Third Coast International Audio Festival

This hour: when two people meet, sometimes extraordinary things happen. And sometimes extraordinary things happen in order for two people to meet. Message in a Bottle by Peter Mulryan and Liam O'brian (Documentary on One, RTE, 2012) On Christmas day of 1945, an American serviceman named Frank Heyostek tossed a message in a bottle into the Atlantic Ocean. Eight months later it was found by a young woman on a beach in Ireland. Irish producer Peter Mulryan tells the story of what happened next. Big Jim and Smokey Joe by Lea Thau (Strangers, KCRW, 2012) When Jennefer Ludwigsen was a waitress in Hollywood, a grumpy, foul-mouthed customer turned out to be the strangest fairy god-father ever.

This hour: the drama of sport, the history of sport, the sound of sport and more... The Sacramento Kings by Laura Starcheski with help from Tina Antolini, Marietta Synodis and Taki Telonidis (State of the Re:Union, 2011) The Sacramento Kings have never been a huge powerhouse in the NBA. They've had a few good years, but nothing to write home about. When the owners threatened to move the team else-where though, the entire city rallied to make them stay. The Starting Five by Joe Richman (All Things Considered, 1997) Pro basketball is a big business. And at the center of it all are the athletes, giant men, exquisite competitors, paid millions. But the sport that draws tens of thousands to every game and millions more on TV wasn’t always so flash. In fact, at the beginning, it was barely even a spark. When pro basketball first started, there was no money, no crowds and definitely, a lot less height. Two and a Half Days by Bob Carlson (Unfictional, 2011) In 1975, Diana Nyad swam around the island of Manhattan. The swim took eight hours and broke the long distance record. When she turned 60, she started to train to swim from Cuba to Florida - a hundred mile, two and a half day swim. She had no protective gear, no shark cage - just her, the ocean, and her thoughts. So what does one think about while swimming for two and half days? The Sound of Sport (Excerpt) by Peregrine Andrews (BBC Radio 4, 2011) Next time you're watching the Olympics, close your eyes and just listen. You'll find that the sound of the sports are extremely rich and textured. That's because the olympics are carefully recorded and sound-designed by a guy named Dennis Baxter to bring you the most intimate experience possible.

This hour: failure of flight. In one story a man mysteriously falls from the sky onto a sunny London street, and in another, a plane crashes into a mountain side, and an 11 year old walks away. Falling by Bob Carlson and Kerstin Zilm (Unfictional, 2013) When Norman Ollestad was a kid, his father was always searching out the next big adventure. In 1979, when Norman was just 11, they left by plane to go skiing in California's San Gabriel mountains. When the plane hit bad weather, Norman realized he was in for a bigger adventure than he could have ever imagined. The Man Who Fell to Earth by Rob Walker (BBC World Service, Assignment, 2013) In September of 2012, on a sunny day in west suburban London, a man was found dead in the middle of the street with no identification. BBC correspondent Rob Walker followed along with the police’s investigation of the incident that started on a plane and ended up spanning two continents and eight countries.

This hour: families wrestling with love and loyalty. Grilling Me Softly by Jay Allison (Nieman Conference on Narrative Journalism, 2004) When veteran radio producer Jay Allison went out on his first post-divorce date, his teenage daughter didn’t hold back with her support or her opinions. Jay told the story to a live audience back in 2004. Except Me by Erin Davis (Third Coast National Broadcast, 2008) From early on, Marissa Skilling’s feelings about her Autistic younger brother vacillated between love and hate; some days she wanted to hug him and some days she wanted to strangle him. David and Ted by Max Jungreis (KRUA Alaska, 2012) Blood may be thicker than water, but at what point does loyalty exact too great a cost? David Kaczynski, devoted brother to "Unabomber" Ted Kaczynski, found himself grappling with this question as he confronted an absolutely unthinkable situation. Basement Story by Austin Bunn (Re:sound premiere, 2013) Writer Austin Bunn was thinking a lot about his twin brother when their mom decided to sell their boyhood home. In the process of cleaning out the basement, Austin unearthed remnants of a dark childhood game. Finding Sumo by Bob Carlson and Wendy Dorr (Unfictional, 2012) Several years ago, Melanie Hoopes and Ed Herbstman lost something extremely valuable (and cute). This is the story of how it was found.

This hour: hauntings of war, ethereal recordings, and other ghosts of Vietnam. The Vietnam Tapes of Lance Corporal Michael A. Baronowski by Christina Egloff and Jay Allison (All Things Considered, 2001) In 1966, Michael Baronowski took a reel-to-reel tape recorder with him into the Vietnam War. Thirty-five years later, the eerie, ghost-like recordings that survived him ended up in the hands of radio producers Christina Egloff and Jay Allison. Wandering Souls by Cathy Fitzgerald (BBC World Service, 2011) Both Vietnam and the United States remain haunted by the war. In the US, some soldiers are still chased by vivid memories. In Vietnam, the haunting is literal. There, it is believed that war deaths prevent the peaceful continuation of a soul as it journeys from this world to the next. Quiet American by Katie Mingle (Re:sound premiere, 2013) In this short feature, Aaron Ximm talks about the field recordings he made in Vietnam using quasi-binaural microphones, and about why he believes sound recordings are the best way to document our experiences.

This hour: where kids go to get away; from themselves, their troubles, the rules they’re supposed to follow, and of course, their parents

The 2013 Third Coast Festival Broadcast, showcasing the best radio stories of the year - winners of the 2013 TC / Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Competition.

