2008 TCF Conference - October 9 - 11, 2008
Hotel Orrington, Evanston, IL (just north of Chicago)

Ready to spend two + days with hundreds of fellow radio producers, artists, journalists and audio enthusiasts? Registration is open for this year's 2008 TCF Conference, which features and amazing range of presenters, special events and other surprises. And of course the annual TCF / Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Competition Awards Ceremony will bring the weekend to a fitting close, by celebrating great audio works and the brilliant producers who bring them to life, amongst friends brand new and decades old, and colleagues from around the world. Register online by following the link below, and read on for more information.

REGISTRATION HAS CLOSED!

Learn about the TCF Minority Student Scholarships.
Thanks to our sponsors.
See a first glimpse of the schedule.
Read more about the sessions.
Read more about (and see pictures of!) this year's presenters.
Check out the "other happenings" taking place throughout the Conference.
Find out how you can attend AIR's special one day, pre-conference intensive: Opening the Gate to Social Media

Registration Information

- The registration deadlines have passed!

- The conference begins with a welcome reception at the Hotel Orrington on Thursday, October 9, from
7 - 9:30 pm. Also, registration will begin Thursday from 5 - 9 pm. Check out a basic schedule.

- Your registration fee includes one ticket to the Awards Ceremony. Additional ceremony tickets are available for purchase online, via the registration form. You can also purchase them on-site.

- Those teaching audio are welcome to take part in the 3rd annual Audio Educators Breakfast on Sunday, October 12, 9-11am at the Hotel Orrington.

-  Refund policy: Your registration fee will be refunded in its entirety until August 29th. You’ll receive half of the fee back from August 30 to September 30th, at 5 pm, CST. After September 30th, the fee is non-refundable.

- If you have questions about your registration please contact the Third Coast Festival by email or by calling 312-948-4682.


Hotel Information

- The conference will take place at the Hotel Orrington in Evanston, IL, located at 1710 Orrington Avenue.

IMPORTANT UPDATE ON ROOM AVAILABILITY!

- The TCF had reserved a large block of rooms at a rate of $139 for a single/double. As of now, the Orrington has completely sold out of rooms for October 9 and 10, though a few rooms may become available again if/when there are concellations.

- If you want to give the Orrington a try, to make reservations call toll-free 888.677.4648 and remember to say that you're attending the Third Coast Festival Conference. Or you can make your room reservations online. The deadline for hotel reservations at the special rate above is September 15th.

- The two nearby hotels are the Hilton Garden Inn, and the Best Western University Plaza. Since this is a prime weekend, neither hotel was able to give us a special rate. You can also check your favorite discount travel website or the TCF's ning site, if you're not opposed to sharing a room with someone.

Getting There

- You can fly into O'Hare or Midway Airports to get to the conference. If you want to brave mass transit (cheap, but time-consuming) you can take CTA trains from both into downtown (the orange line from MDW and the blue line from ORD) and head north to Evanston from there (red and purple lines) via CTA or a Metra commuter train. We recommend you spend some time online planning your route before you arrive.

You'll find some more transportation information here, courtesy of the Orrington.

If you opt for the shuttle service look for Airport Express vehicles.
Service from O'Hare to the Orrington - approximately $32 one-way / $61round trip
Service from Midway to O'Hare - approximately $50 one-way / $97round trip

If you opt to take a taxi it'll cost around $40 from O'Hare and $60 from Midway.


More Info

NEW: Check out our new ning site, where conference attendees are already getting to know one another, finding room mates, and arranging for carpools among other cool stuff.

We're continung to add and refine elements of the conference. Please check back regularly to see the latest information or email us with specific questions.

The 2008 TCF Minority Student Scholarships have been awarded!

We're pleased to announce that the TCF is offering scholarships to help eight young people, members of ethnic or racial minorities, attend the 2008 Conference. Our hope is to encourage diversity in the radio profession among the up and coming generation of producers. Applicants must be 18-25 years old. Those selected to receive scholarships will have their registration fees waived and will receive a $250 travel stipend. They'll also have the chance to share their work and thoughts on the radio universe, during the session College: A Hotbed of Emerging Producers.

Complete and return the TCF Minority Student Scholarship Application (right-click to download PDF) by August 15, 2008. You will also need to send a work sample and a teacher/mentor reference, both are described in more detail on the application.

The TCF will make scholarship decisions based on application forms, potential abilities demonstrated in required work samples and personal recommendations. We'll let applicants know on a rolling basis if they’ve been selected.  

