Comments by Zoe Bossiere

Comment for "Postcard from the Train Tracks"


Good Times On The Tracks

This postcard was short but sweet, with a few interviews and great sound of passing trains in downtown Tucson that give you a real feel for what being on the tracks might be like. The commentary from the girls is also pretty funny, my favorite being the mysterious, '...and he lost one arm and one leg'. Overall a very good short piece; I enjoyed listening to it.

Comment for "What do you wanna be when you grow up?"


Short But Sweet

Donna's 'What Do You Want To Be?' captures perfectly, in less than a minute, the most-asked question to every kid in America. It's a montage of varied and enthusiastic answers from kids and adults alike; the lighthearted music sets the mood and engages you. This is definitely one of the lighter stories I've heard in a long while; I find it fun and refreshing. It makes you want to hear more radio like it.
Good work, Donna :)

Comment for "I'm On Drugs"


Priscilla Does It Again

Priscilla is known for her honesty in the radio stories she creates; in 'Mother', she talked about how difficult it was growing up without a mother. Now, in her latest piece she's even more courageous, explaining her struggle with prescribed drugs. The piece is very well written; you can tell Priscilla is very sincere, and isn't afraid to share her life and her story. I thought the music was quite complimentary to the story as well. All in all, a great piece; I really hope to hear it on the radio.

Comment for "Video Game Violence"


Review of Video Game Violence

Having played video games myself since youth, I wanted to know what a fellow teenager would have to say on the subject of violence in video games and how it affects those who play them.

I was excited before hearing it, but it quickly diminished once I actually started listening to the piece. I was largely confused to what his actual point was. Was he supporting video games? The only clue to that was that he himself admitted to playing them. Put simply, I had no idea where he was coming from.

Then there was his voice; he has a great voice for radio, but the entire time it sounded scripted, and he stumbled over many of his words. I thought that the piece would have been far more powerful if only he had edited out and re-said a few of those sentences.

I think that this piece is a great idea, and I'm all for a story about video games, but it just seemed.... lacking.... It's not too bad of a radio story, it just needs a more professional suit.

Comment for "Human Costs of Prescription Drugs"


Review of Human Costs of Prescription Drugs

In "Human Costs of Prescription Drugs", a girl shares her story of what effects abuse of prescription drugs can have on people.

Drugs are more abused now than ever before. She knows this, and tells the public, through the story of what she herself experienced. About how, after she came back from college to her hometown, (in a sense) she didn't even know her old friends anymore. Most of them had turned to drug abuse, and were wrecking their lives because of it.

I felt very empathetic towards her, because I know how it feels to have a good friend drastically change on you. In her case, it was many a friend to so quickly become someone completely different.

I also felt that this piece had a very strong presentation. The producer spoke in a very southern accent, and it really gave you a feel for what sort of person she is, and where she's coming from. She also talked in a way that seemed like you were right there in the room with her, rather than just listening to her story.

Comment for "The Boy"


Review of The Boy

This story was unique in the sense that it was a written work by the producer, rather than a real life memory. It didn't seem unreal, though. Not at all. The piece was very descriptive, and, I think, accurately depicted what life in a foreign country is like.

She begins by describing a boy, about sixteen years old, getting up in the early morning to work in a field to support his family and feed his siblings. He works hard for the entire day, and then studies by night in hope of going someday to a better place.

I felt the story was very well told; it's sad to think that around the world, situations similar to this one exist. Most people take for granted the homes they have, and the food they eat. This piece offers a glimpse into another world; I think people need that. There should be more stories on the radio like this one.

Comment for "What the Bible says about Gays. And Women. And Pantsuits. And Haircuts."


Review of What the Bible says about Gays. And Women. And Pantsuits. And Haircuts.

The Bible, and what it says about Gays, Lesbians, (and, apparently, pantsuits) has been a rather controversial issue for very many years. Most people believe that the passages in the bible commonly used to 'prove' that homosexuality is wrong in the eyes of the church. However, as Matt says, these must not be taken literally.

