When people inevitably ask “what is an audio documentary?” the easiest answer is to refer them to the work on “This American Life,” a radio show produced by WBEZ/Chicago Public Radio and hosted by Ira Glass. This show is very special. Funny, thoughtful, moving, and extremely inspiring to me. If you’ve never heard it, go NOW to the website, pick any random show and listen. Archived shows are free.
Please, check out these masters of the craft:
- The Third Coast International Audio Festival
a conference/contest/broadcast devoted to the craft of radio storytelling, awards annual prizes to a variety of producers, from the accomplished to the amatuer. You can hear samples of this year’s winners on their site . - The Kitchen Sisters and their work on the Lost and Found Sound series.
- Jay Allison
his site www.transom.org is a great resource for making your own radio. - Joe Richman’s Radio Diaries Series
radiodiaries.org - David Isay and Sound Portraits Productions
soundportraits.org, and a satellite program called Storycorps, which invites people to step into public sound booths and interview one another