By: Pauli Arielle Roa, student-producer
Episode aired last September 3, 2014
Guest: Mr. Ronnie Infante, Resident Pet Groomer,
Pet House Pet Clinic and Grooming Center
I have an awful voice; I have a very awful voice. Most people, even those I call my friends, almost always tell me that. Although I have had already a short experience in radio production and I have passed a radio class last semester, it still didn't stop me from dreading to have my voice heard over the radio, because again, I have a very awful voice.
I have also a lot of insecurities when it comes to talking. I do not know tact. I do not know when to stop talking, even when what I say doesn't already make sense and is not so relevant to any topic under discussion. I have a tendency to use a lot of words and even create run-on sentences that are too far from being concise but have very little point or none at all. I am a wordy person, and I interject and segue to different thoughts that may be already too far-out from the original thought. I also interject upon other people's thoughts. I interrupt when others talk. That's why being a co-host with my professor proved to be a very difficult feat on discipline and self-control.
However, despite being unsure of myself and unsure of what I could share about myself and unsure when to talk during the whole production, I love animals very much! I enjoyed the radio production because I myself am very interested in pet grooming. I have always looked forward to finding somebody I could talk to about pet grooming. My favorite show in Animal Planet is about pet grooming. At first, there were difficulties that I encountered in getting speakers for the show, but every sweat (from walking along the streets of Maginhawa and Katipunan) and puyat (because I only write after midnight) was worth it. I got to know Kuya Ronnie and his team better. In general, I got to know pet groomers better. I would say that the episode helped me also acquire a greater love for animals, and a greater appreciation for "pet-carers".
The radio production was also sort of an eye opener for me. My professor, Ma'am Rara, shared her opinion about animals wearing decorations, and about animals being killed for products. I realized that I sympathized with her sentiment, and it opened me to another aspect of being an animal lover. We always have to consider what the animals might feel, and sometimes, even though it is no main intention of ours, in a way, we are objectifying them, especially when we treat them like trophies and circus animals through the use of colors and decorations. We strut, pamper and splurge on our pets, sometimes with unintentional disregard for their nature.
During the episode, I also learned a lot. One particular key learning experience was about the Aspins which I used to refer to as Askals. Everytime I look at the Aspins now on the street, I always go back to the radio production episode, and I can't help but well up with emotion for these lovable creatures. I hope someone could take care of them. Being in a dorm practically half my life (where it's not allowed to bring pets, even fish), I have always craved to give my love to a pet I can call my own.
I would gladly repeat the whole radio production. My only regret is I didn't feel more confident about myself and I was cramming the whole thing because of other production requirements from my TV production class. Maybe, if I'm not so busy anymore with my other classes, I might practically beg Ma'am Rara to get me as her co-host once more.
So did you miss the episode? Check out the recording and transcription on the following links!
Episode:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7mRVxlBs_LnTjVjU0c5NkVkUEE/view?usp=sharing
Transcription:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7mRVxlBs_LnRktqLUc1Nlk4LUk/view?usp=sharing
Friday, October 3, 2014
Tuesday, September 30, 2014
LET’S GO THE NATURAL WAY
By: Faye Margarette L. Tallow, student-producer
Episode aired last August 20, 2014
Guests: Ms. Julie Reyes
Dr. Karen Ubana
“What am I doing here?” These were my thoughts when I was
preparing for my radio episode. I had no idea of what I have to do first, what
I should prepare next… I had no idea about anything for that matter. I kept
telling myself that this is not what I signed up for, at least not for now. You
see, I just transferred from UPLB to Diliman. Though my course was somehow
related, I had no background on radio productions and the likes. So, everything
I did was all from scratch.
I was given less than a week time frame to be ready for my
episode; and every single day that passed, the thought of what a failure it
will turn out just kept dawning on me. However, I can consider myself one of
the lucky ones; because for that day, I already had a topic which was about the
use of herbal remedy for animals. Plus, I already had a guest too, Ms. Julie
Reyes. In addition to that, my professor and the host of the program, Prof.
