Beauties of Cincinnati: Recent Episodes
Olivia Thomas
Have you ever been to Cincinnati? What comes to your mind when you think of this city? What comes to my mind is the incredible architecture, fun night life, vast amount of professional sports teams, and the overall beauty of Cincinnati. If you want to learn more about this city, click play and listen to my podcast.
Episode 6, our final episode on the Beauties of Cincinnati is about the education system. I have a lot of pride in the opportunities for education that are available in Cincinnati and a lot of insight into the best schools in the area. From elementary schools to universities in Cincinnati, you will never be disappointed. Tune in today for our final episode together! Please note that my reflection on this episode for UWRT 1104 as well as a link to my rough script are provided below.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1WvwzzP8YhbKwhwwjzpg0Zc7vdSfnVPVYqbGlumLSZ4k/edit?usp=sharing
Reflection:
For this final episode, I focused largely on critical reflection. I took the time to reflect back on every episode I had previously produced and ensured that I was maintaining a steady voice and achieving my original goal. Throughout this episode I believe I could have been better at staying on topic, but this was also something I had wanted to change in the past in order to make the series a bit more interesting.
One of my favorite parts about this episode was the interview with my mom. I believe the question about her favorite parts of Cincinnati tied everything in my podcast together and really gave a perfect summary of everything I tried to convey.
I have enjoyed composing, revising, recording, and publishing every single one of these episodes. More than anything, I have gained immense respect for each and every person out there who has taken a leap and made a successful podcast series. It is much harder than it looks!
Welcome to Episode 5 and the introduction to Cincinnati sports. From NFL to MLB to MLS, Cincinnati has it all! Tune in this week for some of my favorite memories attending sporting events in Cincinnati and to hear, yet again, from our guest speaker. Please note that my reflection on this podcast for UWRT 1104 is provided below, along with a copy of my script and links to any external sources cited throughout today's episode.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1F3Gpa4LKstTnzJIpeAjGgLsCqEB5jXT6b_eu-m_1ohc/edit?usp=sharing
redlegnation.com
mlssoccer.com
Reflection:
After reflecting on the success of episode 4, I continued this episode with the second voice, provided by my mom. I believe it added a very interesting spin and has the ability to keep the audience intrigued. One thing that I attempted to do differently was to loosen up and go “off script” a couple times. This can be hard because it is easy to get sidetracked and off topic. However, as long as I kept an eye on the end goal and focused on using correct conventions, it all worked out.
I believe going “off script” every once in a while keeps the episode interesting and allows for the listeners to feel as though they are right there with me. Despite this level of freedom, though, I remained focused on my composition process and maintained a very well constructed and revised script.
The script from this episode differed in that it included a variety of different sources. This was difficult because it required me to smoothly and seamlessly give them credit without straying away from my statement. Throughout multiple attempts and reflection on my own work I believe I was able to give credit to the sources without distracting my listeners from my point.
Episode 4 is the introduction to the music, art, and festival scene in Cincinnati. From the history of Music Hall to up and coming festivals such as BLINK, Cincinnati is the hidden heart of art and music culture. Tune in today for more on this topic and to meet our new guest speaker! Please note the my reflection on this episode for UWRT 1104 is available below.
A copy of my rough script, in the form of a google doc, along with links to external sources of information that are cited in this podcast are pasted below.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1V_o7B0FcVM1PhQZp4TuK1r1WzLSQEsTnNzRCTSx8XmU/edit?usp=sharing
friendsofmusichall.org
mayfestival.com
blink2019.com
Reflection:
Throughout the composition process of this episode I began to notice a boring, repetitive theme of a single voice. Although I enjoyed what I was talking about, I know just as well as anyone that hearing the same voice drone on and on is never fun.
I used my skills in critical reflection, and after listening to my past episodes, I decided to change the direction of my series. Although my end goal was still the same, I wanted to add another voice to promote engagement and intrigue my listeners.
Despite challenges due to COVID, I was able to pull in another voice. This was definitely difficult, but I believe it added depth and an interesting take on my series. I was able to reflect critically on what I had previously done and make decisions for future improvements.
In this episode, I will introduce and talk about a few of my favorite places in Cincinnati, specifically Findlay Market. Take a listen and learn about the beauty that is Cincinnati and all that it has to offer. Please note that my reflection of this podcast for UWRT 1104 is available below.
