How Sound

Josh: Growing Up With Tourette’s

rob — Wed, 08 May 2013 17:40:43 +0000

Have tape deck, will diary. Josh Cutler, the subject of Joe Richman’s “Josh: Growing Up With Tourette’s.”

“Happy Sweet 16!” to Teenage Diaries, the remarkable radio documentary series where young people were given tape decks to document their lives. The series, produced by Joe Richman in the 1990′s, is a stunning collection of stories that have become part of the radio documentary canon. I’ve listened to the stories time and again and never tire of them.

To mark the anniversary, Joe checked in with five people — now adults — who were featured in the original series. These new stories, Teenage Diaries Revisited, air this week on NPR’s All Things Considered.

To join in the party, I dug up an interview with Joe from 2009. On a previous incarnation of this podcast (Saltcast), Joe and I dissected one of the teen diaries, “Josh, Growing Up With Tourette’s.” Joe, as always, let loose with a ton of radio goodness during our chat — all kinds of tips and tricks and behind-the-scenes observations about the production of these diaries.

When you’re done listening, be sure to check out the new series and all of Joe’s work.

Happy Birthday Teenage Diaries!!

Rob

The Vietnam Tapes of Lance Corporal Michael A. Baronowski

rob — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 17:52:35 +0000

(Photo courtesy of Tim Duffie)

It’s ridiculous to even try to make a Top 10 List of favorite radio documentaries. I think my head might snap back like a Pez dispenser if I tried – there are too many good ones to pick from. But, regardless of the challenge, I know for certain the piece featured on this HowSound would make the list.

“The Vietnam Tapes of Lance Corporal Michael A. Baronowski” includes live field recordings from the war that are incredibly honest, genuine, unrehearsed, visceral, funny, devastating…. In short, they’re remarkable.

The story was produced in 2000 by Christina Egloff with Jay Allison as part of the Lost and Found Sound series. It received a Gold award from the Third Coast International Audio Festival. And, despite the fact that “The Vietnam Tapes…” is thirteen years old now, the staff at PRX tells me stations still acquire this piece to air around Memorial Day — as well they should.

Please put aside what you’re doing and make time to listen deliberately.

Cheers, Rob

PS – Two of my fav Lost and Found Sound stories are Tony Schwartz: 30,000 Recordings Later by the Kitchen Sisters and Listening to the Northern Lights by Barrett Golding.

Recording in Remote Locations

rob — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 18:17:40 +0000

Science reporter Daniel Grossman surrounded by his field recording gear. (Photo courtesy of Daniel.)

I have field recording envy. Daniel Grossman has recorded science stories in so many places on my travel list – Greenland, the Arctic, Madagascar, Mongolia…. I just might secretly stow away in his bags next time he leaves to report. Of course, the problem would be finding space.

Dan says he usually carries about fifty pounds of recording gear when he reports in remote locations. Much of it is back-up equipment because, as he says, anything can go wrong. Dan doesn’t ever want to be left unable to make quality recordings so he’s built a serious amount of redundancy into his set-up.

On this HowSound, Dan shares some of his favorite field recordings — calving glaciers, stick throwing howler monkeys, penguins, and elephant seals — along with his overseas reporting tips for gear and how to prepare.

And, while I’m on the subject of science, PRX recently launched the STEM Story Project. They’re eager to fund stories about science, technology, engineering, and math. Got a story idea along those lines up your sleeve? Then hurry because the deadline is April 22, 2013.

Ciao,

Rob

My Kingdom For Some Structure

rob — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 13:21:00 +0000

Napkin #1 – This American Life

Bradley Campbell says drawing story structure is like using Google Maps for directions. Structure offers a path, a way to figure out where to go… what to do with all the tape. To help him plan out his stories, Bradley thinks pictorially. He makes story structure drawings in his head. I asked him to make a few napkin drawings of how he sees structure. Indeed, that’s how he first learned about structure — in a bar on a napkin.

Many years ago, Bradley was a print reporter. He says everyone he worked with kept talking about structure. He knew they meant the way in which a story is organized, but that left him with a question: Organized how? So, he asked a friend of his from the Village Voice “What’s structure?” The guy grabbed a napkin and a pen and made a drawing. “Click!” Suddenly, it all made sense.

Now, Bradley’s a radio reporter for Rhode Island Public Radio. He says he’s listened long and hard to stories on public radio to understand how they’re configured and to create skeletal renderings of their structure.

