Piece Comment

Review of Vaqueros


I must admit my strong, positive bias toward the work that comes from Next Generation Radio. On a couple of occasions, I have mentored students or young professionals in this program, so I know first-hand how hard everyone works to make the radio pieces top notch and engaging. This piece is no exception; it shines. Written and produced from a first-person perspective, the piece is buoyed by clean and meaningful prose, and rich sound. I love the producer's approach to finding a bit of history and making it her own. I'm also struck by the freshness of a younger producer's perspective--including her thinking that she was the sole media person on a quest to find a vaquero! This commentary is a solid piece examining western culture and the vanishing of the original cowboy.