How Sound

Happy Birthday Studs!

rob — Wed, 16 May 2012 13:34:57 +0000

Studs Terkel being Studs. (Photographer, unknown.)

Today, HowSound marks the 100th birthday of Studs Terkel — America’s interviewer.

Who didn’t Studs interview?! He chronicled the life of 20th century America from the ground up in books like Working, Race, and The Good War.

Syd Lewis worked with Studs for a good twenty-five years. Syd’s an oral historian in her own right and has published several books. On this HowSound I chat with Syd about Studs and we feature an excerpt from her hour-long documentary “Working With Studs,” produced by Atlantic Public Media. You can hear the entire documentary at PRX.

And, speaking of PRX, you can find a slew of programs about Studs there. Listen to all of ‘em. Why not? He listened to all of us.

Happy Birthday Studs!

Fact Check This

rob — Wed, 02 May 2012 16:47:06 +0000

Seek the truth and report it. That’s the core of journalism.

But the truth needs to be checked — fact checked. And when you don’t….. well, just ask the folks at This American Life.

Last January, This American Life aired a program called “Mr. Daisey and the Apple Factory.” It featured the story of actor Mike Daisey who traveled to China to see, first hand, work conditions for employees at Foxconn, a manufacturer of components for Apple computers.

Two months later, TAL aired an hour-long retraction of that story. In short, TAL failed to fully check Daisey’s account of what he claimed he saw in China. As part of the retraction, they pinpointed Daisey’s fabrications and apologized.

To be clear, Daisey’s assertions about the conditions at the plant are accurate. His personal story wasn’t. And that, in turn, calls into question the veracity of everything he said.

It also raises the question: What is fact checking?

On this edition of HowSound, no story. Instead, I speak with long-time journalist John Dinges. John teaches at the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism where he’s the head of the radio department. John also worked at NPR for many years serving as Deputy Foreign Editor and the Managing Editor for News. Let’s just say John knows his way around fact checking.

For more reading on the subject of fact checking, John recommends The Elements of Journalism by Kovach and Rosenstiel.

And, I’ve cobbled together several articles and programs about the TAL/Daisey dust-up. It’s not an exhaustive list, but it should flesh out the details of what happened.

Brian Lehrer Show

On the Media

National Public Radio

Another from Poynter

And this from Science 2.0. It’s slightly off topic but still enlightening.

Study up. There’s a test on Monday.

Best,
Rob

Bucky’s Dome

rob — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 15:21:20 +0000

Katie Klocksin on the hunt for the weird.

Last fall, Australian radio host Richard Fidler visited the radio class I teach — The Transom Story Workshop. Richard repeatedly said to the class “Go for the weird.”

Katie Klocksin got the message. Katie was a student at the workshop and she produced a story on what just might be the weirdest building on Cape Cod — a geodesic dome built by Buckminster Fuller. Listen to Katie’s story, “Bucky’s Dome” on this edition of HowSound.

And, if you’re interested in learning how to produce radio, the Transom Story Workshop is currently accepting applications for the Fall of 2012. Come to Cape Cod, find something weird, then make a story about it.

Cheers,

Rob

Show, Don’t Tell

rob — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 10:58:58 +0000

Brian Reed — with tape rolling — wades into a lagoon on Kirabati to learn how high the sea has risen. (Photo by Claire Anterea)

Brian Reed has a knack for visual radio. Brian employs, with great effect, the old writing maxim “show, don’t tell.”

On this HowSound, we listen to clips from Brian’s work that exemplify solid visual storytelling for radio — walking waste deep in ocean water for Climate Change and Faith Collide in Kiribati; recording a man in a wheel chair in a parking lot that doesn’t comply with the American With Disabilities Act for This American Life; putting bad tape to work to create visuals in an economics story; and some good-ole-fashion “shoe leather reporting” that yielded an excellent example of “show, don’t tell” for a piece on police lay-offs in Newark, New Jersey.

Have a look…. I mean…. Have a listen.

Best, Rob

PS — FYI, Brian’s a producer for This American Life. He got his start in radio through fellowships at NPR — The Kroc Fellowship and the Above the Fray Fellowship.

A Square Meal, Regardless

rob — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 21:33:06 +0000

John Gallagher (l) and Cedric Chambers at their “everything-must-go” yard sale in Machias, Maine, in 2007. (Photo by Jenny Calivas.)

Jen Nathan produced “A Square Meal, Regardless” in 2007 and she’s been reeling from the experience ever since. So much so that she didn’t want to be interviewed when I featured this story last year.