“Napkin #1″ is Bradley’s drawing for This American Life, a structure Ira Glass has talked about ad infinitum: This happened. Then this happened. Then this happened. (Those are the dashes.) And then a moment of reflection, thoughts on what the events mean (the exclamation point).

On this edition of HowSound, Bradley talks about his napkin drawings for TAL, All Things Considered, and “The e” (on a napkin below labeled “Transom”). And, as a bonus for you because you’re reading the blog, I’ve also included his napkins for Morning Edition and Radiolab.

Napkin #2 – All Things Considered

To be sure, Bradley’s drawings are not approved by the shows they represent. These are not official. Nor are they the only way stories are told on these shows. But, for Bradley, they depict frequently heard story arrangements.

Here is his All Things Considered (ATC) napkin. It starts with a straight line. That’s the opening scene where the reporter introduces listeners to a character often in action. Bradley gives the example of a story about ticks he produced fro ATC. In the opening minute or so of the piece, we meet a biologist plucking ticks from shrubs in Rhode Island.

The dip down and up is what Bradley calls ‘the trough.’ “Throw whatever reporting you have into this middle section,” he says. In the “trough” of the tick story, Bradley included info on tick biology, lyme disease, and lyme disease research.

Then, the final line is a return to the original scene. Perhaps time has passed and the character is doing something new. But, it’s like book-ending a story — end close to where you started. Bradley’s tick story ended back out in the woods with the biologist.

Napkin #3 – The e

Bradley named this napkin “Transom” for Transom.org. It’s fair to say that’s a misnomer. The stories featured at Transom vary widely and can’t be summed up on a single napkin (which is true for all the shows listed here).

However, I teach at the Transom Story Workshop and since “The e” is probably my favorite structure, you can hear that approach to story in a lot of the pieces produced by Transom students, hence Bradley’s label.

“The e” is what the Village Voice reporter drew for Bradley many years ago. The beginning of the line is the present or somewhere near the present. (Frankly, you can start wherever you want in terms of time, but the present or recent past is fairly common.) And, typically, there’s a character doing something — a sequence of events.

Then, at the point where the e loops up, the story leaves the present and, perhaps, goes back in time for history and or it widens for context.

When the loop comes back around, you pick up the narrative where you left off and develop the story further to the end. Somewhere in that second straight line the story may reach it’s climax then the denoument or resolution of the story.

Napkin #4 – Morning Edition

Even though this napkin looks different than the others, Bradley’s Morning Edition structure overlaps with the others.

The first line is the opening scene. Then, it’s followed by history, context…. a widening of the story. Then, a return to the opening scene only further along in time. Then, that’s followed by several characters each of whom have a connection to the story. That’s what the horizontal lines on the right represent.

When I spoke to Bradley about how a story might play out using this structure, he suggested considering a story about Lutheran ministers advocating for same-sex marriage in the church. In the first line, we meet a minister who is in favor same-sex marriage and he’s in church preaching. In the “V” we learn about the history of the issue in the church and the proposed changes. We return to the minister, perhaps at a meeting where he’s advocating his position and that’s where we meet several people linked to the issue and their perspectives.

What’s cool about mapping structure like this is that the pieces are moveable. You can rearrange the parts like they’re Tinkertoys. In the Morning Edition structure, for example, you could open in a scene, then introduce two people with other views (like the lines on the right of Bradley’s napkin only on the left). Then the “V.” Then a return to the first character and the lines again. Or, maybe you start with the “V” then meet a character…. See what I mean?

Napkin #5 – Radiolab

If nothing else, the Radiolab napkin looks cool, right?! Here’s what Bradley told me about this drawing:

“Radiolab! Oh man…. I mean, who hasn’t spent an evening driving in their car and all of a sudden Radiolab pops on…. And you’re just listening to it and the stories just get, you know, they start to build out kinda small and then it feels like you’re going on a roller coaster and you approach this one sort of “Whoa!” and then it gets even cooler and then it’s like KSSSHHHSSHSH!

“…And all this chaos comes through and there’s all sorts of sounds and noises and excitement that’s building… and then it starts to get even bigger and it builds on top of that…

“(You know when) you approach the final incline of a roller coaster and then you shoot down and then it ends? Sometimes it feels like when I listen to Radiolab it’s like the roller coaster is just shooting off a ramp! And it’s like the whole coaster goes “whoosh!” and they just launch you!.. and you’re like “Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Where am I? Where am I?”

