This is the first in a six part series on the U.S. healthcare system by independent producer Miles Eddy. There is a lot of excellent information in the piece, with interview excerpts from a hospital administrator and an ER doctor. But the piece needs tighter writing and editing. For instance, the narrator tells us that "Russ Johnston will give us an administrative point of view..." and "Dr. Beth Kinney will chime in from the perspective of an emergency room doctor". It?s distracting to be told what an interviewee is going to tell us before they do so. I would have started the piece at about 1:15 in, where the narrator says "We begin this series..." Some judicious editing would help to make this a good four or five minute piece.

This piece is a nicely produced interview with an environmental advocate on a particular aspect of the Endangered Species Act. Host Betsy Rosenberg is polished, and the piece moves along nicely, although there isn't anything special beyond a straight interview. Stations considering it for broadcast should be aware that it is a political advocacy piece, partially sponsored by Earthjustice, which bills itself as the "leading national non-profit public interest law firm" dedicated to protecting the environment, and it directs listeners to that web site. To my ear, the piece spends proportionately too much time talking about what the group it represents is, rather than focusing on the topic, which is protecting the wolverine population.

It took me a couple of times listening to this piece to decide if I liked it; in the end, I decided I did like it very much. The key to making it work is the writing and delivery of the essay. Producer Eve Abram's enthusiasm for New Orleans brass bands is infectious without being overdone. As a relative newcomer to radio production, she has made a great start. I like the sound of her voice and style of her writing. My only complaint is that she tries to do too much in a single piece, so it can lose its focus. The piece is set up well in the beginning as she is driving into New Orleans and she talks about her love for brass bands, but then it devolves into a funding pitch for WWOZ after an awkward edit. I think the piece would have been better if it had ended at 5:00 and kept the focus on the brass bands, but this is a great effort, and I'll look forward to hearing more from this producer.

Joe Bevilacqua strikes again with this superb documentary on the life and music of Louis Armstrong. The rich tapestry of music, interviews and sound from the streets of New Orleans is expertly produced. In addition to some rare recordings, the program includes interviews with Wynton Marsalas and others that really add to what is primarily a music program, rather than detract from the focus of the program. The sound quality is excellent, and the vintage recordings have been cleaned up well. The program is both entertaining and informative, and held my interest for the entire hour. This program would fit well as a special hour in any local jazz program, and I highly recommend it.

This is a well-written, enjoyable and funny piece of radio by Kiera Feldman. Tightening it up a bit and correcting some technical glitches could have improved it, however. Kiera?s voice quality changes during some of the edits, and the music mix was a bit too high for me; I found it a little distracting. But I found her style very engaging, and I look forward to hearing more work from this producer in the future.

Humor and satire are tricky things to pull off well, and this piece hits the mark some of the time. Humor is subjective, of course, but sometimes the writing is a bit too heavy handed. Nice use of sound bites from Limbaugh, Bush, etc. Topic matter concerns the 2004 presidential elections, so the piece is definitely dated. I would like to hear more in the future from this producer.

This is one of the most powerful pieces I have ever heard during my 30-year public radio career. Powerful because of both the subject content and the way it is told. The piece is about a woman on a jury contemplating a murder case and whether or not to vote on the death penalty. Only people who believe in the death penalty are allowed to serve on the jury; they are called ?death qualified?. The combination of narration by producer Alison Freeland and interview pieces from juror Amy Cradle are skillfully blended. The interview takes place in Amy?s kitchen, and her recollection of the jury process is extremely effective; it really makes you feel like you were there with the jury taking part in this agonizing process. It?s a powerful, emotional, thoughtful piece that is very well written and edited. I listened to the 15-minute piece several times, and it gripped me every time. This is an outstanding piece of radio and I would highly recommend it.

This excellent essay is one of a series produced by Eastern Kentucky youth called "Living with Coal in Eastern Kentucky". In this piece, Autumn Campbell talks about growing up as the daughter of a coal miner. She intersperses her narration with that of her father, who suffers from rock lung disease. It's a poignant piece of work, and you can hear the labored breathing of her father as he matter-of-factly describes the work in the mine and his own condition from working on a rotary drill. The piece is well produced and edited, and flows nicely, never sounding forced. It's a very personal story, well told, and I enjoyed it very much. It also happens to be timely, with the Virginia coal mine accident still very much on people's minds.

This is a nicely written poetic narrative, but the delivery is too forced and unprofessional for my taste. It's aimed at children, but it would make many adults cringe. But the writing is creative and witty. I think this piece would benefit from a more toned-down delivery. I would also eliminate the "take three" and "the end" from the narration, if it's not meant to be there.

What a wonderful, inspiring, uplifting piece! It exudes memory for anyone who has ever visited New Orleans, and hope for those who haven’t. This first person essay is very well written and delivered. Although intended as a fund raising piece, it could be used anywhere that a dose of inspiration is needed, and a reminder that music is a way of life.

This piece demonstrates the best of what science and technology reporting should be about. It is an excellent and well-edited interview with a scientist who studies how flies fly, and how to apply that knowledge to designing a flight vehicle. Too often, pieces that attempt to explain a scientific phenomenon are dry and confusing; not this one. This is a great example of what good editing and interviewing can do to explain a complicated thought. It was a delight to listen to, and I learned more every time I did. This would be an excellent addition to any magazine format.

This is a fun commentary about the place of hair, or lack of it, in our culture. Narrator Jess Mador shaves her head and reflects on the place of hair in our society. The text is well-written, and well-delivered. There is a nice use of music in the piece, and it would make a good humorous commentary for a magazine program.

Liz Jones has a nice voice and engaging writing style in this feature about the importance and history of the commons and green spaces. Unfortunately, there is a piece of music playing underneath the entire piece, which gets to be quite distracting after eight minutes. The piece itself is too long, and could use some editing. The interviews are great, but the editing could be tighter because the piece drags. Overall the content is excellent but the production values and editing could use some work.

This is an informative and well-written feature, which is one of a six-part series on VegOil as an alternative fuel. This piece works because of a terrific interview with Vivian Andrus, a 96 year old driver with some great stories about early Model T driving. The feature is marred, however, by poor technical quality and choppy editing. The questions from the interviewer are jarring and sound as if they are written and spoken to someone hard of hearing, which the subject probably is, but on tape it is disquieting. The subject matter is really interesting, and the topic of this piece is engaging, but it suffers from technical problems that detract from the excellent content.

This is an excellent example of a music review with excellent writing, smooth delivery, and a superb mix. It is tightly produced and leaves the listener wanting to hear more. With the historical significance of the featured artists, this piece would fit well into a magazine format, as well as a blues related music program.