This story competently encapsulates the sad history of this remote corner of the United States, where native peoples were exploited by Russian fur traders for hundreds of years, and displaced in the last century by the US government. The piece then profiles a pioneering radio station, and its efforts to rebuild this community of Aleut people now spread out over a wide geographic area. Through music and storytelling, the piece conveys the flavor of native culture in addition to touching on the harsh realities of life for these people. The production is solid, though the narration is bit stiff and at times difficult to follow. Despite these shortcomings, this piece is a worthy reminder of the power of radio to serve rural communities.
Review of Radio from the Bering Sea
Taki Telonidis
Posted on January 27, 2007 at 05:13 PM
This story competently encapsulates the sad history of this remote corner of the United States, where native peoples were exploited by Russian fur traders for hundreds of years, and displaced in the last century by the US government. The piece then profiles a pioneering radio station, and its efforts to rebuild this community of Aleut people now spread out over a wide geographic area. Through music and storytelling, the piece conveys the flavor of native culture in addition to touching on the harsh realities of life for these people. The production is solid, though the narration is bit stiff and at times difficult to follow. Despite these shortcomings, this piece is a worthy reminder of the power of radio to serve rural communities.