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The Building Stewardesses:
World Trade Center Construction Guides (1968-71).
by The Kitchen Sisters for the Sonic
Memorial Project.
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What was the secret weapon in the public relations battle over the
largest building to be built since the pyramids? Friendly co-eds in
mini-skirted uniforms, of course. The Sonic Memorial Project first aired on
NPR's All Things Considered in 2002. (21:39)
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2002 Lifetime
Achievement Award Winner: Studs Terkel
Studs Terkel has been on the radio for nearly 60 years, perfecting his skills
as a consummate interviewer and master documentary-maker.
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In 1963, Terkel rode a train from Chicago to the massive civil
rights march on Washington, D.C., gathering the voices of anger, joy and
optimism from people making that historic trip. (34:00)
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Read the letter nominating Studs Terkel for the Lifetime Achievement Award,
Behind the Scenes.
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A Voice of
Warning
by Jade Bell
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A heroin overdose left Jade Bell blind, mute and unable to care
for himself. Now Bell tours high schools in British Columbia, where his
computerized “voice” speaks a loud warning to thousands of students. A Voice of
Warning first aired on the CBC program Outfront in 2002. (14:30)
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Dental Déja
Vu
by Gwen Macsai with Taki Telonidis
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Producer Gwen Macsai was 31 when, for the second time in her life,
she was subjected to that ubiquitous teenage torture device ... the dental
retainer. Macsai found herself both surprised and humiliated that a mere dental
appliance could unearth deep-seated, (and rightfully) suppressed memories that
unfortunately, she could no longer ignore. Dental Déja Vu first aired on Morning Edition in 1993. (7:04)
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Gwen Macsai shares thoughts on cracking people up on the radio,
Behind the Scenes.
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There Is in the
Soul A Desire for Not Thinking: The Double Life of
Raymond Carver
by Alfred Koch
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Austrian radio documentarian Alfred Koch produced this story about
seminal American author Raymond Carver. This documentary is in German (for the
most part), but don't let that scare you - We've provided a
transcript so that you can follow along. (23:00)
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Read about Koch's passion for Carver and how he came to make this documentary,
Behind the Scenes.
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Peggy Lee Appreciation
by Karen Michel
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A huge Peggy Lee fan, producer Karen Michel has produced five
features about this singer, songwriter and arranger. After the singer's death
at age 81, Michel produced this final homage to the chantreuse. Peggy Lee
Appreciation first aired on All Things Considered 2002. (7:53)
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TCIAF Director Johanna Zorn also talked with Michel about aging gracefully in
the radio biz, Behind the Scenes.
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Fez, Morocco: A Journey in Sound
by Jim Metzner
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When you stroll through the maze of streets in Fez, Morocco, it's
as if you are walking back in time. Sound recordist Jim Metzner recreates the
feeling of wandering through the city of Fez using an audio technique called
"live mixes.” Fez, Morocco: A Journey in Sound was first broadcast on the Savvy
Traveler in 1998. (12:37)
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Read more about making “live mixes”, Behind the
Scenes.
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Two from Salt
For nearly thirty years, the Salt
Institute for Documentary Studies in Portland, Maine, has offered
courses in non-fiction writing and documentary photography. In fall of 2001,
Salt began an intensive 15-week course in radio production that teaches
students field recording, interviewing, digital audio editing, and scripting.
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Hard-Hearted Hannah
Eighteen -year-old Hannah Hoose describes growing up as a part of her family's
folk band, with all its healthy snacks, archetypal psychodramas, and
oddly-compelling songs. Produced by Joni Murphy, Spring 2002. (8:23)
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Steve, the Baker
"Without bread we are all orphans" reads the sign that greets customers as they
walk into Steve's Bread Shop in Portland, Maine. In this story, meet Steve, who
bakes bread in the most traditional way possible: by hand. Produced by David
Welch, Fall 2000. (4:50)
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Learn more about the Salt Institute from Rob Rosenthal, Director of the Radio
Program, Behind the Scenes.
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The Idea of Gould
Many people know of Glenn Gould's unique and somewhat maverick contributions to
the classical music world. Not many have heard the stunning radio work he made
for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in the 1960's and 70's. Thanks to the
CBC for helping us to feature the following programs:
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The Best of Ideas: Petula Clark
A contemplative analysis of British pop star Petula Clark's career, including
her hit “Downtown.” First aired in 1967 on the CBC. (29:38)
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Gould introduces Stokowski: A Portrait for Radio, and
explains his interest in conductor Leopold Stokowski. First aired in 1969 for
the CBC. (5:36)
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Stokowski talks about the importance of cooperation in the
symphonic world and beyond. (3:56)
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Stokowski reflects on the international spirit of music and the
effect of technology on shared cultures. (4:15)
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Stokowski contemplates cavemen, aliens and their notions about
"the creative life." (4:52)
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Read more about Glenn Gould and the influence he's had on radio producers
around the world, Behind the Scenes.
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Audio Artist or Mad Scientist? Specimens from a Radio Laboratory
Gregory Whitehead has written and produced over one hundred radio features,
plays, essays, voiceworks and live-to-air performances; here we bring you four
examples of his work.