————————–

Looking for more structure in your storytelling life? Try this link to a Google Image search I did for “story structure.” It’s crazy.

And, John McPhee, a master of narrative non-fiction, recently wrote an article about structure for the New Yorker. It’s worth the read.

Oh, and here’s a link to the song by They Must Be Russians featured in the podcast.

Cheers,
Rob

Generation Putin

rob — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 18:38:18 +0000

In a nutshell, a lot of radio reporting involves some research, a drive across town for an interview or two or three, then writing and producing the piece. Sometimes, it’s even less complicated if you conduct the interviews over the phone.

I’m currently working on a project that’s a little more challenging. It involves about 1500 miles of driving, crisscrossing the the state of Maine collecting a couple of dozen interviews. My hair’s turning gray trying to schedule so many interviews in so many different locations and I got stuck in a snowbank, but still, it’s pretty easy.

International reporting, on the other hand, is an order of magnitude more challenging. There are so many more issues: language, transportation, passports, visas, freedom of the press….

Reporters Jessica Partnow and Sarah Stuteville of the Seattle Globalist have spent the last several years reporting from more countries than you can shake a stick at. They’ve clearly developed an expertise in overseas reporting and it’s readily apparent in their latest documentary, Generation Putin.

The hour-long doc, produced in conjunction with PRX, reports on young people and politics in the former Soviet Union. On this HowSound, Sarah and Jessica chat about their reporting travails from Ukraine, Georgia, Kazakhstan, and Russia.

If you’re looking for more info about overseas reporting, check out Gregory Warner’s presentation at the Third Coast International Audio Festival a few years ago, Found in Translation.

Ciao, Rob

What If There Was No Destiny?

rob — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 18:15:31 +0000

Barbara, Kalia, and Destiny outside their home in North Carolina in 2012. Photo by Pat Walters.

Sometimes, I wish there was a quadratic equation for journalism ethics. Just plug in the variables and the equation spits out the answer: “No. Don’t do that — ever.” Or, “Yes. This is allowed in this circumstance.” Wouldn’t that make ethical decision making easier?

Take, for instance, use of the pronoun “I.” In so many cases, using “I,” is verboten. Yet, with greater frequency, “I” appears in more and more pubic radio journalism. Seems like “I” now exists in a gray area — perfect for the ethics quadratic equation.

But, what about personal opinion? Isn’t that forbidden? I don’t hear too much of that. It appears that line is relatively clear. But, then again…

Listen to the Radiolab story featured on this edition of HowSound. It’s called “What If There Was No Destiny?” The line on opinion is blurred slightly in this story when reporter Pat Walters says: “I asked Barbara about some of the things she said because, to be totally honest, they kind of turned my stomach.” And, there’s more. You’ll have to listen.

After you do, will you please apply your quadratic equation for ethics to this and let me the answer you arrive at?

Cheers, Rob

Curious City

rob — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 15:41:22 +0000

Talk to any radio old-timer and they will wax on and on and on about “localism.” I think it’s in their blood.

Localism, is, essentially, a commitment to local public service, the idea that a radio station exists to serve its community. Localism holds that programming should be informed by the needs and interests of the citizens living within the “footprint” of the station’s signal.

But listen to most stations — commercial and public — and you have to ask: “Where’s the localism? Where’s the local content that serves this community?”

Most commercial, FM broadcasters air music and typically not a lot of local music. Maybe they have a talk show on Sunday mornings at 6am where, for example, the local Red Cross chapter has an opportunity to talk about an upcoming blood drive. And, of course, there’s local weather and public service announcements. But, all that is just an extremely small part of the broadcast day.

Commercial AM stations tend to fare better in terms of localism. They often have morning talk shows that tackle local issues. They may even have a reporter or two producing local news reports throughout they day. But, AM stations are apt to be a “pass through” for network programming originating in some far-off city.

Then there’s public radio. Public stations also tend to be a “pass through” for national content — think Morning Edition, All Things Considered, The Diane Rehm, Car Talk, This American Life….. Do the math some day. How much local airtime on your public station is set aside for local programming? What distinguishes your station from other stations across the country?

I don’t have time now to explain the disconnect between a broadcaster’s commitment to localism and the dearth of local content. Suffice to say, a lot of it has to do with ownership limits and media economics. Fortunately, there’s a growing recognition that if radio is to exist into the far future, stations need to reinvigorate their love of the local.