Matt cleverly points out that the most popular quote used ('a man must not lie with a man the same as a woman, etc.') most likely only had to do with keeping clean, as back then, they believed that STD's were only passed from man to man, whereas now we know that diseases are passed man to woman, woman to man as well.

Matt also said that the same disciple who wrote the quote also wrote, basically, that a man's beard must not be shaved, and that materials in clothing must not be mixed, thus making haircuts and pantsuits against the Holy One's word (at this, I actually had to stop the piece and laugh because I didn't want to miss anything).

His final point was that it isn't fair that some rules of the Bible be disregarded and others enforced to an extreme. Churches should realize that the Bible can be interpreted many different ways; Gays and Lesbians are just as real and human as the rest of us.

I loved the piece. It was very professional, and struck the the point, while incorporating humor, and thought provoking ideas. I think any Christian listening to this story would listen carefully and might even be in agreement with what Matt has to say.

Comment for "The Villain we hate But Can't LIve Without: TV"


Review of The Villain we hate But Can't LIve Without: TV

(Please note that I did not label on of the tones. 'Controversial' was not available to choose, and that's what I felt would best describe said piece)

I must say, this story wasn't at all what I expected from the title. Instead of being Anti-Television, like I thought it might be, it was Pro-Television; an interesting and uncommon view.

The reporter did make a valid point that television plays a very important part in nearly every Middle American's life. However, I found some of the arguments to be opinions instead of facts. For example, at one point the reporter stated that reading text from a newspaper or the internet is 'cold' and 'impersonal', when actually, I find that I disagree.

I also thought that the part where he basically stated that 'everyone loves to hate TV, but really, none of us could do without it'. I, in fact, never watch television, because I believe that biases are easier to convey as fact when coupled with a distracting picture, whereas text is more straightforward and allows the reader to stop and think about it (rather than being moved on to the next thing far too quickly, like many television news stations do). Television News Stations put people on edge; how can that possibly be good for society?

I did, however, like the professional tone that the reporter maintained throughout the entire piece. He did stick to his main point, perhaps a bit long, but I do admire his courage to have his own opinions, no matter how disagreed with.

Comment for "Housing the Homeless"


Review of Housing the Homeless

Going to school in the city, I see homeless people almost everyday. I wonder about them; how they get food, where they sleep, and how they get through each day.

In this piece, a man speaks about his experience as a homeless person. He said how difficult it was to keep moving because of the severe depression, and how many people are prejudice of homeless individuals, making it difficult to find employment to get out of a situation like that.

He then says that he lives in a housing community specifically for people on the streets to get back on their feet, get a job, go back to school, and pay their bills. He sounded quite happy and content with this arrangement.

I felt happy for this man after listening to the story; few people do anything about the many who live their lives with no home and little food. Hearing about how significant this housing plan was to this man's life, and what a difference it made, made me think about how great something like that here in Tucson would be. Or anywhere, really.

The public, I think, would be quite interested in hearing this story, and might look at the next homeless person they see in a new way, thinking more about who they are as people, just like them, capable of living a good life, rather than writing them off immediately as 'homeless people'.

Comment for "Who Killed Santa Claus For You?"


Review of Who Killed Santa Claus For You?

I loved the title of this piece, which is actually the reason I wanted to listen to it.

Most parents expect their children to let go of Santa at some point, and without realizing it (or sometimes with full intention) rip the tradition away from them. It's very funny to hear the teenagers tell their story of how they came to learn the truth about Santa Claus, and most even laugh themselves.

This is one of those stories that everyone (at least here in America) can relate to. The piece used many different points of view, and didn't center too long around an individual person; just enough to get the point of each story and that was it.

It wasn't repetitive, and the music flowed really well with the whole thing. The sound quality was great; you could hear everything perfectly, and there were no infamous microphone bumps or anything.

I think this is a great piece for the radio, mostly because it's fun to listen to, especially around the holidays.

Comment for "Coping with war"


Review of Coping with war

As everyone, even globally, knows, the Iraq War has been an object of scorn as well as full support from the people of America.