A link to my rough script, in the form of a google document, is copied below. Along with this, there are also links to any extra sources I used and referenced throughout this episode.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1aePj-hA4fKFEbBt_X0s84Vmso2P60gjItbv1HmBLoU0/edit?usp=sharing
https://cincinnatiusa.com/
Reflection:
This episode was particularly fun for me and focused mainly on a place I love, Findlay Market. It involved limited research thanks to my extensive knowledge on the subject and a focus on telling my own personal stores. Although I spent a good amount of time composing my script and ensuring accuracy in my conventions, I wanted to focus largely on reaching out to my audience.
Rhetorical knowledge is the ability to adapt writing in order to achieve a specific goal or fit a specific audience. As I composed the script for this episode I had to keep in mind the demographic of my audience and focus on something they might enjoy. For example, if I had been writing solely to college students I may have talked more about the party scene downtown rather than something fun to do with friends and family.
After deciding which direction I wanted to go there were still many other questions that needed to be asked. Along with pleasing the audience and directing my podcast to my demographic, I also has to achieve the goal of my podcast. This goal was to change people's view on Cincinnati. More specifically, I wanted to emphasize the countless opportunities that are available within and around the city. I achieved this goal by discussing, in depth, the events and inner-workings of one of my favorite places, Findlay Market.
Welcome to Episode 2 where I discuss, in detail, the most notable historical facts and the glorious food scene of Cincinnati. Be sure to get out a pen and paper to note down all fo the amazing places I will recommend that deserve a spot on your travel itinerary. A link to my rough script is attached below as a google document and is followed by the links to the sources I addressed throughout my podcast episode. Please not that my reflection for UWRT 1104 is available below.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1YcBGVYpnEzlTjXxtgc0tRQjlFyAsV0301YgXcAg2uo8/edit?usp=sharing\
https://kids.kiddle.co/Cincinnati
http://library.cincymuseum.org/cincifaq.htm
https://ohiohistorycentral.org/w/Cincinnati,_Ohio
https://theculturetrip.com/north-america/usa/ohio/articles/7-things-you-didnt-know-about-cincinnati-oh/
Reflection:
This episode stood out to me as being particularly difficult. I often find myself bored and drained reading through historical information and attempting to understand. I had to focus largely on critical reading and understanding of professional sources and information. It is noted in my episode that I had a few helpful tricks, but this is just one of the ways I used critical skills to improve my own research and understanding of the topic.
Along with this, I was able to reach a wide variety of audience members due to the fact that I discussed two very different topics, food and history. This improved my rhetoric and the series’ ability to reach many different people.
This was definitely one of my favorite episodes and I enjoyed talking about the best food spots in Cincinnati. Due to this excitement I often found myself rushing through statements and using “um” a lot. This was something I had to be very conscious about and I had to use my knowledge of conventions to ensure that I was practicing correct grammar a clear speaking voice.
Welcome to my podcast series on Cincinnati! Today I talked about an overall view of Cincinnati and offered a sneak peak into the rest of my series. Enjoy! Note that my reflection for UWRT 1104 is available below.
A link to my script is provided below
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nXENhv3ni5IWIAbtd2xijuvg7eXLQX6o0oKiZc-gtec/edit?usp=sharing
I used one outside source and the link is provided below
https://www.cincinnati.com/story/entertainment/2020/07/28/cincinnati-zoo-best-zoo-nation-10-best/5526572002/#:~:text=Cincinnati%20Zoo%20%26%20Botanical%20Garden%20named,in%20the%20nation%20by%2010Best&text=The%20Cincinnati%20Zoo%20%26%20Botanical%20Garden,in%20the%20country%20for%202020.
Reflection:
Throughout this episode, I had the opportunity to explore my topic in depth. I composed this script many times and learned the value of writing multiple drafts. As I began writing my script, I initially planned to begin talking about one topic. However, as I continued to write I felt that it would be much more entertaining to share a sneak peak into everything I wanted to talk about.
This sneak peak into each future episode not only gave me an outlet to display my own outline, but also allowed me to draw in a very specific audience. By describing all of my favorite parts about Cincinnati, I was able to intrigue people who may have been interested in the same topics. For example, if people listening seemed to be more focused on historical development and factual evidence, then they would know that this podcast was not for them.
Moving forward I would know that everyone listening knew exactly what I was planning to talk about and that they were, in fact, interested. One thing that I focused on throughout this episode was critical reflection. I was able to reflect on my own writing process and the success of the podcast in order to improve the series as I moved forward.