“A Square Meal, Regardless” follows the last days of John Gallagher with his caring friend Cedric Chambers. John is dying of cancer and Cedric radically changed his life to take care of him.

Throughout the weeks John and Cedric are together, Jen recorded interviews and documented their daily lives. She says being there — a stranger with a microphone — felt uncomfortable at minimum and morally wrong at worst. She thinks of it as trespassing on an incredibly private moment especially since John and Cedric were uneasy about her visits.

For years, she was haunted by documenting this story. Only recently has she come to terms with it. I’m very thankful she agreed to speak with me for HowSound.

Please have a listen to this remarkable story — one of my favorites from the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies. Then tell us about times you felt uneasy about your work.

Best,

Rob

Krulwich on Gorilla Cage Drama

rob — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 14:25:49 +0000

I just listened to a slew of “Hmmm….”, Robert Krulwich’s science podcast for NPR. I couldn’t stop listening. One, then another, then another. If the phrase for a good book is “page turner,” Robert’s podcasts are a “click-wheel turner.”

The same goes for Radiolab, the science program from WNYC that Robert co-hosts with Jad Abumrad. I’m like a gerbil looking for the next pellet. Wheel-turn, click. Wheel-turn, click.

Robert’s stories are always ear-catching and dramatic whether they’re on radio, television, or in person at conferences. He practically forces you to want to know what happens next. How the heck does he do that?! So, I asked him.

On this edition of HowSound, Robert talks about drama, narrative voice, and the day gorilla cages changed forever. Think of it as a Master Class on storytelling, and Robert’s clearly the master.

Cheers, Rob

Leaving

rob — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 14:12:22 +0000

Whitney Jones

Radio stories usually aren’t very complicated. Generally speaking, you can probably place stories into two categories. The first is the argument story — these people say this, these other people disagree. The second is the narrative story — the piece is organized chronologically as a sequence of events. (To be sure, I’m painting with a broad brush.)

Whitney Jones produced a somewhat different story last fall while he was at the Transom Story Workshop where I teach. His story “Leaving” falls in the “narrative story” category but instead of one single sequence of events, “Leaving” follows two — a parallel narrative. That’s unusual.

The reason you don’t hear parallel narratives on the radio too often is because they’re complex. They require more attention from a listener who, typically, is doing something else while they listen. So, in recognition of that, producers and editors tend to simplify. That’s smart.

But, if the writer pays close attention to keeping the two separate narratives clear and simple then brings them together in the end in a satisfying manner, I think a parallel narrative can work on the radio and I’d like to hear more of them.

Definitely, Whitney’s parallel narrative works and works well. But you should weigh in. Have listen and post your thoughts.

Cheers,
Rob

Chorus of Refuge

rob — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 14:09:11 +0000

Once you’ve finished producing a story, what are you supposed to do with all the tape? Just let it sit on a shelf?

Some producers will re-purpose their interviews — turn them into a print piece or maybe fashion a new radio story. Producers Kara Oehler and Ann Heppermann, along with Jason Cady, a composer, created something very different. They re-purposed tape and made sound art. I’m sure someone’s done that before, but, frankly, I can’t think of it.

The piece they produced is “Chorus of Refuge” and it’s a song comprised of interviews collected for Ann and Kara’s series on Weekend America called “One Thing.” Originally, “Chorus of Refuge” was intended for museum installations where six radios played six interviews broadcast from six transmitters all at once. HowSound doesn’t have six-channel surround sound so we’re featuring the stereo mix — just two channels, left and right.

During a recent interview, Ann and Jason cited a handful of creative influences that inspired “Chorus of Refuge” most notably the groundbreaking radio documentary from Glenn Gould, “The Idea of North.” Ann also named sound artist Janet Cardiff while Jason says he had Renaissance music like Palestrina: Missa Papae Marcelli, Gloria in mind as well as the poetry of Jackson Mac Low and Emmett Williams, both of whom wrote poems to be read by two or more people simultaneously.

So, be prepared. This HowSound will stretch your ears. That’s a good thing!

Best
Rob

The Pirate

rob — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 13:50:22 +0000

Kelly McEvers

Kelly McEvers is a mic-slinger. Draws from the hip. Records with precision. Not afraid. (Okay, maybe a little bit afraid.)

Kelly is NPR’s Baghdad correspondent but, lately, she reports from throughout the Middle East — especially the countries where the revolutions aren’t working, as she puts it.

