Please Keep WCAI Right Where It Is

Please Keep WCAI Right Where It Is

Author: Rob Rosenthal/PRX/Transom.org November 19, 2024 Duration: 21:08
WCAI, the public radio station for Cape Cod, has been told it needs to move -- to leave the home it broadcasts from. An actual home. A former captain's house. News that the house had been sold startled the station staff and the community. In this episode, Rob laments what would be a strike against the station's deep commitment to local service. 

Ever wonder how your favorite audio stories are actually put together? Sound School Podcast pulls back the curtain, offering a rare and detailed look at the craft behind compelling narrative audio. Host Rob Rosenthal, drawing from his work with Transom and PRX, doesn’t just play finished pieces; he breaks them down with the producers and editors who made them. You’ll hear the early drafts, the interview clips that didn’t make the cut, and the pivotal editorial choices that shaped the final story. Each episode feels like a candid workshop, dissecting the techniques of pacing, scoring, and interviewing that transform raw tape into emotional journeys. This isn't about abstract theory-it's a practical, behind-the-scenes examination for anyone curious about the how and why of audio production. Whether you're an aspiring creator or simply a dedicated fan of the medium, this podcast provides an invaluable education in the meticulous, often unseen, work that goes into great storytelling. Tune in for honest conversations about what works, what doesn’t, and why the process itself is as fascinating as the finished product.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 100

Sound School Podcast
Podcast Episodes
For the Love of Radio, Get Out of the Studio! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 18:29
In honor of World Radio Day this week, The Sound School Podcast is celebrating with a story that exemplifies the power of radio to evoke striking images — a story reported from a remote hillside in Slovenia.
A Triple Whammy [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 20:26
Katz Laszlo says writing and tracking for herself is complicated enough. But it's an even greater challenge writing for and tracking with the two co-hosts of The Europeans podcast. Katz lays out how she and the hosts wra…
Tracking Partners [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 24:24
It's a brave thing to share the outtakes from a tracking session. All the blemishes are right there. But, Martine Powers and Rennie Svirnovsky from audio team at The Washington Post have graciously done just that. Hearin…
Revisiting: Goldstein on Writing, Fonts, and The Goldstein [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:49
While there were many great podcasts released in 2023, no one will remember the year as a good one for the people who make podcasts. There were far too many layoffs and cancellations including a show dear to our radio he…
Which Is the Better Open? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 11:50
Rob takes himself to task on this episode. He felt the beginning of the last episode of Sound School was so boring, he rewrote it. Compare the old version with the new version be sure to tell us at Transom which is the b…
Reporting Out at the Edge [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 19:52
Theo Greenly reports for a public radio station in the far-flung Aleutian Islands in Alaska. When he started, about two and a half years ago, he thought he'd hit the ground running reporting in-depth, documentary-style p…
Mixing Fiction with Non-Fiction [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 23:15
Fiction should stay in its corner, non-fiction in its corner. Or so Rob thought until he heard producer Pippa Johnstone seamlessly and effectively mix the two in her memorable podcast "Expectant," where Pippa explores a…
Interview Strangers on the Street, Make a Podcast [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 20:19
Catherine Carr has turned vox into artful conversation with a deceptively simple question: Where are you going? That's also the name of the podcast she makes (a recent British Podcast Award winner) where she interviews s…
Revisiting: Remembering Studs [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 24:27
Studs Terkel is considered by many to be a patron saint of documentary radio journalism. It's been 15 years since his death. On this archive episode of Sound School from 2012, Rob talks to Syd Lewis who worked with Studs…
Pleasing to the Ear [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:28
Rob acts as a story DJ on this episode, featuring excerpts from stories he’s recently found pleasing to the ear. His "playlist" includes work from "More Perfect," the BBC Radio 4 podcast "Seriously," "The Shortwave Radio…