Enter Localore, a project of the Association of Independents in Radio (AIR) and several funders including the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. (Full disclosure: I’m on the board of AIR.) Localore funds dozens of public media projects across the US in an effort to, among many things, foster the production and broadcast of local content.

On this edition of HowSound, we listen to a story from the Localore project “Curious City” based in Chicago at WBEZ. The story is about Chicago’s distinctive accents. Jennifer Brandel, the lead producer for the series, says “Curious City” looks to ‘hack’ the prevailing public media model by bringing the community in as content generators.

As an old-timer with localsim in his blood, I think Localore, projects like “Curious City,” and the turn toward the local in broadcasting is clearly the right direction.

Cheers, Rob.

PS – Here’s a link to an excerpt from the Bertolt Brecht essay on radio I read from in the program.

Three Records from Sundown

rob — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 17:17:40 +0000

Singer and songwriter Nick Drake.

When Marshall McLuhan said “the medium is the message” he was, in essence, saying that the way a message is transmitted adds information, it says something — intended or not.

If that’s true, and I think it is, what about a radio story? Or, more specifically, what about how a radio story is produced adds information? Can the way you cut and mix and use sound say something more than just the sound itself? I think you’ll answer with a resounding “Yes!” when you listen to “Three Records From Sundown,” a documentary about singer and songwriter Nick Drake produced by Charles Maynes in 2009.

Charles crafted the exact right pacing, he fashioned the perfect sound design elements, he EQed (changed the sound of recording) in just the precise manner to evoke “Nick Drake.” It’s almost as though Drake and his producer, Joe Boyd, were in the studio recording a Nick Drake documentary like it was a Nick Drake song.

In this podcast, I refer to these production choices as “tone” and “sensibility.” They’re production elements producers should consider when assembling a story and Charles nailed “tone” with this doc (which won a Third Coast Director’s Choice Award, by the way).

Listen hard. Rob.

Tiny Spark

rob — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 15:26:38 +0000

“Tiny Spark” host and producer, Amy Costello. (Photo taken by UNICEF)

What impresses me the most about the podcast “Tiny Spark“ is the depth of reporting by Amy Costello. “Tiny Spark” is long-form storytelling digging deep into issues facing the work of foundations and non-profits. It’s an unusual beat and Amy’s asking tough questions.

Amy is the producer of “Tiny Spark.” She’s also the host, editor, and reporter. Amy brings to bear several years of reporting for public radio and television in the States and abroad and it shows in the podcast.

On this HowSound, Amy talks about “Tiny Spark’s” mission and shares some of the behind the scenes workings. We also listen to a story that’s generated a lot of chatter at the “Tiny Spark” blog: “Tom’s Shoes: A Closer Look.” The story offers critical analysis of the philanthropic efforts of a shoe company that donates a pair of shoes every time a pair of shoes is purchased. I think you’ll be surprised at what Amy’s investigation turned up.

After you’re done listening, be sure to subscribe to “Tiny Spark!”

All the best, Rob

PS – If you like “Tiny Spark,” be sure to check out the “Latitude News” podcast. In depth, international stories well told.

The Tale of Lot 180

rob — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 14:33:19 +0000

Lot 180 from Florida’s Unclaimed Property Auction, 2009. Photo by Kenny Malone.

On the face of it, a story about an auction is a pretty simple assignment. Half the work is just showing up. Then interview the auctioneer, people managing the auction, some buyers, and you’re done.

Well, you’re done if you want to produce a boring story.

In 2009, WLRN reporter Kenny Malone produced a story about Florida’s Unclaimed Property Auction and it’s anything but run-of-the-mill. Kenny reveals his approach to creative storytelling on this edition of HowSound. His method centers around a clever over-arching question, structuring a narrative with motion, and a connection to place.

I suspect you’ll want to take notes on this one.

Best, Rob

‘Til Death Do Us Part

rob — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 16:46:01 +0000

Sara Archambault Heather Radke

It’s possible I have a problem. Have you ever noticed how many HowSounds feature stories where death is a theme? It must be approaching ten. Is that a lot? And guess what this episode is about.