On this HowSound, Kelly is unabashed about her apparent adrenaline addiction, her critique of the NPR sound, and her approach to mic-slinging radio stories. To show you what I mean by “mic-slinger,” I feature a piece she produced for Working, a Marketplace series produced by Homelands Productions. The story is about pirates — dudes with machetes who rob cargo ships in Indonesia. Have a listen and you’ll agree — her nickname should be “Mic-slinger.”

Best,
Rob

Different, Not Disabled

rob — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 14:30:24 +0000

Radio storytelling is an excellent teaching tool for young people in practically any classroom. It builds skills in writing, research, public speaking, interviewing, interpersonal communication, time management, information management, media literacy… shall I go on?

Brian Spilbeler gets this. He teaches radio at Carmel High School in Carmel, Indiana, just north of Indianapolis. He’s also the manager of the the school’s radio station, WHJE. Brian’s students produce all kinds of radio including public radio-style commentaries and features. In addition to all the life and learning skills provided by radio storytelling, Brian says radio helps young people find their voice, literally and figuratively, which is important for personal development.

One of the better pieces to come out of his program is “Different, Not Disabled” by Ian Kathen, who is now a senior at the school. We’re featuring Ian’s story on this edition of HowSound along with a short primer on youth radio with Brian and Jones Franzel, the Director of Generation PRX, an initiative to support youth produced radio.

I hope you’ll be inspired to check out more youth radio after listening to the podcast:

Youth Radio

Blunt Youth Radio

Radio Rookies

Stories at PRX tagged “youth-produced”

Youthcast, a PRX podcast featuring youth radio stories

Here’s to your happy ears!

Best,
Rob

99% Invisible

rob — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 12:32:12 +0000

99% Invisible is my new favorite podcast. A little bit RadioLab, a touch of This American Life, and a lot of Roman Mars, the producer. There’s everything to like about the podcast.

Each episode makes visible some “in-broad-daylight-but-you-never-noticed-it-until-this-podcast” element of architecture and design. If you’re not curious about the built environment — which is just about everything from escalators to the pyramids — then listen to this instead.

On this edition of HowSound, Roman talks about a bit about the design of the podcast and podcasting writ large.

I should mention, too, Roman’s other major audio endeavor, Public Radio Remix. It’s a montage of ear candy produced for PRX — documentaries, sound art, features, podcasts, aural treasures…. Roman’s the DJ, if you will.

Happy listening!

Rob

The Longest, Shortest Time

rob — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 12:59:27 +0000

Hillary Frank launched a decade-long career in radio with an answering machine as a tape recorder.

In college, Hillary was dead-set on getting a story on This American Life. The fact that she had no radio experience what-so-ever didn’t matter. She just made a story and sent it in. But, instead of a professional mic and recorder, she used the built in mic on an answering machine and then edited on a boom box cassette player.

Really.

Eventually, Hillary worked at This American Life and half-a-dozen other radio programs. Now, she’s harnessed the creative spark again, this time with a podcast — The Longest, Shortest Time.

On this HowSound, Hillary talks about inspiration, podcasting, and motherhood.

Cheers,

Rob

Veronica’s Backyard

rob — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 12:51:32 +0000

Imagine this: You’ve met a total character. She’s kind of eccentric. She has forty-one animals in her backyard and it’s not a farm. And, just about every time she talks, she says something amazing. In radio parlance, she ‘spits tape.’

But, there’s no story. You pull out all the stops trying cull out a story by interviewing and spending time with the woman and her animals. Nothing works. All you’re left with is a bunch of great tape and no clear way to organize it — no story.

What do you do?

In short, that’s what happened to producer Joel Supple. This fall, Joel attended the Transom Story Workshop to learn the craft of radio storytelling. While she was there….. I guess I should probably say “here” not “there” since I taught the workshop….. so….. While she was here, Joel stumbled upon Veronica Worthington and her menagerie in West Dennis on Cape Cod. Joel spent a few hours with Veronica and collected a ton of great tape but….. no story.

On this HowSound we feature to Joel’s piece — her first ever — and I talk about solving the conundrum: How do you produce a story when there is no story?

Happy Listening,

Rob

PS – Transom.org is running another workshop in April and May of 2012.

The Plane That Flew Into the Empire State Building

rob — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 15:53:20 +0000

Listen to the audio in this video. It’s perfect for radio. With some clever editing, narration, and other content such as interviews with survivors of the crash, you could easily turn this into a radio story.

Why doesn’t that happen more often? The 20th century was captured in sound. Why aren’t there more radio stories featuring archive audio — oral histories, news reels, odd bits of audio flotsam? It seems like an obvious source of content and story ideas, doesn’t it?

