So far, I haven't come across a piece by Rebecca that isn't fantastic. This story continues that trend. It's told with a brisk pace that really fits the material.
Another fantastic piece from Eric. He has a way of sucking you into the story and making seven minutes fly-by.
Like so many good stories, it began with a great idea. From there, then it only gets better with great writing, great sound, and great reporting. It's a good mix of personal storytelling and reporting.
This is a fantastic vox pop. Snappy, well-produced, and most of all, so endearing. It's also quite funny at times. I want to play this for everyone I know.
I love this piece. It could add great punctuation to any holiday special.
Like any good voxpop, it's the question that is asked that makes it so good. That is to say, this is very simply a great idea. It's also well produced and mixed, and it seems like the perfect length. (It doesn't drag, but it doesn't seem too abbreviated.)
Wow, this is funny. I've found it difficult to find sketch-comedy on public radio that really makes me laugh, but this piece did it. You wouldn't describe this piece as "subtle", but its strength lies in the seemingly throw-away nature of some of the lines. And, of course, the idea itself is a great place to start. This piece strikes the right tone and rhythm, and -- as another reviewer mentioned -- the length fits the content.
This audio snapshot is impeccably produced and mixed. It has very high production standards and it's very listenable. The montage at the end is an interesting technique that's used effectively. The length seemed slightly excessive for the content -- I could have seen this being a little shorter, or it might have been nice to hear from someone with a more outside POV. But overall, very nice job putting this piece together.
i think this is a fantastic little piece. i consider myself a pretty tough audience when it comes to public radio humor, but this story had me laughing at my desk. the rhythm of the piece really makes it work, and the writing is clever without being TOO clever or snarky. the producer allows the story's natural humor come through without overburdening it with jokes and asides. nice work, i say.
This is the exact type of thoughtful half-hour piece we were hoping to find when we decided to run a Katrina show. It's well produced and gripping. The three men interviewed are great story tellers, and their conversation is nicely woven together without narration. The only small criticism I have is that the piece takes a very different turn about 2/3 of the way through, when all the action ends and the criticism/analysis begins. The mens' comments about the way the Katrina situation was handled and their general complaints about the administration are important to hear, but it begins to wear on the listener after a while, making the beginning of this documentary much stronger than the end. I wonder if those big-picture observations at the end of this piece could have been sprinkled throughout the entire half-hour more evenly to keep the listener more engaged to the end.
Having said all that, I think this is a really excellent production, and I was very happy to find it. It's a story that should be heard, and it's told here very well through a producer who knew what he was doing.
i like this piece a lot. i think its beauty is in its simplicity -- a man telling an interesting story. i like the use of a single piece of music to drive the story forward, and i like the way the producer avoids over-producing the piece. there are no train whistles or old railroad songs used; the content stands on its own as one man's story.
when i heard this piece on the PRX podcast, i knew right away i was going to have to find a way to play it on our local radio show. there are a lot of great things about this piece, but most importantly, it's simply a really good idea for a story. beyond that, it's well executed, well produced/mixed, and the narrator strikes the perfect tone. it's funny and fun without sounding like it's trying really, really hard to be funny and fun.
This piece is good because it doesn't really hold back. It's pretty raw, and it covers the many different moods of the situation. The tough subject matter wouldn't have been as well-represented if Sarah had taken out the hard-to-listen-to stuff (like the desire to violently shake the children).
Our show used this piece next to an interview about a book that collects one-day diary entries from women across the country. I think they worked well together.
This is a really nice piece. It's a good example of how public radio can introduce us to worlds that we'd never be let into otherwise. The production is good and the voices are great.
Comments by andrew walsh
Comment for "CSI Meets MFA: The Science of Detecting Forged Art"
andrew walsh
Posted on December 16, 2008 at 04:28 PM | Permalink
More great stuff from Sheir
So far, I haven't come across a piece by Rebecca that isn't fantastic. This story continues that trend. It's told with a brisk pace that really fits the material.
Comment for "A Missile Base Called Home"
andrew walsh
Posted on November 12, 2008 at 12:28 PM | Permalink
Review of A Missile Base Called Home
Another fantastic piece from Eric. He has a way of sucking you into the story and making seven minutes fly-by.
Like so many good stories, it began with a great idea. From there, then it only gets better with great writing, great sound, and great reporting. It's a good mix of personal storytelling and reporting.
Comment for "Sweetheart's Ball"
andrew walsh
Posted on July 03, 2008 at 05:09 AM | Permalink
Review of Sweetheart's Ball
This is a fantastic vox pop. Snappy, well-produced, and most of all, so endearing. It's also quite funny at times. I want to play this for everyone I know.
