Impact of BP Oil Spill Reaches Minnesota

Though the BP oil spill may seem like something that happened 'way over there' for most Minnesotans, producer Mesgana Tesfahun's piece is an important reminder of just how far-reaching and significant the spill's effects truly are. Mesgana did a good job selecting evidence of how the spill affected Minnesota, capturing both business and wildlife/habitat concerns. I was intrigued by her observation that gas stations had changed their names, and also that BP wouldn't comment for the interview! After Diana's first quote, Mesgana immediately begins to talk about Josh, which may signal to the listener that Diana's comments are less interesting or important. Mesgana chooses strong words and phrases for her voiceover, but I would love to hear a little more excitement in her inflection and quickness to the editing. The comments about the spill cleanup right now are also a little vague -- is tens of thousands of gallons of oil being burned a good thing? Mesgana says that BP 'took the lead' with the cleanup, but she doesn't describe the government and public's criticism of BP's response. I feel this piece's strength is its emphasis on the local impact of a complicated issue far away; to that end, more detail and exploration of the examples of local impact will go a long way. Maybe record a trip to the seafood isle of a local grocery store, or try to dig up more Minnesota-specific statistics about the economic effect of the spill. "Impact of BP Oil Spill Reaches Minnesota" is a solid beginning on an issue listeners will be eager to hear.