Not too long ago, an email came to me from Heather Radke. In it, Heather talked about the death of someone she did a story on while she was a student of mine at the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies. “It’s a strange loss, his death,” she wrote, “one that’s hard to describe to others. We all spend so much time with our Salt subjects and yet they don’t fit in any traditional definition of friendship.”

Soon after, I learned that Sara Archambault had a similar experience. Sara, too, was a student of mine and, like Heather, a character in her story had passed away. From what I could gather from their emails, both were attempting to figure out what they should be feeling and how exactly they should respond. At issue was their relationship to these people. A character in a documentary story is not a friend — or are they?

Hear what Heather and Sara have to say on this edition of HowSound. And, as a gift for slogging through another HowSound about death and dying, I’m featuring two stories rather than one. Of course, one of them is about…..

Best, Rob

PS – You should check out Sara’s movie — Street Fighting Man — as well as the foundation she works for that supports documentary film projects. While you’re at it, zip on over to the Jane Addams Hull-House Museum, that’s where Heather works when she’s not producing radio.

PPS – PRX has done it again. They’ve whittled down a trillion stories posted at PRX in 2012 to their best picks of the year. Happy listening!

Leaving A Mark

rob — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 16:14:09 +0000

“I have a small swastika tattoo on my left arm that I want to have covered up.” From Bruce Roderick’s Craigslist ad. (Photo by Emily Hsiao.)

Here’s what I want to know: On the radio, why don’t we hear more conversations with interesting people? Not newsmakers, not academics, not pundits, not authors…. interesting as they may be. I’m thinking of people telling stories about what journalist Walter Harrington calls “the momentous events of everyday life.”

Emily Hsiao’s radio story, “Leaving A Mark,” is just that. On the face of it, the story is a simple conversation between Emily and Bruce Roderick. But, there is SO much more going on. In fact, you should listen twice.

As you listen, keep in mind, this is Emily’s second story ever. Her first, and this one, were both produced at the Transom Story Workshop this fall. If we don’t hear more stories from Emily — and soon — I will personally hunt her down, put a mic in her hand, and make her start interviewing strangers. Her interview with Bruce is THAT good.

Best, Rob

PS – The Transom Story Workshop is currently accepting applications for the Spring 2013 Workshop. Registration ends January fourth.

PPS – “Leaving A Mark” is not for the feint of heart, even after I beeped all the expletives.

The Burning Question

rob — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 13:46:12 +0000

Audie Cornish gets my vote for the best smile in public radio. Audie is co-host of NPR’s All Things Considered. (Photo by Doby Photography/NPR)

The interview may be the core of what we do as radio producers. Conduct a solid interview and the rest will follow. Blow the interview and you may have blown the story. Even clever writing might not save the day if an interview goes south.

With that in mind, I figure you can never have enough information about interviewing. And who better to talk about interviewing than Audie Cornish who says she conducts a solid fifteen interviews a week for NPR’s All Things Considered. So, get out a pencil and paper because Audie offers some solid tips from years of experience and a gazillion interviews.

Ciao,

Rob

PS — Here’s a link to the book Audie mentioned, Sound Reporting: The NPR Guide to Audio Journalism and Production.

Jad’s Brain

rob — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 16:55:39 +0000

Okay, we’re goin’ in! Grab your earbuds and don your spelunking light. Our destination? Jad Abumrad’s brain.

This could get weird.

Jad’s a co-host and the producer of Radiolab, a science (and more) program produced at WNYC. Several years ago, Ira Glass was quoted as saying of Jad “there’s a new sheriff in town.” Why? Jad’s production style. Stories on Radiolab fall of the edge of the earth, zip back, swirl around your head, and worm their way into your ears.

Arguably, an episode of Radiolab is equal parts story and composition. On this HowSound, Jad talks about the composition element and what influences his one-of-a-kind production style. If you’ve wondered why Radiolab sounds the way it does, Jad explains all.

Below are links to the full Radiolab episodes excerpted in this show as well as the music Jad references.

Listen deliberately.

Rob

Radiolab Shows:

Argentine Invasion

How Do You Solve A Problem Like Fritz Haber

The Music in Jad’s Brain:

“Prelude and Rooftop” from Alfred Hitchcock’sVertigo, music by Bernard Herrmann

“Prologue” from the movie Birth, music by Alexandre Desplat

“Composition for Synthesizer” by Milton Babbitt

“Rozart’s Mix” by John Cage

“Symphony No. 1: III. Allegro Misterioso” by Witold Lutoslawski

“Seventeen” by Winger

“I Troldskog Faren Vild” by Ulver

Bonus Track (not included in the show but one of Jad’s fav black metal bands): “Autre Temps” by Alcest

The Seance

rob — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 02:27:07 +0000

C’mon, you know you wish you were at this seance! (Photo courtesy Bob Carlson)

I wish I could tell you there are hundreds and hundreds of opportunities for independent producers to get their work on the radio. Sadly, I can’t.

