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A WRITERS GUIDE FOR RIGHT BETWEEN THE EARS Who
We Are • Sound Samples • Script
Needs This guide is designed to familiarize you with the series, with our ongoing script needs, editing process, sound samples from the show and the fee schedule. Don't even THINK about submitting material to the series until you've read this guide! We don't pretend to know everything about creating radio comedy, but we do know what we like and what kinds of material works on our show. If, after reviewing this guide, you still want to know more, please call Darrell Brogdon, during business hours, at (785) 864-2248 or e-mail at dbrogdon@ku.edu. WHAT IS RIGHT BETWEEN THE EARS? RIGHT BETWEEN THE EARS is a live radio comedy series produced by Kansas Public Radio in Lawrence, KS, and broadcast on National Public Radio stations across the country. In 1991, 1993, 2004 and 2005, RIGHT BETWEEN THE EARS (previously known as THE IMAGINATION WORKSHOP) was named Best Regularly-Scheduled Comedy Show by the International Radio Festival and, in 1993 and 2004, won the coveted Grand Prize for Entertainment Programming at the Festival, beating out such competitors as ABC Radio, CBC, BBC and National Public Radio. In 2000 and 2005, the series received a Gold Medal for Best Writing at the New York Festivals and was named Best Entertainment Program at the Silver Microphone Awards. In December 2005, the seriesreceived two Crystal Awards of Excellence from the Communicator Awards, for Best Writing (Humor) and Best Radio Program (Live Broadcast). Right Between the Ears won the National Best of Show prize at the 2004 Silver Microphone Awards (the first time for a radio show to be so honored in the competition). Other recent awards include a 2002 Silver Microphone Award, a 2002 Crystal Award of Excellence for Best Writing (Humor) and a 2003 Golden Reel Award for Best Music/Entertainment Program. RIGHT BETWEEN THE EARS has been aired on National Public Radio, public television, on Sirius Satellite Radio and Delta Radio, the inflight entertainment service of Delta Airlines. RIGHT BETWEEN THE EARS airs live from historic Liberty Hall in Lawrence and other venues throughout the Midwest, with a cast featuring veterans of Broadway, feature films, TV and radio. Aided by a versatile sound effects crew and musicians, our merry band of rib-ticklers pokes fun at politicians, sports figures, names in the news, radio-TV shows and personalities (including such familiar public radio stars as the Car Guys, Marian McPartland and Garrison Keillor), bad commercials and just about any fad, foible or folly that pops up on the national radar screen. Running bits on the series include episodes of The Legion of Stupid Heroes…Barbie and Ken At Home...Buck Naked: Frontier Scout ...The Casebook of Mobile Holmes... The Old Ranger... and Blimp Commandoes. Our commercial "sponsors" have included Motel Sex ("We'll leave the red light on for you."); Dysfunction Junction ("We put the FUN in dysfunctional!"); Recession ("The new fragrance by Giorgio Bush...it really stinks."); Execu-lax (“The laxative for Chief Executives who are full of crap.”)...Phillips 666 ("Use it in your car today...burn in it for eternity tomorrow.") and many more. RIGHT BETWEEN THE EARS also features satirical songs inspired by the headlines. In past shows, Kenneth Starr sang Would You Like to Sing for Ken Starr? (set to the tune Swinging On a Star)Newt Gingrich and the Four D's (Senators Dole, D'Amato, Dornan and Domenici) sang an ode to the Republican budget plan (Approve My Plan — set to the tune of Hold My Hand by Hootie and the Blowfish); the Politically Correct Chorus crooned The Liberals Lament ("Where have all the liberals gone...?"); Bob Dole extolled his Presidential virtues in I'm a Dole Man ("I'm a bold man...I'm a cold man...I'm an old man."); and we paid tribute to pork barrel politics with Raw Greed (set to the Theme from Rawhide). Each episode of RIGHT BETWEEN THE EARS is one hour in length and typically includes anywhere from 15 to 20 individual sketches. RIGHT BETWEEN THE EARS has been broadcast on more than 125 public radio stations nationwide, including stations in San Francisco, Seattle, New Orleans, Cincinnati, Boston, San Diego, Cleveland and Minneapolis-St. Paul, plus statewide networks in West Virginia, South Dakota, Vermont and Nebraska. The series is presently heard every week on Sirius Satellite Radio's Raw Dog Comedy channel. In late 2001,
RIGHT BETWEEN THE EARS was featured in its first-ever weekly TV
series, seen on public TV stations around the state. Previously,
our tenth anniversary special in 1995 was videotaped for public
television and, in June 1995, the show was featured on TV's 60 MINUTES.