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Brain Mash
How to create a human brain ... from a bowl of mashed potatoes. First broadcast
on All Things Considered in 1998. (3:38)
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Marinade a la Tete
A cerebral yet refreshing exploration into the question "where do creative
ideas come from?" First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2000. (4:01)
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Ice Music
What if sounds could be frozen into ice cubes, then released upon their
melting? Everyday movements and actions might become rich musical performances
... First broadcast on All Things Considered in 1997. (2:27)
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Mind, Body, Soul
An interview with a performance artist, whose 'art' consists of consuming
entire copies of the Oxford English Dictionary, Gray's Anatomy, and the King
James Bible. First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1999. (14:01)
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Read more about these pieces, and Gregory Whitehead’s philosophy on radio,
Behind the Scenes.
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Mei Mei, A Daughter's Song
by Dmae Roberts
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Dmae Roberts tell two interwoven stories in this personal
documentary: the frustration she feels not living up to her mother's ideal of a
perfect Taiwanese daughter and the compassion she has for a mother who as a
child suffered abuse, starvation and the horrors of World War Two. Mei Mei, A
Daughter’s Song first aired on NPR in 1989. (26:34)
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Read an interview with Dmae Roberts, Behind the
Scenes.
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Hinterlands
by Sara Conkey
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In a blending of both drama and documentary, three bereaved women
talk about their real experiences of loss and how they've tried to move forward
with their lives. In a parallel drama, their loved ones meet on a beach in "the
hinterland," somewhere between life and death. Hinterlands was first broadcast
on BBC Radio 3 in 1996. (44:08)
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Producer Sara Conkey reveals the origins of the program,
Behind the Scenes.
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Hannibal: The Ghost of Mark Twain
by Larry Massett
Here's how producer Larry Massett first described this piece to us:
Hannibal was a decrepit and ghostly little town and people kept telling us
about haunted houses and mysterious lights. The pilot of the tugboat in
Hannibal befriended us. "I am an alcoholic," he said. "Every now and then I go
to AA to get in touch with reality. On the other hand," he added, popping
another Bud as the boat whirled around, "screw reality."
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Produced with Scott Carrier and first heard on All Things
Considered in the mid-eighties. (24:46)
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Wander Behind the Scenes for the rest of
Larry's entertaining explanation of this piece.
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Hollister
by Helen Borten
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Hollister is an investigation into what really happened on July 4,
1947, when 2,000 bikers roared into a small California town and left a media
explosion in their wake. Hollister first aired on public radio stations in
1997. (28:34)
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Helen Borten discusses her focus on people and communities,
Behind the Scenes.
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Ali Farka Toure: Country Gentleman
by Marco Werman
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Mali's acclaimed guitarist Ali Farka Toure announced during his
summer 2000 tour of America that he was retiring back to a farm in Niafunke,
his home village in the Saharan desert. This is the portrait of a successful
musician embracing a new direction in his life. Ali Farka Toure: Country
Gentleman first aired on PRI's The World in 2000. (11:28)
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Producer Marco Werman discusses how he mixed music and voice to shape this
story , Behind the Scenes.
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How Do You Get to Carnegie Hall?
by Brenda Hutchinson
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For one month during the summer of 1996, Producer Brenda
Hutchinson drove her piano from New York City to San Francisco in the back of a
U-Haul truck. Over the course of over 6,300 miles, she asked people along the
way to come and play her piano and to tell her a piano story. How Do You Get to
Carnegie Hall first aired on Soundprint in 2001. (28:58)
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Read an interview with Brenda Hutchinson on the making of this piece,
Behind the Scenes. |
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What's That In My Underwear?: First Period Stories
by Arielle Adams
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From summer camp woes to blissful recognitions of womanhood, this
feature on menstruation explores what it's really like to 'become a woman. What’s That In My Underwear?: First Period Stories first aired in 2002 on a
show entitled Girl Talk, on Maine's
Blunt Youth Radio. (10:32)
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Read more about eighteen-year-old Arielle and the experience of making this
piece, Behind the Scenes. |
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The Krasilovskys
by Robert Krulwich
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What happens when a family business splinters into uncles,
nephews, fathers and sons all competing with one other for the same clients?
Ask the Krasilovsky family, legendary in the moving business in New York City,
who spent decades jockeying for the best spot in the phonebook. (5:38)
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The Krasilovsky story is a great example of Robert Krulwich's playful style,
which he discusses Behind the Scenes.
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Ruth Ellis
by Neenah Ellis
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Ruth Ellis lived to be over 100 years old. She realized in her
teens that she was gay but she didn't talk much about then. Not until her
seventies, when she was welcomed by a group of younger lesbians, did Ellis
experience what she called the happiest times of her life. Her story is one of
a series of profiles of centenarians that ran on Morning Edition in 2000,
called One Hundred Years of Stories. (8:47)
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Producer Neenah Ellis talks about interviewing centenarians for this series,
Behind the Scenes.
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Postcards From a Fanatic Reactionary Pedestrian
by Abner Serd
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What is a fanatic reactionary pedestrian? How does one get to be
this way? These questions form the central theme of Postcards From a Fanatic
Reactionary Pedestrian—an abbreviated sonic glimpse of a 3,000-mile journey
along the side of the road. (17:52)
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Producer Abner Serd talks about his life, his walks and his travails as a
fledgling radio producer, Behind the Scenes.
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