The Charity can advise anyone
who does not already have their own audio cassette player and can also give technical advice on using the player.
If you would like to hear a few
extracts from recent recordings, please click on the links below (please be patient as the files are quite large!):
Newsweek intro
Newsweek 1000th edition
Message from Lady Winterton MP
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| The Technician's mixing desk |
A typical weekly recording of
“NEWSWEEK” will involve many people and starts well in advance of the actual recording. Each week a different
“team” is responsible for the recording. There are 5 such teams (as well as other teams for the “special”
recordings) and each comprises an Editor, four Readers and a Technician.
It is the editor’s responsibility
to confirm availability of the readers and technician, and to arrange for relief staff if necessary. The editor must then
scan the local newspapers for interesting articles, which are then cut out and pasted onto separate sheets of paper, in a
form convenient for the readers.
At the moment we select articles from 4 local newspapers
- The Sandbach Chronicle, Crewe Chronicle (Sandbach edition), Middlewich Chronicle and the Winsford & Middlewich Guardian.
We are always looking for new publications that will allow us to record some of their material. We would especially like to
find something covering Alsager.
On the evening of the recording,
the team assembles at the studio. This is a specially designed room with modern recording equipment. The team sits round a
table with the recording equipment and technician at one end. The technician sets up the equipment and does sound checks to
adjust the recording level for the loudness of each reader’s voice. This can vary a lot!
When all is ready, the technician
records some introductory music and words onto the tape. This is always the same every week so that listeners can become familiar
with it and know that they are at the start of the tape. The technician then nods to the editor who introduces the week’s
tape and the readers. Each reader then takes it in turn to read the articles he or she has been given. This continues until
the first side of the tape has been filled, when some finishing music is added.
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| Our recording studio |
After a short break, the second
side is recorded, again with some introductory music and some words from the editor. Often the editor will also give local
information at this point, such as chemists’ rotas, as well as any birthdays, anniversaries, weddings or bereavement
notices that listeners have sent in. The recording then continues with more local stories until the tape is full. Everyone
says goodbye and some more music ends the tape.
After the editor and readers
have left, it is the responsibility of the technician and assistants to copy the tapes. Luckily this does not have to be done
one at a time! Multiple recording equipment allows the job to be completed fairly
quickly. The tapes are then put into their envelopes and taken for posting.
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| We copy over 100 tapes each week |
This process continues week in,
week out throughout the year. Sometimes, such as at Christmas, a festive flavour may be introduced into the tape giving the
team a chance to let their hair down a bit. But despite being volunteers, all the team members work very professionally and
to high standards. Our listeners are quick to tell us if anything is not up to scratch!
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| Recorded tapes prior to despatch |
Technical talk
If you are interested in the technical side of how we do our recordings,
click below to download details. We would also like to hear your views on how we should keep up-to-date.
Download "Techtalk"
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