Khrysta Imperial Rara, was there to guide me and help me throughout the
process. So, the biggest challenge for me was to find a second guest for the
show, a veterinarian, given the short notice. For the first few days, I
e-mailed everyone I found online, from professors to experts regarding the
topic, but all of them couldn’t make it. When I was really desperate already, I
called all the clinics that were registered in the directory along Katipunan.
Unfortunately, all of them couldn’t make it nor had any knowledge on the topic.
Then, I browsed on Facebook and again, messaged every vet clinic I could get my
hands on; this was a day before my episode schedule. You wouldn’t believe
what happened next. Someone replied to my Facebook message and
referred me to one of their vets, and I swear if I couldn’t compose myself at
that time, I would have never put the phone down and stop thanking her. That
was it; I got a veterinarian to appear on our show, Dr. Karen Ubana of House of
Pets.
Then, the radio episode schedule came. This would be my
first time to be on-air, produce an episode, and write a script for it. I was
really, really nervous that day. I didn’t know what to expect. When we went
on-air, we talked about two perspectives in the herbal medicine, the maker and
the user, with Ms. Julie Reyes as the maker, specifically of an ointment out of madre de
cacao or locally known as “kakawate” and Dr. Karen Ubana as the user. We got a
lot of insights on how to use alternative medicine for our pets. Ms. Julie
shared how she was able to create the ointment. It was because of her love to
her pet cat who was suffering from a skin disease that the madre de cacao came
to be. We were also able to know some of the different plants that could be
used for certain ailments and also the guidelines on using them, as which was
eagerly given to us by Dr. Ubana. I am surprised that in a time of modern age
we are going back to the basics and a few veterinarians are open to the idea of
using it.
Along the way, Prof. Khrysta would remind me of how I
should perform. Then, all of a sudden, I got lost on-air. I was overwhelmed by
what was unfolding before me. I got lost, and if I would quote my professor, I
became more of a listener than a co-host. I really could attest here the importance of research as a guide and weapon for a good discourse. Fortunately, the program ended with
me still in one piece.
I would never forget this experience in my life. Though, I
would admit it didn’t turn out the way I wanted it to be, at least I gained a
lot from it. I guess it is true that we do learn from our mistakes. I hope I
would be ready for my next productions after this. I also gained a lot of
information on treating certain ailments of our pets especially for my dog,
Toby, who is suffering from a skin disease. I hope that from what I learned, I
could help him get better. Herbal medicines would be a good alternative
especially if you don’t have the money to bring your pet to a vet clinic; but,
as Dr. Karen would say, a vet’s professional opinion is much needed before
starting treatment for the benefit of our pets and for us too. Anyway, you
could suggest to your vet if you want to use the natural remedy or alternative
medicines and hear what they have to say about it.
If you missed the show or want to learn more of the topic we
had for that day, just click on the links below:
Episode:
Transcription:
News:
Say, “No to Dolphins and Whales Captivity!”
By: Arvin Carlo B. Sicat, student producer
Episode aired last August 27, 2014
Guest: Ms. Trixie Concepcion, Regional Director of the Earth Island Institute Asia-Pacific
When our professor in Broadcast Journalism 101, Ms. Khrysta
Imperial Rara, told us on the first day of class that our midterm exams will
involve radio production, I got instantly excited because of the thought that
popped on my mind- listeners in their homes would finally get to hear my voice
on radio. How cool is it right? But what my professor said next just slowly
killed my excitement and turned my face into shady. Our midterms would start
the week after and I would be the third one to take the hot seat! That
announcement terrified me, knowing that as a transferee, I purely had no
background in radio production compared to the most of my upperclassmen
classmates who have taken production class. But since I am a man who hates to
run away from challenges, I accepted it with all pride and courage.
Exactly on
my birthday, I was tasked to research about the condemnation of dolphin and
whale captivity in Taiji, Japan. I immediately thought that my topic would be
very boring because I had no interest on dolphins or whales before at all. All
I knew back then about them was that they were smart and total performers in
ocean parks. Apart from it, I was also worrying of finding a guest that would
explain the issue to be tackled. Too good to be true, my professor added that
we already had a guest on the next episode of her animal show! Yahoo! (That was
my best gift ever.) She was none other than the Regional Director of the Earth
Island Institute Asia-Pacific, Ms. Trixie Concepcion.