Fortunately, producer Joe Richman understands the power and pleasure of storytelling with archive tape. On this edition of HowSound, we feature Joe’s radio story about the historic crash of a B-52 bomber into the Empire State Building — the video alchemized for radio.

Joe’s not alone, of course, but the field of producers using archive tape isn’t crowded. American Radio Works comes to mind. So, too, does Lost and Found Sound by the Kitchen Sisters. And, there’s Talking History, a radio program produced at the State University of New York at Albany. Anybody I’ve missed?

Now, you producers, go mine those archives!

Cheers, Rob

Kohn

rob — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 21:14:21 +0000

Image by Jacob Boll

There seems to be a trend afoot in documentary radio — working directly with musicians to compose music for a story. In fact, some producers are using music to tell the story, not just score it. That’s one hundred eighty degrees in opposition to standard journalistic practice of not using music at all. And, it’s pretty damn interesting.

“Kohn” by Andy Mills is a compelling example of this trend. (So, is Long Haul Productions’ “The Natural State” which we featured on HowSound a few episodes back.) Andy worked with Hudson Branch, a band from Chicago. They composed music to accompany and become part of the story about Andy’s friend, Kohn. Other people working in this vein are Charles Spearin and The Books.

Andy received the “Best New Artist” award from the Third Coast International Audio Festival in 2011 for his production. Well deserved, I’d say. And, RadioLab picked up the story and produced their own version. Andy’s version and RadioLab’s version make for an interesting comparison.

Speaking of comparisons, Kohn is accompanied by Hudson Branch as he sings a unique version of Grey Room by Damien Rice. Check out the original.

Have a listen and post your thoughts about music and documentary storytelling.

Cheers,
Robdr

Good Reading: Imagining the Story

rob — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 20:35:08 +0000

An article I wrote for the Transom.org Sidebar:

“As a teacher of new radio producers, I encourage students to do something risky – plan a story before going out to report it.

Sounds counterintuitive, right? Producers are supposed to enter the field to find the story, not impose one. Well, I agree with that, to be sure. But I also think it’s important to dream about what a story could be in advance.”

Good Reading: Radio Giant Norman Corwin Dies In Calif. At 101

rob — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 17:48:23 +0000

From an October 18, 2011 NPR report:

“Norman Corwin, a creative giant of the Golden Age of Radio whose programs chronicling World War II are milestones in broadcasting, has died. He was 101….

During a career that spanned more than 70 years, Corwin wrote, produced and directed for radio, television, film and the stage.

His insightful writing earned Emmy and Golden Globe awards. He received an Academy Award nomination for his script for the 1956 film Lust for Life, the biography of Vincent van Gogh starring Kirk Douglas.

But radio was Corwin’s true passion.”

Read and listen to more here.

Good Reading: On Murdoch and Liberal Bias At NPR

rob — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 17:14:04 +0000

From Edward Schumacher-Matos, NPR’s ombudsman:

“NPR has long been accused of being liberal, but a review of the coverage these past four months of a story tailor-made for liberal fangs may be instructive over how true the charge really is. The story is the ongoing phone-tapping and bribery scandal battering Rupert Murdoch and his media conglomerate, News Corp.”

Read more of Shumacher-Matos’ October 17, 2011 blog post here.

Edward Stephenson, Tobacco Auctioneer

rob — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 13:46:47 +0000

Tobacco warehouse, Richmond, Virginia, circa 1918.

Keys to good storytelling: strong, simple writing; solid voicing; professional recording and mixing; compelling characters; a seductive narrative; visuals…..

What else?

John Biewen says “sure-handedness,” a compelling, internal logic where one idea flows seamlessly into the next.

John’s a freelance radio producer and the Audio Program Director at the Center for Documentary Studies (CDS). He’s taught techniques for sure-handedness to hundreds of students and shares a few of those tips on this edition of HowSound. We also listen to a CDS student production from 2003 about Edward Stephenson, a tobacco auctioneer. It’s produced by Mara Zepada and Kate Waters. John says it’s a great example of sure-handedness.

And, with all your spare time, check out a slew of CDS-produced stories at PRX.

Ciaodah, Rob

Good Reading: Radio Fading Away?

rob — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 15:38:51 +0000

The Christian Science Monitor recently asked the age old question: wither radio?

