Oprah : The Billionaire Everywoman

                       Feature from the National Public Radio (NPR)

      

     Title of the Feature: Oprah : The Billionaire Everywoman

     Who Produces the feature: two persons (narrator and script writer)

     Length of the Feature: 6:09 min

     Link to the Feature: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=124285128

Review

The feature is about media tycoon, Oprah Winfrey, who is considered one of the most influential women in the world. The story covers various parts of her life such as her early childhood, personal life, career and success and entrepreneurship and wealth.  Winfrey is credited for creating a more confessional form of media communication, which I personally adore.

The story could have been more interesting if the producer used Oprah’s voice to narrate her own story. The narrator’s task, in this case, is to comment on what Oprah has said with a light music or proper natural sound in the background. The natural sound will break the narration monotony or tediousness and keeps the listener interested in the story.  Also, the story can be more exciting if the audience heard Oprah’s friends talking about their special moments with her.

The sound quality is good in some parts; especially those pieces narrated by the producer (narrator). However, the recorded parts are really bad and the listener can hear noises or voice echoes in the background. The natural sound is not professionally incorporated with the rest of the story. For instance, you hear the narrator’s voice and then all of a sudden you hear a natural sound or Oprah’s voice; as if the two sounds are detached. In other words, no gradual transition is detected when shifting from the narrator’s voice to the natural sound. This  disrupts the listener’s attention and gets him or her out of the mood of the story.

At the beginning, the narrator talks so fast to the extant that the listener can lose interest. I was hardly following up on what she wanted to say. I felt it is more of a commercial ad than a story about a media tycoon. After the first 28 seconds she slowed down the rhythm of her voice and I began to feel and comprehend what she wanted to say.  

The story is just at the right length; it is not too long nor too short. It is informative and covers various parts of Oprah’s life. However, in some parts the narrator talks for a long time which makes it hard for the listener to pay attention to everything said; I think they should have used a background music or natural sound more often.