To be
honest, I took pleasure in the production process, especially the part in which
I had to write the script, including the choosing of appropriate songs and
quotation to be used in relevance to the show’s topic. But what I found really
challenging in this whole production was researching about the dolphins and
whales. In this process, I read a lot of articles in the internet regarding the
dolphin and whale killings in Taiji. I also had to bombard myself with the
information about the organizations involved in this issue in order for me to
better understand it. The night before the showtime, I got to see “The Cove”, a
documentary film dealing with the dolphin and whale captivity in Taiji. I must
say that the last 20 minutes of the film got me. The film served as an
eye-opener for me to see the cruelty behind exploiting these innocent creatures
whose freedom was being stolen by mankind. This documentary film is definitely
life-changing and deserves to be shown in every part of the world.
On the day
of the radio show, I was literally shaking as I was walking upstairs towards
the DZUP room. Ma’am Khrysta even added up my anxiety when she said that our
guest would be late for the show. Who
would be relaxed if the main host of the show would ask you to do adlib while
waiting for the guest , knowing that it was your first time to go on-air? But as
soon as I heard the theme song of Kwentuhang Pets Atbp, somehow, I gained
confidence and started to talk. It was a magical experience indeed! I did not
even notice that our guest already
arrived. During our discussion, I was overwhelmed on how Ms. Trixie answered
the questions being thrown by Ms. Khrysta with power and conviction. I almost
forgot that I was part of the show so I slowly took turns in asking questions
with Ms. Khrysta and injected additional information about the issue.
After we
tackled the issue about the killings of whales and dolphins in Taiji, Japan, I
realized how serious this issue really is. Everyboy should get involved and
join the campaign to stop this very brutal practice in Japan. Our guest, Ms. Trixie,
also shared helpful tips on how to support their campaign. One good example is
ousting local shows in ocean parks that promote dolphin performances."Whales and dolphins should live freely in the ocean because in the first place, it is their right, not their privilege.", she added. The ocean
parks all over the world, including the Philippines, import dolphins from Japan
and train these pitiful mammals live shows. In this sense, we can show our love
and support for the whales and dolphins.
Truly, my
whole experience in radio production was something to hold dear. Because of this
opportunity, I was able to unleash my soft heart for the dolphins and whales.
The way I view life will never be the same now after covering this issue.
Freedom is not a privilege but a right and should always be exercised not only to us humans, but also to all that possess life.
How about you? Are you one of us in protecting the wildlife animals? Share your thoughts and comments!
How about you? Are you one of us in protecting the wildlife animals? Share your thoughts and comments!
If you missed our episode, don't worry!
Here is the link for the complete episode:
Here is the link for the transcription:
Here is the link for the other news:
Thursday, September 4, 2014
Surprise! Pawikan Spotlight
By Jeanette May Trinidad,
student-producer
Episode aired last August 13, 2014
Guest: Mr Nilo Ramoso (Head of Pawikan Conservation Project)
It is truly a surprise when, on
your first day of class, you are already tasked to work on a major production
with less than a week preparation. But that was what happened to me. And while
it had its difficulties, it was an experience that I would be thankful for
throughout my whole life.
Being the first in my Broadcast
Journalism 101 class to work on the student productions for Kwentuhang Pets,
ATBP., the production was difficult for me in a lot of ways. Firstly, I was not
used to the program because it was the first time I heard of it. I usually have
classes during the program’s timeslot, so I couldn’t really tune in and know
how the program exactly went. Secondly, it had been almost a year since I last
produced for radio in my BC 102 (Radio Production) class, and even then, the
most I did for an airing program was producing a segment. Fortunately, Prof.