“The latest suspect in radio’s impending extinction is Internet music services such as Spotify and Pandora that promise to offer a level of personalization and user control that commercial, or terrestrial, radio can’t match. But radio stubbornly lives on: According to the research firm Arbitron, 190 million Americans ages 12 and older listen to radio on a weekly basis. What’s more is that for musicians, despite the utility of YouTube, Twitter, or iTunes, the mass reach of radio is still the easiest way to break out big as an artist.”

Seizure’s Lament

rob — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 12:40:36 +0000

The Third Coast International Audio Festival is three days of ear candy. Producers from around the world travel to Chicago to share work, talk shop, and, most importantly, listen.

Unfortunately, Third Coast only happens every other year. So, 2012 is a Third Coast year.

However, the geniuses at Third Coast went and invented the Filmless Festival for the off years. It’s a full day of audio hijinks capped with an awards ceremony. This year, the Filmless Festival is Sunday, October 23. Tickets are still available.

On this edition of HowSound, I present one of the stories featured at this year’s Filmless Festival — “Seizure’s Lament” by Canadian producer Carma Jolly. It’s a well-crafted mix of first-person essay and sound art. You might want to wear headphones for this one. Then, when you’re done, make your way to Chicago for more.

Keep listening,

Rob

Good Reading: Review of Sony M10 Flash Recorder

rob — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 20:04:08 +0000

Transom.org has just reviewed the Sony M10 flash recorder.

Jeff town says: “We’ve hit a fortunate confluence of technology in the last couple of years, and there are now small, inexpensive, good-sounding recorders that can easily achieve professional-quality results. One of those is the Sony PCM-M10.”

Good Reading: Five tips from a radio journalist who reports solely from an iPhone and iPad

rob — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 22:11:19 +0000

“Since he locked away his cables, cameras and microphones in February 2010, (Neal) Augenstein has seen his report turn around time decrease (using only an iPad and an iPhone). ‘What used to take 30 minutes to create a fully-produced report I can now do in 10 minutes. The sound quality is probably is only 92 per cent as good as broadcast-quality equipment, that’s the number I’ve been estimating, but as it can be tweaked and goes through processing at the radio station, people really can’t tell the difference.’”

Read the whole article here.

The Natural State

rob — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 00:56:00 +0000

Natural gas well. Photo by Long Haul Productions.

A little bit of criticism is okay. It’s good to hear constructive (and, sometimes, not-so-constructive) feedback.

However, a LOT of criticism, especially if it’s pointed, well…. that’s just plain hard to take.

National Public Radio received a slew of listener complaints about Dan Collison and Elizabeth Meister’s July 8 story “The Natural State” which aired on All Things Considered. Robert Siegel and Michele Norris even read a few ‘jabs’ on-air.

“The Natural State” is part of Dan and Elizabeth’s on-going series Song+Story where they meld traditional reporting and song writing — an adventurous approach to storytelling. But, apparently, it’s too adventurous for NPR’s listeners.

Dan and Elizabeth talk about the public reaction to the story on this edition of HowSound. And, of course, we feature the piece, too. Have a listen.

Cheers,
Rob

PS – Here’s a link to all of Dan and Elizabeth’s work posted at PRX.

Good Reading: Death by Multi-Media Reporting

rob — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 14:07:48 +0000

From the Detroit Metro Times: How to Kill Journalism: Reporters should crowdsource, tweet, shoot, SMS, live chat and — oh, yeah — report the news

“Any time a reporter covers a story, she (the editor) would ask:

• Did you crowdsource this topic so you could ask more relevant questions of local officials?

• Did you upload the City Council’s agenda to our website using Scribd.com before the meeting and share it on social media so that readers would know that city leaders were considering raising their own salaries despite a general fund deficit?

• Did you “check in” to the meeting on social media and then Tweet and post on Facebook some of the discussion points during the meeting?

• Did you shoot video of local residents during the meeting protesting the decision, process it during the meeting, and post it on our website before the meeting ended?

• Did you post a paragraph on our website under Breaking News about the vote during the meeting and then write the full story after, post it online, and then push it out using social media, SMS text, or our breaking news alert via our e-newsletter subscriber list?

• Did you follow up on the issue by hosting a live chat the next day with local leaders and residents?

Now stop for a moment, and try to imagine Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein reporting Watergate and being asked to do any of this. You can’t even imagine anyone doing these things, except as a bad Saturday Night Live parody of the life of a multimedia reporter.”

Good Reading: iHeartRadio, New from Clear Channel

rob — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 13:45:08 +0000

From USA Today: Clear Channel’s iHeartRadio takes on Pandora

“For 11 years, online radio service Pandora struggled to find an audience. Now Pandora is far and away the most used online radio service, and it has a registered user base of more than 100 million listeners who average 17 hours of monthly listening.