Mail the application, work sample and reference to:
Third Coast Festival
Chicago Public Radio
848 East Grand Ave.
Chicago, IL 60611

Or fax it to 312-948-4899.

Please email us with questions, or call 312-948-4652.

Join these organizations and become a sponsor of the 2008 TCF Conference!

          

All scheduled events take place at the Hotel Orrington, unless otherwise noted. Read more about conference sessions and other happenings.

Thursday, October 9
9am - 3pm / AIR's "Opening the Gate to Social Media"
5 - 9pm / Registration
5 - 10pm / Gallery of More open
6 - 7:30 / Minority Student Scholars' and Youth Groups' Registration and Dinner
7:30 - 9 / Minority Student Scholars' and Youth Groups' Listening Sessions
7- 9:30pm / Welcome Reception
9:45 - 11pm / WFMU's Free Music Archive, with Ken Freedman

Friday, October 10
8am - 6pm - Gallery of More / Listening Parlor / Radio Haven open

7:00 - 8:30am - Breakfast
8:45 - 10am - Welcome/ Opening Session
- Presenting the 2008 TCF ShortDocs: Radio Ephemera
- FNR Presents: Lenin's Ears

10:30 - 11 am - Break

11am - 12:30 pm - Breakouts A
- How to Make Good Radio When You Don't Have Any Time or Good Tape, with Adam Davidson
- Approaching Approaches, with Alessandro Bosetti
- Perfect Pitch, with Neenah Ellis and: Celeste Wesson (Marketplace), Bob Boilen (NPR Music), Jane Feltes (This American Life), Leda Hartman (World Vision Report)
- Like Blackpool Went Through Rock, with Sara Parker

12:30 - 1:45pm - Lunch

2 - 3:30pm - Breakouts B
- Just Listen to Yourself, with Deb George
- The Inner Sound of the Outer World, with Jens Jarisch
- Neo-Futurism: The Joys (and Rewards) of Forced Creativity, with Greg Allen
- Noah's "The Classics", with Noah Adams

3:30 - 4pm - Break

4 - 5:30pm - Breakouts C
- Mastering the Grill: Why Some Interviews Go Up in Smoke
- Listening Critically, with Ben Shapiro and James Wehmeyer
- College: A Hotbed of Emerging Producers, with Beverly Mire and various Minority Student Scholars
- Caging the Chaos: How to Producer Radio Stories That Aren't Really Stories, with Jonathan Goldstein
- Group [Radio] Therapy, with Long Haul Productions' Dan Collison and Elizabeth Meister

5:30 - 9 - You're free to explore Evanston and grab some dinner. We'll provide a list of nearby restaurants in your
registration packet.

9pm - 1am - PRX party at Prairie Moon (off site)

Saturday, October 11
8:00am - 6pm - Gallery of More / Listening Parlor / Radio Haven open

7:30 - 8:45am - Breakfast

9 - 10:30am - Breakouts D
- How to Make Good Radio When You Don't Have Any Time or Good Tape, with Adam Davidson
- Approaching Approaches, with Alessandro Bosetti
- Perfect Pitch, with Neenah Ellis and: Davia Nelson/Nikki Silva (Kitchen Sisters), Peter Clowney (Weekend America), David Krasnow (Studio360)
- Like Blackpool Went Through Rock, with Sara Parker
- Group [Radio] Therapy, with Long Haul Productions' Dan Collison and Elizabeth Meister

10:30 - 11am - Break

11am - 12:30pm - Breakouts E
- Just Listen to Yourself, with Deb George
- The Inner Sound of the Outer World, with Jens Jarisch
- Neo-Futurism: The Joys (and Rewards) of Forced Creativity, with Greg Allen
- Noah's "The Classics", with Noah Adams

12:30 - 1:45pm - Lunch

2 - 3:30pm - Breakouts F
- Mastering the Grill: Why Some Interviews Go Up in Smoke
- Listening Critically, with Ben Shapiro and James Wehmeyer
- College: A Hotbed of Emerging Producers, with Beverly Mire and various Minority Student Scholars
- Caging the Chaos: How to Producer Radio Stories That Aren't Really Stories, with Jonathan Goldstein

3:30 - 4pm - Break

4 - 5:30pm - Closing Session
- These Are a Few of the Kitchen Sisters' Favorite Things

5:30 - 8pm - You're free to explore Evanston and find some dinner.

8 - 11:00pm - Awards Ceremony and Champagne Reception
11pm - 1:30am - Post-Ceremony Hang at Union Pizzeria (and bar!)

Sunday, October 12

9 - 11:00 am - Educators' Breakfast