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Playlist: News Station Picks for November

Compiled By: PRX Editors

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Curated Playlist

Looking for news picks for December? PRX Format Curators are here to help stations quickly locate radio pieces that are more relevant to their local air. Format Curators are very good in their fields: they have proven content expertise and have worked at local stations. They get the challenges of programming to a specific format and a local sound. Here are the November picks for News stations from Julianne Welby of the Public Radio News Directors Incorporated (PRNDI). Julianne Welby's 18 years in public radio include reporting and producing stints in Salisbury, MD, Washington, DC, and New York City, where she was WFUV's News Director for 8 years. She's now an editor in WNYC's... Show full description

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Turkeys

From Hearing Voices | Part of the Scott Carrier stories series | 00:06:39

This grim, sound-rich journey, which aired on Hearing Voices and WATC, goes from farm to factory to supermarket. In 6 minutes, deadpan reporter Scott Carrier introduces us to an insouciant farmer who says turkeys are "suicidal by nature," and a frank factory rep who narrates the slaughter step-by-step.
At times, the sound is indistinguishable -- it could be an assembly plant in Detroit. Ultimately, you know what you're hearing, and you reconsider the main course for Thanksgiving.

Buffalo Turkey Butt

From Andy Raskin | 00:07:05

Storyteller Andy Raskin is on a quest for the "delicious, best tasting ugly piece of meat," at least according to the panhandler who joins him. This 7-minute "tail" is more about welcoming unusual characters into life than adventurous eating.

The Gastronauts

From WFUV | 00:09:36

Anyone willing to eat turkey butt or camel would fit in well with this group of culinarily curious friends in New York City (they actually search for chicken butts). Producer Jody Avirgan invites us to a 9-minute telescoped meal with people known to eat live shrimp and octopus, hooves and bone marrow.

Getting Full For Free: Dumpster Diving in the D

From Zak Rosen | 00:05:06

I enjoyed every moment of this on-site interview, and I'm glad it's not a narrated feature. Host Zak Rosen asks visual, open-ended questions as he follows a woman who's been foraging for food in Detroit dumpsters for years. It feels like a treasure hunt as we jump in and look for the heavy bags -- the ones more likely to yield good ingredients. In 5 short minutes, it's a very human story about frugality, waste and recycling.

Commentary on Food and Cooking

From Adam Hirsch | 00:03:26

Here's a lovely and well-voiced meditation on the humanity we find in the act of preparing food. Adam Hirsch reflects on a humble childhood with farm-raised meals and his mother's cooking, and how it shaped his own attitude about food. There's an oblique and effective message about buying local. At a concise 3 minutes, it would pair nicely with other programming on the subject.

Smell of Onions Frying

From Susan Barrett Price | 00:02:50

Producer Susan B. Price also remembers her mother's cooking, and it's the gateway to some poetic reflection about a transitional time in her life. The music and sound work well with her read.

Bon Appetit!