Outline production plan for the radio programme 'Os Tos Mhong' broadcast by FM 102 radio station in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, written by Grant Goddard in March 2004.

1. PROGRAMME PLAN FOR 'OS
TOS MHONG' YOUTH RADIO
PHONE-IN PROGRAMME
BROADCAST BY FM 102, PHNOM
PENH, CAMBODIA
by
GRANT GODDARD
www.grantgoddard.co.uk
March 2004

2. OS TOS MHONG
[English pronunciation “OTTOMONG”]
English equivalent: “COOL!”
FM 102, Phnom Penh
Sunday 0800-0900
Call-in show (live)
Young people aged 15-25
Presenters: Try Vannak (M) + Porn Sokar (F)
Executive Producer: Kong Villa (BBC)
Team: 4 staff at FM 102
Each week the programme will consist of these elements:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
call-ins (55% approx)
experts (30%)
vox pops (5%)
what’s on (2%)
listener feedback (2%)
youth news (2%)
love problems (2%)
competition (2%)
Each week the programme will focus on a different topic, such as:
1. what is love?
2. how to get a good job
3. arranged marriages
4. peer pressure
5. sexual health
6. how to be a good student
7. differences between young people and parents
8. gangs
9. drugs
10. tradition versus modernisation
The objective is to create a programme that attracts a substantial audience of
young people (aged 15 to 25). The objective is not to create an explicitly
health–orientated programme (which CHEMS already do), though content will
include health issues detailed in BBC plan.
Programme Plan For 'Os Tos Mhong' Youth Radio Phone-In Programme Broadcast By FM 102, Cambodia
©2004 Grant Goddard
page 2

3. Staffing.
Each live programme will have:
1 live producer
2 phone answering people (2 mobile phones)
1 phone-out person (2 landlines)
2 presenters
1 or 2 experts
1 production assistant (FM 102 volunteer)
The live producer will be rotated amongst the team of four programme staff at
FM 102. The remaining staff will fill the other positions.
A pre-recorded trail will invite listeners to call-in about the specific topic one
hour before programme start from 7am on Sunday onwards.
Calls will be taken off-air and basic information transcribed – name, location,
phone number, what caller wants to talk about.
The producer will determine the order of calls to be taken live on-air, select the
callers, who will be called back.
The caller will be put on-air, will talk to the presenter, who will interrogate, then
expert will be asked to comment and provide advice in discussion with
presenter.
The objective is to create a fast-moving, interesting show that will build a loyal
audience amongst young people.
The non-phone in content of each show is intended to develop a consistent
audience for the series. Otherwise, a purely topic-focused show attracts a
fluctuating audience, dependent upon the appeal of the specific topic.
Music beds will be used in the non-call-in sections of the show to make it
sound lively and entertaining.
Trails will be produced each week for broadcast in the preceding 7 days that
will alert listeners to the topic, air vox pops from young people on that topic,
and build loyalty.
Presenters are briefed to be “the voice of young people” on the programme,
asking difficult questions and probing experts for practical advice relevant to
young people.
Experts are chosen, not only for their expertise in the topic, but also for their
ability to communicate effectively and sympathetically with young people.
Interaction/dialogue with young people is important and will be encouraged
through the weekly gathering of vox pops, the use of listener feedback on-air,
the phone-in, letter writing, an e-mail address and a station web site that
Programme Plan For 'Os Tos Mhong' Youth Radio Phone-In Programme Broadcast By FM 102, Cambodia
©2004 Grant Goddard
page 3

4. includes profiles of listeners. (Future developments could include SMS, a youth
chat board, an e-mail list.)
Each show will sound like this:
Outro
Love
problems
Intro
Vox
pops
Phone calls
Phone calls
Phone calls
What’s on
Phone calls
Youth
news
Phone calls
Listeners’
feedback
The production team will meet twice a week at the FM 102 office:
 Monday afternoon to post mortem the preceding day’s show
 Friday to put to bed the next Sunday’s show.
Programme Plan For 'Os Tos Mhong' Youth Radio Phone-In Programme Broadcast By FM 102, Cambodia
©2004 Grant Goddard
page 4

5. SCRIPT FOR ANSWERING PHONE CALLS
“Hello, thank you for calling OS TOS MHONG on FM 102.”
“You are not live on the radio. First, please can I take some details from you?”
[CALLER AGREES]
“Please can you give me a name by which you want to be known?”
[WRITE DOWN NAME]
“Please can you tell me where you are calling from?”
[WRITE DOWN PLACE]
“Please can you explain very briefly what you would like to say on the radio?”
[WRITE DOWN CALLER’S SUBJECT]
[IF CALLER TALKS >30 SECONDS, say: “I am sorry, but I will have to ask you
to stop there.”]
“Please can you give us your phone number so that we can call you back IF
we decide to ask you to talk on the radio. We will use this number only to call
you back, and then it will be destroyed.”
[WRITE DOWN PHONE NUMBER]
“Thank you very much for calling FM 102. We hope you enjoy OS TOS
MHONG. We receive so many calls that there is not time to put EVERY caller
on the radio, unfortunately. But we do appreciate your call. And we hope you
will call us again in the future. Goodbye.”
Programme Plan For 'Os Tos Mhong' Youth Radio Phone-In Programme Broadcast By FM 102, Cambodia
©2004 Grant Goddard
page 5

6. CALLER DATA SHEET
CONFIDENTIAL
OS TOS MHONG
SHOW DATE:
CALLER NAME:
PLACE:
PHONE NUMBER:
CONTRIBUTION:
PRODUCER’S NOTES:
YES / NO
ON-AIR CALL #:
Grant Goddard is a media analyst / radio specialist / radio consultant with thirty years of
experience in the broadcasting industry, having held senior management and consultancy
roles within the commercial media sector in the United Kingdom, Europe and Asia. Details at
http://www.grantgoddard.co.uk
Programme Plan For 'Os Tos Mhong' Youth Radio Phone-In Programme Broadcast By FM 102, Cambodia
©2004 Grant Goddard
page 6