Khrysta Rara (who was the host of the show and my BJ 101 professor) helped me
with the conceptualization of the episode, and the topics we thought of doing revolved
around wildlife conservation mostly, with differences being only on whether the
wildlife is on land or water.
But what really challenged me was
finding a guest who would be willing to go on air on such a short notice. When
I finally decided to push through with making the episode majorly a pawikan “spotlight”
episode (which came about after Prof. Rara’s suggestion of pawikans being a possible
topic), I tried contacting every NGO related to marine life or pawikans, and
even the DENR. The people reply to my e-mails or answer my calls but say they
are unavailable. I only managed to find a guest from the Biodiversity
Management Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources a day
before the episode aired, and it had been through the help of my family
(particularly my sister whose friend’s friend is in the Bantay Pawikan in
Morong, Bataan). The guest was Mr. Nilo Ramoso, the Pawikan Conservation
Project head, and an expert on Pawikans.
Another topic that had taken up
my episode was rescued cats and dogs, particularly because Ms. Hanna Sanchez
who is a tri-athlete and swimmer had an event coming up to raise funds for
rescued cats, dogs, and pitbulls by the Compassion and Responsibility for
Animals (CARA) group. We also had her on the show to talk about her and CARA’s fund-raising
endeavor, but only through phone patch.
Both guests had been, fortunately,
very kind and willing to be part of the program, and it was through them that
the episode pushed through. The in-booth experience as a co-host of Prof. Rara
during the episode was also nerve-wracking in the beginning (especially because
it had also been a year since I last went live on air for BC 102), but then it
became a thrilling experience for me later on. There were a lot of topics that we managed to cover: from the difference of a marine turtle to a land turtle or tortoise, conservation efforts on the pawikan, the issues involving pawikans like poaching, different trivia like why the turtle "cries", and most importantly the significance of the pawikan to the environment and why it should be conserved. The discussion was very lively and animated, and it was honestly very fun.
At the end of it all, the
production experience imparted something big in me aside from learning the
details of production. It made me much more aware about animals, about marine wildlife
especially in my episode, and how vital they really are to the lives of every
person and every organism. It opened my eyes to the pawikan’s role in the
environment and the rest of our natural resources, and that it must really be
preserved.
And, surprise! Now, I have “Going
to Morong, Bataan to see a Pawikan Hatching” in my bucket list.
If you’ve missed the episode,
then here are the links to the recording and transcript:
Episode:
Transcript:
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
It's Chow Time!
by Jiru Nikko Rada, student-producer
Guest: Professor Tony Mabesa
It was Prof. Khrysta Rara’s story about the “Agila” episode of Kwentuhang Pets Atbp. that drove these two hopeful students of BJ101 to produce a noteworthy and special episode of the show. Princess and I were given three weeks to conceptualize for KPA. There were lots of ideas at first, probably most types of animals and animal lovers were mentioned during the brainstorming – from birdwatchers to plain dog owners, from exotic insects to marine animals.
Luckily, Princess knows someone who loves scorpions. On the other hand, I had my eyes set on the Dulaang UP Director who walks with his two Chow Chows around the campus almost everyday. It was very taxing to get these two busy people say yes to our invitation. Princess was able to book her prospect earlier while I have to literally stalk and search for the director for three mornings and two afternoons around the campus.
The famous theater director is Professor Tony Mabesa. He lives a block away from where I board that’s why I usually see him with his dogs. My arteries thickened every time I tried to approach him to guest for the show. His presence is very intimidating because my friends who were able to work with him in a production told me that sir has a loud booming voice.
Fortunately on my third attempt, I was able to talk to sir, join him for a walk with his dogs and finally heard him say yes. That day, there were only three days left before the episode so Princess and I had to do a number of revisions on the script.
On the day before, Prof. Rara informed us that we have to focus on only one topic since we have two contrasting subjects (scorpions and dogs). So we decided that we will focus on Prof. Mabesa’s dogs instead of the scorpions.
It was an episode full of laughter. Professor Mabesa talked about how his two Chow Chows, Chimra and Gabby, changed his life and gave the listeners some tips for those who plan on having a Chow Chow as pet.
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