The 2013 Third Coast Festival Broadcast, featuring the winners of our annual competition.

This week, a special feature. Everything Sounds is a podcast and short-form radio program exploring the role of sound in art, science, culture, and our everyday lives. Each program aims to highlight people, places, and ideas that expand our understanding of the power of sound. This week's episode highlights just such a place, and just such a person. Everything Sounds is produced by George Drake Jr. and Craig Shank.

This hour: Storied pasts and double lives. Fix by Sarah Lu, Nick van der Kolk and Brendan Baker (Love and Radio, 2012) As an investigative journalist, Jason Leopold had all the qualities he needed to break big stories, but the one story that nearly broke him was his own. Whitey's Rules by Gideon Brower and Eric Drachman (Re:sound debut, Third Coast ShortDocs Challenge, 2012) Residents of a quiet Santa Monica apartment building remember their neighbor, Charlie, also known as notorious Boston crime boss, James "Whitey" Bulger.

This hour: the delicate interdependence between being in need and answering the call to help. *NOTE: Not all pieces from the original broadcast are available on the podcast due to rights restrictions. Brian & Norm by Shevonne Hunt (ABC Radio National, 2010) Brian and Norm is a love-story and remembrance that begins at the end and looks back on a visceral bond that defined two lives. Dad & Sam by Jay Allison (Life Stories Collection, 2000) A short meditation on brotherhood, friendship and family. Fire and Ice Cream by Brent Runyon, Christina Egloff & Jay Allison (Life Stories Collection, 2000) There was little to feel good about when Brent Runyon ended up in the hospital after severly burning much of his body. Luckily, the right nurse happened to be there at the right time.

This hour: imperfect, impolitic, infuriating... love. *Note, not all stories from the original broadcast are available on the podcast due to limited rights agreements. A Jerusalem Love Story by Daniel Estrin (Vox Tablet, 2013) Every relationship has its obstacles, but this one between two men - a Palestinian and an Israeli - may have more than any couple can bear. Other Halves by Dennis Funk (Shortcuts, Falling Tree Productions, BBC Radio 4, 2013) When you enter a marriage, you assume that you know the essentials of who your partner really is. Turns out, not always. Unwedding by Rachel Simone James and Sharon Mashihi (Unfictional, KCRW, 2013) Claire and Finbloom got together in such a torrid, pyrotechnic kind-of-way, they decided they could break up with no less fanfare.

This hour: A dark secret that threatens to tear apart a family. A Sense of Duty by Heather Stewart (360 Documentaries, ABC, 2011) A man with four children, married over twenty years, hides a dark secret. It is so well buried that it takes a confluence of many seemingly unrelated events over many years for this secret to come to light. When it does, it tears apart his marriage, his work, and his sense of himself. But in the end, the excavation and exposure of his past saves his life. Incantations by Judith Sloan with help from Sheldon Steiger (Re:sound premiere, 2011) Queens is home to the largest mix of immigrants and refugees in the country. There, producer Judith Sloan gathered the sounds of people praying in different neighborhoods, churches, mosques, synagogues, apartments and public gatherings.

This hour: we’ll bob from the biggest maritime disaster that you've never heard of, to a man who saved thousands of shipboard lives with a deceptively simple design. The Sinking of the Lancastria by Susan Marling and presented by Allan Little (BBC, Radio 4, 2010) People have always been fascinated by ship-related disasters. The Titanic, for example, has captured our imaginations in hundreds of books and films over the years. But buried in history is a far bigger shipwreck - one that killed more people than the Titanic and the Lusitania combined. The ship was called the Lancastria, and now the last remaining survivors and their children tell its story. A Cheer for Samuel Plimsoll by Roman Mars (99% Invisible, 2011) In the 1800s, shipping disasters were commonplace. Even without icebergs and bombs to aid their demise, ships regularly sank because of overloading. The problem was so prevalent that a crusading British member of Parliament pledged to do something about it. His solution was so simple, so ingenious and so effective, that it is still in use today. A Nightingale Among Ye by Sam Greenspan (Salt Institute for Documentary Studies, 2006) All of the safety regulations and procedures that saved the lives of sailors and seamen killed some of their best traditions. Case in point: the sea shanty. As the steam engine ushered in modernization, it ushered out the on-board work songs that helped time go by and ease difficult tasks. Fortunately, they haven’t disappeared altogether, thanks in part to Bob Webb. Big Ship Diary by Allison Swaim (WBEZ, Front and Center, 2011) Regardless of all the modern conveniences and technological advances, life on a ship in the middle of the water, for weeks at a time, can be difficult, isolating and lonely. Radio producer Allison Swaim spent nine days aboard a bulk ore ship (a ship so big it would take a thousand semi-trucks to carry the same load) to bring us this modern tale of life on the water.

This hour: we present two very different stories about the Texas State Penitentiary. Both are about soul - the kind you dance to, and the kind you pray for. Prisoner Soul by Vivienne Perry, presented by Gary Younge (BBC Radio 4, 2013) In the late 60s and early 70s, the Texas prison system chose to put a little more cash and a lot more creativity into its effort to stave off prisoner violence, boredom and recidivism by allowing prisoners to form bands and record music. Ministry of Presence by Matt Holzman (KCRW's Unfictional, 2013) The very same Texas State Penitentiary in Huntsville featured in Prisoner Soul currently houses the busiest death chamber in the country. Meet Carroll Pickett, who has spent many agonizing years on death row, but not as a prisoner.