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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Die, Mediocrity, Die!

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

  • 2006
  • 01:15:26

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.

The Wonders of Narcissism

Let's face it: you're funny and cunning and smart and insightful; disarming, direct, and hopelessly attractive. Why not give the people what they want -- more you! Sure you're not what the story is about.

  • 2007
  • 01:20:54

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

Stand Tall

The best "real time" radio sounds live and spontaneous, but requires forethought and structure. This session focuses on how to do "stand up" in the field -- what works and what doesn't.

  • 2007
  • 01:18:03

The Sounds Inside

In certain radio stories, sounds exist only in the mind of the storyteller and can't be physically recorded -- like dreams, memories, and predictions. How do you create a soundscape that brings "the sounds inside" to life?

  • 2007
  • 01:22:47

She Launched Channel Zero

In a time when commercial interests continue to stake a claim to audiences' attentions on the Internet, artists continue to explore the narrowcast as a vehicle for simultaneously cultivating an audience and developing a body of work.

  • 2007
  • 01:21:35

Secrets, Whispers, and Lies: Crafting a Personal Documentary

Everyone's telling their story these days –- in blogs, podcasts, on YouTube. But what makes one story a yawn or self-indulgent and another one compelling? How do you tell a personal story as a radio documentary?

  • 2007
  • 01:32:25

Options and Futures: Teenagers on the Radio -- Part Two

Listen in as teen producers from around the country present a survey of their work, with bonus features: the sounds they love to listen to, with commentary on why, and tape that didn't make the final cut in production, with commentary on why not.

  • 2007
  • 01:29:25

Options and Futures: Teenagers on the Radio -- Part One

Listen in as teen producers from around the country present a survey of their work, with bonus features: the sounds they love to listen to, with commentary on why, and tape that didn't make the final cut in production, with commentary on why not.

  • 2007
  • 01:23:31