​​​​​​​​​​Maggie Tobin

During the summer of 2014, I completed an internship as a reporter for WFSU News, the National Public Radio affiliate station located in Tallahassee. The station focuses on hard news and I was given the chance to report on numerous topics, ranging from local events (such as a local musician performing at the historic Knott House in downtown Tallahassee) to statewide issues (including the congressional redistricting trial heard by the Florida Supreme Court). 

Besides writing my own stories, I was also expected to produce them for radio. Using Adobe Audition software, I pieced together recordings of myself speaking with soundbites from my interviews and, in some cases, natural sound from my surroundings in order to create a segment. I had the opportunity to produce several types of radio segments, differing in content and length:

Voicer (v): A voicer only contains a reporter's voice reading their script. Voicers are produced prior to a newscast by a reporter and typically last roughly 45 seconds to a minute.

Cut (c): A cut contains a script written by a reporter which is read by the anchor during a newscast. It also contains one soundbite from an interview which the anchor plays at the appropriate time. Cuts typically lasts 45 seconds to a minute and their brevity allows a reporter to write several about the same story from different angles and using different soundbites.

Spot (s): A spot is voiced by a reporter after a short introduction read by the anchor during a newscast and also contains one or two soundbites from an interview. Spots are produced by the reporter prior to a newscast and usually last roughly one minute.

Superspot (ss): A superspot is voiced by a reporter and usually contains two to four soundbites, depending on their length. They are preproduced but introduced by an anchor live on air. Superspots can last anywhere from just over a minute to just under three minutes.

Depth (d): These segments are long pieces that look at issues "in depth" (as the name suggests) and can contain numerous soundbites. They are introduced live on air, but are preproduced and voiced by a reporter. The name usually refers to any segment longer than three minutes.

Capitol Report (CR): A piece produced for WFSU's weekly show "Capitol Report" which airs statewide from 6:30-7 p.m. every Friday. Similar to a depth, these pieces focus on state issues and contain several soundbites. They are voiced by a reporter and usually last anywhere from three to six minutes. 

The stories I wrote and produced usually aired, in some form, either during NPR's All Things Considered from 4-6 p.m. every week day afternoon or NPR's Morning Edition the following day. After producing my audio and writing scripts for the anchor, I edited each story (often combining multiple cuts and spots) to create a more "readable" version to post on WFSU's website.

All of my work is provided below, organized according to subject matter. Clicking on the word "online" links directly to the post on the WFSU radio website, where the audio versions of almost every story are also available.