So is it too late for a rival to catch up?

Clear Channel Communications doesn’t think so.”

Good Reading: Voice Activated Spotify for Cars

rob — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 13:38:24 +0000

From Business Insider: Spotify and Ford Hack Together to Stream Music to Your Car

“Imagine linking your iPhone to your car, launching Spotify, and telling your radio what to play just by talking to it.”

What is Spotify?

Inner-City Reality Check

rob — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 17:59:45 +0000

Katie Davis reports from her porch.*

Katie Davis doesn’t look very far for the stories she produces. In fact, they often come to her…. on her front porch.

For many years, Katie has reported stories for public radio direct from her home, the Adams Morgan neighborhood of Washington, D.C. And, these aren’t news-maker stories. They’re the stories about “how people live and what they value,” what former Washington Post writer Walt Harrington calls “intimate journalism.” Dispatches from the corner store. Observations on trash, the neighborhood hoarder, and conflict resolution on the basketball court. Her essays are simultaneously local and universal.

For this HowSound, we feature Katie’s essay produced in the aftermath of 9/11 — An Inner-City Reality Check. I think she was brave to write this essay given the climate in the country at the time. So was NPR for broadcasting it.

Currently, Katie is Senior Producer at “The Story.” She’s eager for story pitches from independent producers. You should contact her! thestory@wunc.org

Happy listening,

Rob

* For the record, this photo was on the porch at the Center for Documentary Studies, not Katie’s actual porch.

The Five Percent Rule

rob — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 19:18:43 +0000

The amount of effort Sally Herships put into her first investigative journalism piece….. well, it’s enough to drive you to smoke!

“The Five Percent Rule” is Sally’s 10-month-long foray into investigative reporting, a story on the under-pricing of tobacco on military bases. The piece aired on Marketplace in June of 2011 as part of a series on tobacco.

On this edition of HowSound, Sally talks about some of her behind-the-scenes work on the project. It’s a bit startling, actually. Huge spreadsheets, hundreds of phone calls…. even a new pair of special glasses to prevent the headaches she was getting from looking at a computer screen too long.

Sally says she received assistance from I.R.E. — Investigative Reporters and Editors. They were a tremendous help for this kind of deep reporting and exacting work.

Have a listen then let us know about your investigative work.

Ciao, Rob

PS – Here’s Sally’s blog for “The Five Percent Rule.” And, no, Sally doesn’t smoke.

PPS – This edition of HowSound was produced on Hindenburg software rather than ProTools, my usual audio editor of choice for a good dozen years. I haven’t switched to Hindenburg, but I sure like it a lot.

Fighting With My Dad

rob — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 11:33:33 +0000

Producer Richard Paul and his father, Bob.

In 2005, Richard Paul produced a story for Studio 360 called “Fighting With My Dad.” Richard hasn’t talked to his dad since.

“I can’t think of anything more fraught,” Richard says, “than doing a story that explores intimate things about your relationship with your parents.”

On this edition of HowSound, Richard talks about interviewing his dad and the epiphany that lead to breaking all ties.

Later, after listening to the story, check out Richard’s website. He produces a considerable amount of content for non-broadcast outlets. Perusing his site might give you some ideas for new clients and production projects.

Four Feet Under

rob — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 17:00:09 +0000

Eugene Rand and Bill True dig it right -- four feet deep, corners squared. (Photo by Clay Bolton, 2011.)

News on July 30, 2011: We’re now up on iTunes. Go ahead and subscribe. The button is in the sidebar.

Here it is, the first HowSound, the backstory to great radio storytelling. And, we kick things off in a graveyard — hopefully, that’s not foreshadowing!

The story I’m featuring is called “Four Feet Under.” The thing that strikes me about the piece is an out-take from an interview with the graveyard superintendent. Wow. Wait ’til you hear it. Crikey.

Clay Bolton produced the story and while he was reporting it, he was on the hunt for a universal — something that links the story to larger concerns that resonate with most listeners. Clay knew the superintendent would be able to provide the universal but, getting the tape was not easy. Clay and the superintendent were oil and water and I have the tape to prove it.

Have a listen and let us know what you think. Post your thoughts here.

Oh, and by the way, HowSound is the continuation of a podcast about radio storytelling called Saltcast. All eighty-two Saltcasts are online and available at iTunes. Go scoop’em up.

Best ,
Rob