Third Coast Audio Library

Our vast and ever-growing collection contains thousands of carefully curated audio stories, episodes from Third Coast podcasts, educational sessions on craft from the best makers on the planet, and more.

We’ve also featured some incredible audio work beyond this audio library, in other ways and using other formats: don’t miss the 2021 Web Showcase, featuring a more in-depth look at the winners, judges and even a list of 40 finalists from the 2021 Third Coast/RHDF Competition.

These Are a Few of Jacki Lyden's Favorite Things

Jacki Lyden has been an NPR contributor and host for more than two decades, reporting on vital issues at home and abroad and winning numerous awards for her work.

  • 2004
  • 01:23:47

Gen Next: Youth Producers Share Their Work - Part One

It's common enough to learn about youth culture through the observations of experts and adults, but so much more intriguing to hear it straight from the hearts and minds of the teenagers navigating through their own worlds.

  • 2004
  • 01:17:20

Gen Next: Youth Producers Share Their Work - Part Two

It's common enough to learn about youth culture through the observations of experts and adults, but so much more intriguing to hear it straight from the hearts and minds of the teenagers navigating through their own worlds.

  • 2004
  • 01:21:09

The Audible Picture Show

Matt Hulse presents short audio works by a diverse range of inventive audio artists and filmmakers, created specifically for "a darkened cinema."

  • 2004
  • 01:24:35

Deadline Radio

Most producers and reporters spend their days "feeding the machine" -- cranking out short-form work on a daily, sometimes hourly deadline, with no time for second guesses. However, a lot of news coverage is formulaic and, frankly, dull.

  • 2004
  • 01:18:25

Sounds Loved and Sounds Lost

This session is: 1) A brief survey of field recording by that and other names, with an emphasis on non-pragmatic applications of recording technology such as musique concrete (last century) and phonography (this one);

  • 2005
  • 01:29:47

Anatomy of a Radio Piece

Imagine three producers from two continents working on one radio piece.

  • 2005
  • 01:15:54

Radio Norway

Kari Hesthamar demonstrates the distinctive sound of Norwegian radio features by playing and talking about some of the most important elements of her own work -- creating small films for listeners' ears, capturing the true essence of a scene, and producing stories that come alive through the use of the present tense.

  • 2006
  • 01:30:25

Bring Extra Batteries

Attention new producers! Before heading out into the world with headphones on and mic facing forward, what do you need to know? Here's where you find out.

Die, Mediocrity, Die!

Do your own radio scripts ever bore you? Or frustrate, confuse, and deflate you?

  • 2006
  • 01:15:26

The Invisible Narrator

This session explores "found narration" - archival tape, interviews, audio diary entries - and sound that can all be used to perform the job of the narrator. What do you gain and what do you give up when you throw away the script?

  • 2006
  • 01:17:32

Let Your Sounds Do the Talking

So you're a great writer, and you've pretty much got interviewing down, but something's just... missing. Sound. The sounds we use and how we use them can say so much in a radio story, but often that potential goes untapped.

  • 2006
  • 01:11:58

Radio Across Time Zones

Radio transmissions are heard all over the world, from the largest urban centers to the smallest mountain villages. But what defines radio from a particular place, and what makes it different than radio from elsewhere?

  • 2005
  • 01:24:42

Sources, Correspondents, Fixers: Making Radio With Bloggers

Millions of bloggers write every day about their own towns, industries, and lives. As a radio producer you can work with a nation -- a world – of storytellers to find out about everything from French politics to knitting habits in Iowa.

  • 2006
  • 01:17:02

Talk the Copy

The voice of the storyteller is often overlooked but it's a vital part of making great radio. Marilyn Pittman shows you how to make your narration tracks authentic and compelling with her many tips and techniques.

  • 2006
  • 01:24:29

Teens With Mics

Youth producers are creating some of the most revealing and moving work on the radio these days, and we've curated a collection of gems for you.

  • 2006
  • 01:24:23

Telling Stories Far From Home

How can a producer prepare to make radio stories about distant lands and the people who live there, and why tell those stories anyway?

  • 2006
  • 01:25:48

Voice With a Capital "V"

Most of us use our voices in our work, but finding our "Voice" is an often overlooked part of our creative development. Hear what professionals from a variety of different fields have to say about this elusive aspect of our craft.

  • 2005
  • 01:16:48

Truth on Stage

When facts cannot plumb the depths, shall we lie? In this session, producers listen to and discuss radio documentaries that use fiction and dramatic elements to get to the truth.

  • 2004
  • 01:19:44