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.
Making Waves: The Impact of Radio
In times of crisis the impact of radio coverage on peoples' lives is easy to assess. But day in and day out, how does radio touch the communities or subjects it portrays, and the audience it reaches?
- 2001
- 01:09:04
Keyboard Audio
This panel, moderated by Melissa Giraud, brings together two producers (Jay Allison and Elizabeth Meister) who were among the first in public radio and audio production to bring their innovation to the Internet, for a conversation about translating radio stories onto the Web and creating new art forms altogether.
- 2001
- 01:11:00
New Voices in Radio
Who's talking to the next generation of public radio listeners? This session, moderated by Ellin O'Leary, turns the mic over to some of the young producers who are busy expanding the audio documentary form by bringing energy and fresh ideas to the world of radio.
- 2001
- 01:20:16
D.I.Y. Radio
Do it yourself! This session is geared toward non-professionals and young people who want to learn more about telling stories for radio.
- 2001
- 01:03:27
Taking Risks in Radio
Producing "outside the box" is a challenge to the formulaic landscape of public radio, whether you're producing a sound art parody or poetic essay or a show bent on surprising its listeners.
- 2001
- 01:27:40
Ear to Ear
David Isay and Dan Collison play excerpts of their radio documentary work and discuss specific challenges, triumphs, and surprises encountered while producing various stories.
- 2001
- 59:50
Points on a Curve: Radio in Its Own Time and Place
Alan Hall focuses on radio's capacity to evoke a sense of place that exists uniquely in a non-visual, linear dimension.
- 2001
- 01:07:14
Digging In: Investigative Documentary Radio
Radio is an excellent medium for investigative reporting, so why do we hear so little of it on the air?
- 2001
- 01:06:16
Talking Story
The Kitchen Sisters skillfully lead this panel about creative and unusual approaches and techniques for producing compelling radio stories, including what can be learned from other media, like television and film.
- 2001
- 01:00:09
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
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
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
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
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
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
Trespassing
Jay Allison leads a discussion about the ways in which documentarians must be skilled in the art of trespassing...
- 2002
- 01:24:10
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
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
Once Upon a Time . . . The End
So, you've got your assignment. You've done your research, you've collected your tape, and now it's time (oh god) to write. In this panel discussion, moderated by Robert Krulwich, we examine the Everest and K-2 of story telling: How to Begin and (assuming you can get past that one) How to End.
- 2002
- 01:23:00
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
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
Sound Seizing: Recording in the Real World
After a long day of taping in the field, have you ever felt that you failed to capture the true essence of your location?
- 2003
- 01:32:59
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
The Music of Voices
Creative sound projects are increasingly blurring the lines between radio, audio documentary, sound art, and music.
- 2003
- 01:32:08
These Are a Few of Dean Olsher's Favorite Things
Arthur Godfrey had it. So did Bob and Ray. And Ken Nordine has it, too. "It": the magical quality that makes you feel they're talking to you and you alone.
- 2003
- 01:02:21