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.

Ways of Hearing

It's not always easy to put aside the culturally-formed listening patterns we take for granted and hear radio in fresh ways.

  • 2003
  • 01:29:31

Breaking the Mold: Youth Producers Share Their Work -- Day One

Their work comes from the heart and gives us a glimpse into the most enigmatic of worlds: teenagehood. Listen in as young producers from around the country present their work and talk about how they're making radio relevant for a new generation.

  • 2003
  • 01:24:54

Breaking the Mold: Youth Producers Share Their Work -- Day Two

Their work comes from the heart and gives us a glimpse into the most enigmatic of worlds: teenagehood. Listen in as young producers from around the country present their work and talk about how they're making radio relevant for a new generation.

  • 2003
  • 01:24:21

Pushing the Boundaries of Daily Radio

Diamonds are made under pressure! For this session, Priya Ramu and Steve Wadhams from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation present their advice on how to make daily radio that shines and delights.

  • 2002
  • 01:26:42

Airtime

What does it take to get your work on the national airwaves? Representatives from NPR, PRI, and the Public Radio Exchange, with the assistance of moderator Julia McEvoy, explain how to get work on national programs and how to distribute stand-alone specials and series.

  • 2002
  • 01:06:51

Featuring . . . the Feature

The radio "feature" is a long-standing tradition of European broadcasting, a format with a style all its own. Kaye Mortley, an independent producer based in France, describes the feature this way: "These pieces are mind movies -- road movies sculpted out of reality.

  • 2002
  • 01:26:59

Trespassing

Jay Allison leads a discussion about the ways in which documentarians must be skilled in the art of trespassing...

  • 2002
  • 01:24:10

Rocks, Riptides, and Buoys: Radio in the Play of the Airwaves

Longtime proponent of radio as a fluid and flexible medium, Gregory Whitehead plays a variety of work from around the world and gives a philosophical and pragmatic talk on the role of imaginative radio in an increasingly congested media landscape.

  • 2002
  • 01:19:09

These Are a Few of Ira Glass's Favorite Things

Ira Glass plays and talks about radio and print journalism that has inspired him, including some surprising 1970s-era NPR documentaries which may be long forgotten by most.

  • 2002
  • 01:24:13

Music

Music and sound bring layers of meaning to your work. Incorporating them most effectively starts with looking for the movement and metaphor in your materials. Using examples from her own features, Sherre DeLys presents different approaches to integrated sound design.

  • 2002
  • 01:12:12

Interview

With a little savvy and practice, magic can happen between two people and a microphone. Taki Telonidis and Hal Cannon outline the basic elements of conducting an interview, both in technical and human terms, by playing great examples and bringing in the wisdom of master interviewers on public radio.

  • 2002
  • 01:24:40

Voice

The three legs of the tripod of radio —- voice, text, and sound -— are interdependent, and all contribute to the "voice" of any radio piece. Independent producer Karen Michel presents work that demonstrates different styles of voice and discusses what makes each one unique.

  • 2002
  • 01:21:07

When and How to Sell Out

It's hard enough to pitch a story to a public radio show -- are you willing to risk rejection from a whole new set of people? Daniel Sternberg talks about taking all of your talents, training, and neuroses and applying them to the world of podcasting.

  • 2007
  • 01:13:52

My So-Called Lungs

Laura Rothenberg is 21 years old, but likes to say that she's already had her mid-life crisis. Laura has cystic fibrosis, a genetic disorder that affects the lungs and other organs.

Nostalgia

The first Johnny Rockets opened in 1986 on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles, a concept restaurant embodying the epitome of retro culture.

We'll Drive Till We Find An Exit

A session about the joy and fear of pursuing stories without any idea of how they're going to succeed, or if they're going to succeed at all.

  • 2016
  • 01:15:41

The Runway

Mary Going runs Saint Harridan, a company that makes custom suits catering to butch women and trans men. Her fans are enthusiastic and dedicated, her products are selling out... and she can barely pay her rent.

Knoxville: Summer of 1995

Here's an audio homage on three levels: first, to James Agee's poetic memoir of the sounds and smells of Knoxville, Tennessee in the summer of 1915, shortly before his father died; secondly, to Samuel Barber's 1947 orchestral setting of Agee's text for the soprano Eleanor Steber; and finally to the modern city of Knoxville.

Mucho Corazon

Mucho Corazon tells the story of Leon Perlee, who builds and restores antique street organs in Holland's oldest surviving street organ business, and Milades Sosa, who works at a Cuban organ factory.