Episodes of RIGHT BETWEEN THE EARS are on file at New York City's
prestigious Museum of Television of Radio. If you've never heard RIGHT BETWEEN THE EARS before, check out these excerpts from past RIGHT BETWEEN THE EARS productions. To listen you will need RealPlayer 5.0 or G2 with a minimum 28.8 internet connection. To download RealPlayer, click on the icon below. If you already have RealPlayer, simply click on the individual sketches below. Enjoy! The
Antonio Banderas Show
First and foremost, RIGHT BETWEEN THE EARS seeks material that is FUNNY. That's obvious, right? But you'd be surprised how much stuff we see that's derivative, poorly-organized, silly, tasteless and just plain unfunny. Comedy is very, very serious business. The audience has to get the jokes. Don't go over their heads. Be relatable to a broad audience. The laugh of recognition is the best laugh of all. Where to go for inspiriation? Try these resources for material:
The material should be TIMELY — that is, things that are on the minds of the people who tune in. If it's in the news or otherwise part of our current national consciousness, it's a potential target for the RBTE's satirical slings and arrows! Keep your writing crisp and pointed. Edit yourself ruthlessly (we will). Avoid repetition. One of the hardest lessons to learn is how to make your comic point and move on, without beating a gag to death. Generally speaking, these are things to AVOID in writing for RIGHT BETWEEN THE EARS:
The average
length of a sketch on RIGHT BETWEEN THE EARS is three-and-a-half
minutes. Bits can range from a few seconds to as many as five or
six minutes. We have been known to do a rare "epic" (one
of our best-received bits was an elaborate 14-minute spoof called
Robin Hood: Prince of Dweebs). These longer bits are exceptions.
Generally, we're interested in shorter material.
At RIGHT BETWEEN THE EARS, we work primarily with established comedy writers. There simply isn't time for us to teach anyone how to write comedy (we probably wouldn't know where to begin, anyway). Because of the deadlines involved, as well as our need to deliver network-quality productions every time out, we need established professionals who have already proven their ability to write successful comedy, whether for radio, TV, stand-up or stage. Okay. So you still want to pitch an idea. Here's what to do. We prefer that RBTE writers pitch their ideas in the form of a one- or two-line synopsis. Since many ideas get rejected, you're well advised to come up with several different premises. We do not accept pitches over the phone. Send suggestions via snail mail or email to: RIGHT BETWEEN
THE EARS When you submit sketch ideas, be sure to include your name, snail mail and e-mail address and YOUR TELEPHONE NUMBER. If this is your first contact with the RBTE, please submit samples of your previous work. We don't
recommend you submit completed scripts. Why? For one thing, we may
have already have done a similar bit in the recent past, and you
will have wasted your time. For another, we reject a lot of material
that's submitted to us, and it's better to devote your energies
to developing scripts that we might actually use, rather than spending
a lot of time on stuff that won't make it into the show. If one or more of your ideas looks promising, the Producer will contact you and ask to see a first draft in the standard RBTE script format. Briefly, we require that you:
To view a sample script page in this format, click here. Scripts not submitted in this format will not be considered for THE RIGHT BETWEEN THE EARS. REWRITING Every script will benefit from careful editing and rewriting! Around here, the generic criticism among our staff writers is "Faster, shorter, funnier". After you submit a script, expect to be edited. Changes will likely be requested, and YOU WILL BE EXPECTED TO MAKE THOSE CHANGES. Typically, this process continues through several drafts. Script editing is conducted in a helpful and supportive way. Whenever possible, you will have the opportunity to make changes yourself. However, as deadline approaches, the Producer reserves the right to make whatever changes are deemed necessary in your script. Frequently, changes are made in scripts throughout the rehearsal period and sometimes right up until the show goes on the air! If every
word of your script is precious to you, and you cannot bear the
thought of a single punctuation mark being changed...please —
don't make yourself crazy. Don't submit material to RIGHT BETWEEN
THE EARS. When a script is purchased for use in the show, that script is owned IN PERPETUITY by Right Between the Ears, L.C.. Script payments are made when the material is performed on the show. This ownership means simply that we are free to perform the script in perpetuity without additional payment to the writer. However, this does not preclude your selling the script elsewhere. Script payment is based on performance length, at the rate of $25 per minute:
Etc., etc.
Script payments are processed as soon as possible after performance.
To help us compute fees, we round off performance times to the nearest
:15 and figure on the basis of $6.25/:15 of material (for example,
a bit that runs 1:12 in performance would receive payment of $31.25).
Again, we don't pretend to know everything about creating great comedy. However, it's our task (and our pleasure) to create network-quality programming for a nationwide radio audience. As funds to fuel the production have become available, it's become necessary to establish some standards and practices, and define the kind of material we're seeking for RIGHT BETWEEN THE EARS. We're looking forward to hearing your ideas
and to working with you on the series. Thanks for your interest!
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© 2007 Right Between the Ears
P.O. Box 442085, Lawrence, Kansas 66044 • (785) 864-2248