blank CDs
• Flip notebook and pen
• Headphones or earbuds (optional – we also have some of varying quality at the IMC)

Syndication

The show is uploaded to www.ucimc.org where it can be downloaded and rebroadcast. We are regularly rebroadcast on the Tom and Darryl show in Macomb, Illinois. Please let us know if you are rebroadcasting the show and we will link to you.

Producers of stories with national relevance can submit headlines (1 minute) or feature (4 minutes) to Free Speech Radio News, which has relied on the UC-IMC for Midwest reporting.

There are other venues reporters can use to submit stories: Making Contact, National Native News, Women's International News Gathering Service, and Sidetrack on WILL-AM are a few the UCIMC has a relationship with.

If you are interested in producing for a national audience, join us!

Resources for Reporters

Here are documents from our friends at Free Speech Radio News and Making Contact.

• Basic Technical Guidelines
• Recording into Soundforge (audio editing software)
• Editing in Soundforge
• Microphone Techniques
• Voice Techniques
• Documentary workshop (good tips on story creation from Making Contact)