Many people think of the war (as with any war) as the troops going to fight, defend, whatever; but most people don't think about the families of these people. While the soldiers may have it rough, the loved ones they leave behind have it just as hard, proportionally.

In this piece, a young girl (perhaps high school age) is interviewed about her father, who is currently in Iraq. The girl didn't quite sound upset, but you could tell that she wasn't exactly happy, either. Her family rarely got to speak to him, and he had been away for an entire year.

Another person interviewed spoke about the ways his programs helped children with parents in the military. He said that he gave them the attention they needed to succeed, and all around feel alright.

Still, I thought the whole thing rather sad. The poor girl; her father ripped from her life because of a war on the other side of the world. She doesn't know what goes on with him day to day, or even week to week some of the time.

It really makes you think about the effect war has on the general population as well as the country overall.

Comment for "Traveling Preacher" (deleted)

Review of Traveling Preacher (deleted)

I have always been one to stand behind the protesters in a debate, because I believe that the people always have something important to say, but few exercise that right.

That's why I loved this piece.

It was about a traveling preacher who made a stop at Penn State, only to find his message unwelcome. The students protested that the preacher's negative ideas about homosexuality and the way Jesus thought were actually driving people away from the church rather than drawing them to it.

Eventually, a police officer told the preacher to move along, inciting cheers from the crowd of students.

The whole thing was delivered in a very professional way, which I felt was appropriate. Although it is clear that the narrator leans a little to the side of the protesters, he also gives you the preacher's perspective.

Again, I loved this, and I feel it would be great on the radio!

Comment for "Silly house rules"


Review of Silly house rules

Seeing the title of this piece, I expected it to be fun and off-beat, and was pleased to find myself correct.

The whole thing was rather simple and short; just a few quick interviews with students about odd rules around their homes.

I was a bit down and frustrated before listening to the story; I hadn't had a very good day. However, the story was very quirky and funny, and, by the time I had finished it, I found that I felt much more cheerful than before.

The sound wasn't perfect, and there were a few parts that I felt could have been cut out (such as pauses in talking, etc), but in a way, that really added to the overall effect: lighthearted and unconventional. I could easily see this being on a collegiate radio station in some form or another.

Comment for "Being Bicultural: Stories of Asian American Youth"


Review of Being Bicultural: Stories of Asian American Youth

The title of this piece caught my attention, and I thought, oh, okay, this must be one of those "This American Life"-ish pieces.

This story doesn't focus primarily on one person's views, as I had expected, but rather on a whole range of people who consider themselves to be Bicultural.

As you hear the interviewees telling about their experiences and thoughts about their identities, it really gives you a feel for what their world is like. It makes you really think about adoption and ask yourself, 'What would my life be like if...?'

I loved how each person had their own background, and their own ideas of what it means to be Bicultural.

There were times, however, that I found just listening to just a voice was... lonely. I thought a little more background music during the interviews and at the beginning would have added a bit to the piece.

All in all, I really enjoyed it; the story gave me an insight into the lives of people that I had never really considered before.

A great work, and I would like very much to hear this on the radio someday!

Comment for "The Not-So-Secret Life of Every Teen: A Facebook and MySpace Story"


Review of The Not-So-Secret Life of Every Teen: A Facebook and MySpace Story

A user of Myspace myself, and, coincidentally, a teenager, I was very curious to hear what this story was about.

Websites such as Myspace and Facebook are very controversial, and so I was pleased at how the artist touched on how the media plays a large role in how parents view the issue, with the news clips at the beginning.

The interviewees were also well chosen. First, you hear Amanda Lynhart(sp?), an expert of the subject, who gives a basic overview of what social networking websites are about.

Then, after another interview with a young girl who uses said websites, the whole thing is wrapped up nicely with stories of all the good things people have done by using them.

However, the presentation of the story was a bit dry; and I don't imagine it would be particularly engaging if you didn't know very much about the Internet.

This is one of those rare stories that explains its points perfectly, and doesn't leave you at the end thinking, 'but what about...?'. I felt that piece was overall quite well done; the sound was great, and it had a very professional feel to it.