But, one consistently good outlet for indy work is KCRW’s “Unfictional” radio program and podcast. Weekly, Unfictional features a half hour of creative and ear-catching work from freelancers and the program’s producer, Bob Carlson. In fact, I feature Bob’s superb story “The Seance” on today’s HowSound — it’s your Halloween treat.

If you’re an independent producer, you should check out the Unfictional podcast and KCRW’s “Independent Producer Project.” They’re taking pitches — right now!

And, speaking of opportunities for freelancers, maybe there’s one right in your backyard! Check out AIR’s Localore Project. Localore is a national initiative of the Association of Independents in Radio fostering connections between indies and local stations.

Enjoy this HowSound then go get your own work on the air!!

Best,
Rob

The Green Lawns of Texas

rob — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 21:34:14 +0000

Whatever you do, don’t let a little snow on top of brown lawns get in the way of reporting on a drought. (Image by Krissy Clark, Midland, Texas.)

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It’s always a mystery to me — how does a reporter travel to a place they’ve never been to and report a story? It seems fraught. How can you possibly get the story right? In fact, this type of reporting is so risky it has a name, “parachute journalism,” and it’s definitely something you want to avoid.

Marketplace Reporter Krissy Clark has a strategy for combating the pitfalls of “parachute journalism.” Krissy reveals her tactics on this edition of HowSound. She talks about living in Los Angeles but reporting on the drought in west Texas — with only two days in the field. Talk about risky! And, we’ll hear her story “The Green Lawns of Texas” which was produced for the podcast Freakonomics.

As an added bonus, here’s a great collection of thoughts on getting to know a place and finding stories. It was written by students my students at the Transom Story Workshop.

Stay rad, Rob.

A Trip to the Dentist

rob — Wed, 26 Sep 2012 15:37:26 +0000

Not Larry’s actual tooth (as far as I know).

On this edition of HowSound, set the “Way-Back Machine” to 1977 for a legendary story — Larry Massett’s psychedelic “A Trip to the Dentist.”

The piece is legendary in public radio circles for two reasons. One, it was assembled on three, reel-to-reel tape decks — a process Larry says pushed the limits of the studios at NPR where it was produced and aired on All Things Considered.

Second, “A Trip to the Dentist” represents a time gone by, a time when NPR and public radio in general experimented a lot more with sound.

Maybe with the advent of Radiolab and 99% Invisible along with the popularity of the Third Coast International Audio Festival (which sold out this year, by the way), we’re seeing a return to risky, experimental story-telling. That would be a good thing, if you ask me. But I’m not quite sure we’ve reached the halcyon days of the 1970s and early 1980s when flagship public radio programs and stations encouraged and broadcast sonically challenging work.

If you’d like to hear more of Larry’s work, visit HearingVoices and Larry’s collection of pieces at PRX.

Best, Rob

Alleged Illegal Searches

rob — Wed, 12 Sep 2012 16:14:48 +0000

Antonio Rivera is featured in Ailsa Chang’s award-winning story on New York City Police Department’s alleged illegal searches.

Rivera claims the police removed marijuana from under his clothes then arrested him for displaying marijuana publicly. (Photo courtesy Ailsa Chang/WNYC)

Ailsa Chang is relatively new to reporting and boy-oh-boy did she hit the ground running. A year or so after Ailsa began reporting for WNYC in New York City, she won an Alfred I. duPont-Columbia Journalism Award for her two-part series “Alleged Illegal Searches by NYPD May Be Increasing Marijuana Arrests.” In fact, Ailsa says the series was her first-ever investigative story.

On this edition of HowSound, Ailsa shares her approach to reporting the criminal justice beat in New York City. In short: make connections, confirm everything you can, be prepared to sit for long hours in court, make more connections, and report the truth.

By the way, Ailsa recently left WNYC. You may start hearing her voice on signature NPR programs reporting on economics from New York City.

