How Sound

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 -- including this episode. Is that a lot? 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. She, 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 the relationship especially after both Heather and Sara had spent so much time with these people documenting their lives. A character in a 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..... well, you guessed it.

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.

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.

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. At the blog, HowSound.org, there are links to the full Radiolab episodes excerpted in this show as well as the music Jad references. Listen deliberately. Rob

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

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.)  r 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.

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

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) r 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 r 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.

  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  

"Fan Man" from Michele Iversen's Night Surveillance Series, 2006. r 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. Internet Archive ccMixter Free Music Archive Moby Gratis 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.

Story dissection tools. r 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?

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

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

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."  

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 r 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 r