University of São Paulo’s Rádio USP program wins APCA Award
The Paulista Association of Art Critics (APCA) released on Monday, 6th, the list of the best of the year 2022. The organization has awarded cultural productions in different categories since 1956 . .7 MHz) , was the winner in the Radio Appreciation category. It is a series of bulletins, with 40 episodes of six to ten minutes each, on the history of Brazilian radio broadcasting, which aired from August to September 2022.
Broadcaster Cido Tavares, presenter and sound producer of the program, points out that the recent political scenario is one of contempt for culture and that being awarded the prize at this moment is “a great honor”.
Tavares idealized the series in partnership with producer Heloisa Granito and sound designer Dagoberto Alves. According to the presenter, the program was born in the studio, when he sounded the written material and the interviews carried out by Heloisa with specialists. One of the challenges during this process was having to redo old sound effects, which no longer exist, for the program’s sound production.
Heloisa says that the objective of the episodes was to show the transformation of radio and its relevance in the centenary of its arrival in Brazil. “We did an interview talking about podcast, which is internet radio, for example, to show that radio changes and has several stages, but maintains its importance.”
In addition to podcasts, topics dealing with the development of radio since 1922 were covered during the weeks in which 100 Years of Radio was on the air. “I based myself on the very facts that radio brought along its history, I went after records of old programs, because each episode of the documentary was about a specific theme”, explains Tavares.
The first episode of the program addressed the emergence of radio in Brazil, on September 7, 1922, during the celebrations of the centenary of Independence. The following episodes highlighted issues related to the origin of radio broadcasting in Brazil, such as the first station, Rádio Clube de Pernambuco and the trajectory of Edgard Roquette-Pinto, considered the “father of radio broadcasting” in the country.
The structure of the other episodes is similar: specialists are invited to the discussion and have their speeches interspersed with sound effects and audio insertions that illustrate the theme. Among the various subjects, the program had specific episodes about female participation in radio, radio soap operas, the beginnings of radio journalism and important personalities, such as Father Landell de Moura, who registered the first radio patent in the world.
One hundred years on the airwaves
The series ended by telling the story of Rádio USP, founded in 1977, and had the presence of former director Luiz Fernando Santoro as an interviewee. Experimentation and innovation as important characteristics of the vehicle are stressed throughout the episode, which also features excerpts from old programs.
“We bridge the gap between the listener, culture and the University”, says Tavares about Rádio USP, which he defines as a place where culture and creativity are allowed to be experienced on a daily basis. Cido Tavares also produces the programs Memória Musical , De Papo Pro Ar and É Bom Saber , in addition to presenting the musical programming of Rádio USP, cultural tips from Heloisa Granito and being the announcer of the house.