Comment for "Who Killed Santa Claus For You?"
andrew walsh
Posted on December 20, 2007 at 09:32 AM | Permalink
Review of Who Killed Santa Claus For You?
I love this piece. It could add great punctuation to any holiday special.
Like any good voxpop, it's the question that is asked that makes it so good. That is to say, this is very simply a great idea. It's also well produced and mixed, and it seems like the perfect length. (It doesn't drag, but it doesn't seem too abbreviated.)
Well done!
Comment for "Kasper Hauser: Phone Call to the 14th Century"
andrew walsh
Posted on February 19, 2007 at 02:52 AM | Permalink
Review of Kasper Hauser: Phone Call to the 14th Century
Wow, this is funny. I've found it difficult to find sketch-comedy on public radio that really makes me laugh, but this piece did it. You wouldn't describe this piece as "subtle", but its strength lies in the seemingly throw-away nature of some of the lines. And, of course, the idea itself is a great place to start. This piece strikes the right tone and rhythm, and -- as another reviewer mentioned -- the length fits the content.
Comment for "Escape Velocity"
andrew walsh
Posted on February 01, 2007 at 10:22 AM | Permalink
Review of Escape Velocity
This audio snapshot is impeccably produced and mixed. It has very high production standards and it's very listenable. The montage at the end is an interesting technique that's used effectively. The length seemed slightly excessive for the content -- I could have seen this being a little shorter, or it might have been nice to hear from someone with a more outside POV. But overall, very nice job putting this piece together.
Comment for "Christmas with Grandma"
andrew walsh
Posted on December 14, 2006 at 10:21 AM | Permalink
Review of Christmas with Grandma
i think this is a fantastic little piece. i consider myself a pretty tough audience when it comes to public radio humor, but this story had me laughing at my desk. the rhythm of the piece really makes it work, and the writing is clever without being TOO clever or snarky. the producer allows the story's natural humor come through without overburdening it with jokes and asides. nice work, i say.
Comment for "Soul Savers in The Big Easy"
andrew walsh
Posted on September 01, 2006 at 07:34 AM | Permalink
Review of Soul Savers in The Big Easy
This is the exact type of thoughtful half-hour piece we were hoping to find when we decided to run a Katrina show. It's well produced and gripping. The three men interviewed are great story tellers, and their conversation is nicely woven together without narration. The only small criticism I have is that the piece takes a very different turn about 2/3 of the way through, when all the action ends and the criticism/analysis begins. The mens' comments about the way the Katrina situation was handled and their general complaints about the administration are important to hear, but it begins to wear on the listener after a while, making the beginning of this documentary much stronger than the end. I wonder if those big-picture observations at the end of this piece could have been sprinkled throughout the entire half-hour more evenly to keep the listener more engaged to the end.
Having said all that, I think this is a really excellent production, and I was very happy to find it. It's a story that should be heard, and it's told here very well through a producer who knew what he was doing.
Comment for "Hobo Confessions" (deleted)
andrew walsh
Posted on July 25, 2006 at 09:17 AM
Review of Hobo Confessions (deleted)
i like this piece a lot. i think its beauty is in its simplicity -- a man telling an interesting story. i like the use of a single piece of music to drive the story forward, and i like the way the producer avoids over-producing the piece. there are no train whistles or old railroad songs used; the content stands on its own as one man's story.
Comment for "A Radio Rorschach Test"
andrew walsh
Posted on July 03, 2006 at 10:18 AM | Permalink
Review of A Radio Rorschach Test
when i heard this piece on the PRX podcast, i knew right away i was going to have to find a way to play it on our local radio show. there are a lot of great things about this piece, but most importantly, it's simply a really good idea for a story. beyond that, it's well executed, well produced/mixed, and the narrator strikes the perfect tone. it's funny and fun without sounding like it's trying really, really hard to be funny and fun.
Comment for "Cathy, 16, Mom"
andrew walsh
Posted on January 03, 2006 at 12:28 PM | Permalink
Review of Cathy, 16, Mom
This piece is good because it doesn't really hold back. It's pretty raw, and it covers the many different moods of the situation. The tough subject matter wouldn't have been as well-represented if Sarah had taken out the hard-to-listen-to stuff (like the desire to violently shake the children).
Our show used this piece next to an interview about a book that collects one-day diary entries from women across the country. I think they worked well together.
Comment for "Fisher Poets" (deleted)
andrew walsh
Posted on December 05, 2005 at 01:31 PM
Review of Fisher Poets (deleted)
This is a really nice piece. It's a good example of how public radio can introduce us to worlds that we'd never be let into otherwise. The production is good and the voices are great.