Cheers, Rob

9/15/12 – CORRECTION – In the podcast I state that weeks after Ailsa’s report, New York’s Governor Cuomo “introduced a proposal that would re-define marijuana misdemeanors to reduce incentives for police to conduct illegal searches and arrests.” Actually, the governor didn’t make his proposal until a more than a year after the report. It was state legislators that drafted legislation in the weeks after the report.

Passing Stranger: The East Village Poetry Walk

rob — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 13:55:40 +0000

It used to be people would say “Oh, the 1940s and 50s, that was the Golden Age of radio.” Maybe ten years ago they were right.

Now, I’d say the 2010s are Golden Age of Radio. Take radio itself then add on satellite radio, HD radio, the internet, podcasts, mobile devices… the deluge of audio content is ridiculous. And, I didn’t even mention audio tours, the topic on this edition of HowSound.

Radio producer Pejk Malinovski has ventured into the world of producing audio tours. He thinks other radio producers should, too, if for no other reason than they both use the same tools and skill set. Pejk’s first audio tour production was Passing Stranger: The East Village Poetry Walk. On HowSound, Pejk talks about the tour and some of the differences between producing for radio and producing for a tour.

You should be sure to visit the Passing Stranger site AFTER you listen to the podcast. It’s fascinating to see how they repurposed the audio tour for the web. Insanely clever, I’d say.

Happy listening!

Rob

She Sees Your Every Move

rob — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 18:51:56 +0000

“Fan Man” from Michele Iversen’s Night Surveillance Series, 2006.

Finally. A LONG overdue HowSound on scoring — using music in a story. Jonathan Mitchell’s provocative piece about photographer Michele Iversen goes under the HowSound audio microscope.

Jonathan is a master at using music in stories for Studio 360, Radiolab, the PBS science program Nova, and elsewhere. He shows us how he uses music for transitions and mood and he reveals his process — it’s all incredibly helpful if you’re thinking about using music in stories.

If you’re thinking of using music in stories, keep copyright in mind. For broadcast on public radio, use whatever music you want. But, if you audio work is distributed via CD or on the web or in videos, copyright is another story entirely. There is a lot of copyright free music available. And, there’s music you can license under a Creative Commons copyright. Here are just a few you might want to keep in mind for your next production.

Happy scoring!!

Rob

PS – Jonathan has an excellent podcast you should subscribe to — The Truth. He calls them “movies for your ears.” Go listen…. after you listen to this HowSound, of course.

Dissecting Joanne Rosser, Papermaker

rob — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 11:52:20 +0000

Story dissection tools.

I hope you’re not squeamish. On this HowSound, I take a scalpel to a profile on papermaker Joanne Rosser. I peel back the surface of the story to reveal its narrative and production innards.

No blood. No stench. Just audio storytelling under the microscope. Listen hard.

And, you have permission to take notes, if you like.

Best, Rob

PS — Registration is open for the Third Coast International Audio Festival in Chicago, October 5-7. Maybe I’ll see you there?

One Species at a Time

rob — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 13:10:47 +0000

Science reporter Ari Daniel Shapiro gets the low-down on Posidonia, a seagrass, from scientist Alex Lorente. (Photo by Manel Gazo in L’Estartit, Spain.)

Imagine spending five years working on your PhD studying Norwegian killer whale vocalization. Then imagine deciding you no longer want to be an ocean biologist.

That’s how Ari Daniel Shapiro got into radio. At the end of his studies at MIT, Ari came to the conclusion he didn’t want a career in marine research so he picked up a microphone.

Ari didn’t stray far from his studies, though. He now reports on science and the environment for programs like Radiolab, The World, and Living on Earth.

His podcast “One Species at a Time” got my attention recently. Ari produces the podcast with Atlantic Public Media for the Encyclopedia of Life. Each episode of the podcast profiles a single species in language the rest of us who aren’t scientists can understand. In fact, that’s one of Ari’s strengths — sifting through the minutia and lingo to make science digestible.

He says he uses the acronym DSW to guide his storytelling:

D – Drop the Details.

S – Search for the Story

W – Wander in the Wonder

Ari explains DSW in this edition of HowSound and we listen to a favorite from the “Once Species at a Time” podcast. Press “play,” my friends.

Cheers,
Rob

The Secret

rob — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 16:41:32 +0000

Carma Jolly produces for the CBC and moonlights as a snow sprite.

