Recording the transformation and experiences of Daily Bruin Radio

Radio is a whole lot of hearing without seeing, listening without touching. I’ve had to imagine, for myself, what it means for stories to come alive, how and why voices should matter. On another level it’s working with the staff, and all the shows and stories compiled, that made Radio what it is this year.

Within a year, I learned what it means to work with a small ““ albeit skeletal ““ staff and know that despite some challenges, the beating heart of Radio is still and will always be the people captured on our recorders.

When I joined the Daily Bruin last year, I started as a Radio reporter. The only experience I carried with me: a book report radio broadcast my mom helped me tape for “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.” It’s one of my earliest memories of sound recording and some kind of reporting. I had never imagined that one day I would be doing something similar at Daily Bruin Radio. It’s an experience that’s peppered with a little bit of structure, mostly unexpected choices, confidence and hope.

“What is Daily Bruin Radio?” is the question that, ironically, defines this year for me and, I think, for the Radio staff. For those who came before us, it’s described as a plunge into the unknown and, in some cases, is like a boyfriend one never had in college. It’s a dream or a nightmare and no matter what happens, somehow Radio will still be there in the morning.

I may or may not be referring to late nights of last-minute editing, cutting actualities etc. These are small feats compared to the story or show segment that comes together at the end of the day.

But it’s easy to feel displaced in a department that changes quickly. In the span of a year, we went from just pre-recorded stories online to having a show with depth and familiar voices that return every Monday, week to week. It’s wonderful and terrible to see the department grow in this way.

I don’t pretend that what carried me through Radio are the people who urged me on, first as a reporter and then as an editor ““ the Radio director, broadcast producer, sound engineer and especially reporters and cross-trainers who have sacrificed their time and given their ears to Radio. Like I said, it takes confidence, and a lot of heart, food and especially humor to be a part of Radio. It’s what compensates for a comparatively small staff and the wild animal Radio is. In the span of a year, it’s transformed and molded.

I feel blessed to have been surrounded by people who care about the story of Radio. I am happy to leave Daily Bruin Radio, knowing that next year’s Radio director and his staff will bring great things to the department.

Moredo was a Radio news editor for 2010-2011 and a Radio reporter for 2009-2010.