Initially, “The Secret” by Carma Jolly seems like it might be a story about Carma’s brother and his near-death experience caused by Spina bifida.

But then, about four minutes in, the story takes a sharp turn and suddenly “The Secret” is about Carma and her depression and suicidal tendencies — two topics rarely discussed publicly. I actually turned up the volume on my radio as that plot twist played itself out, a surprising bit of narrative magic. In that moment, I was hooked by the story and Carma as a producer.

“The Secret” originally aired in 2004 on Outfront, an incredibly inventive, daily radio program produced by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Carma worked for Outfront for many years. She’s now a producer for CBC’s Tapestry and a sound artist.

Got your ears on? You’ll need ‘em for this HowSound.

Ciao, Rob

Stand-Ups

rob — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 15:05:46 +0000

NPR Reporter, Robert Smith. Photo by Lam Thuy Vo.

Robert Smith’s stories for National Public Radio regularly bring a spark to news programs full of “just-the-facts-ma’am” stories. Robert does it by going live — narrating to tape on location. Freestylin’, if you will. No script. Just Robert and the moment.

In reporting lingo, this is known as a “stand-up.” And if Robert isn’t the king of the stand-up, he surely is the prince.

Personally, I find the prospect of a stand-up frightening. My script for narration is never far from me and my microphone. But, after talking to Robert for this edition of HowSound, I may just jump in the deep-end some day soon and give it try.

Have a listen to HowSound and then come back to the blog and check out these links to the full pieces featured on the program.

Coconut Water Companies Sell Image, Not Taste

Candidate Bingo: Is Bloomberg Running?

Bus Showdown: New York vs. Los Angeles

NYC Take The A Train to Honor Duke Ellington

Best, Rob

PS – Transom.org recently published an article by Robert and Phyllis Fletcher on spicing up short news stories. It’s called “Creativity in a Minute.”

Two Cape Cods

rob — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 18:04:09 +0000

WCAI’s Senior Reporter, Sean Corcoran in Woods Hole, Massachusetts.

Sean Corcoran made the leap. And just in time.

A few years ago, right around the time newspaper readership plummeted and papers shut-down one after another, Sean left newspaper reporting for radio. He was smitten by the sound of an interviewee’s voice he recorded merely for note taking and said to himself “I wish I was in radio.” He’s now the Senior Reporter at WCAI, the public radio station in Woods Hole, Massachusetts.

Journalism is journalism but print reporting is not radio reporting. To make the transition, Sean had to think differently about interviewing, writing, and story structure never mind all the gear and editing.

On this HowSound, Sean talks about what he learned from his leap to radio. He offers excellent insight on radio storytelling for print reporters who are now in the same boat he was a few years ago. And, he says there are print conventions radio producers could benefit from, too.

All that and a story from Sean’s Two Cape Cods, a series that received an Alfred I. Dupont-Columbia University award on HowSound today. Listen up.

Cheers, Rob

PS – Here are links to some of Sean’s other radio work.

Facing Alzheimer’s: The Caregivers’ Challenge

Power Struggle: The Future of Pilgrim Nuclear Plant

Mighty Tiny

rob — Wed, 30 May 2012 12:45:08 +0000

Susan Anarino and her tiny but mighty ukulele on Cape Cod. (Photo by Joanna Solotaroff.)

Joanna Solotaroff was a student of mine at the Transom Story Workshop this spring. When Joanna said she wanted to do a story on a Ukulele Orchestra I thought to myself “Yeah, whatever. Go for it. It’s your first piece. Make what you can. I’m sure it will be good but not something to write home about given the subject.”

Well, little did I know Joanna would put together a piece that captures the feelings of life lived every day, what Washington Post reporter Walter Harrington refers to as “intimate journalism.“

Harrington writes “… to most journalists honored with the job of remembering the stories of the tribe, (the) momentous events of everyday life are virtually invisible. To most American journalists, such events are akin to the dark and unknown matter believed to make up 90% of the universe: We keep reporting the movement of the planets when the big news is the unseen matter in which they spin…. In the language of the craft, we’re missing the story.”

Joanna didn’t miss the story. Not only is her story something to write home about, it’s something to podcast about. Have a listen Joanna’s first radio story ever, “Mighty Tiny.”

Best, Rob

PS – The Transom Story Workshop is accepting applications for the Fall of 2012.

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 19:04:08 +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 21:11:19 +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 13:07:48 +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