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Playlist: News Station Picks for January

Compiled By: PRX Editors

Credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/68623153@N00/1215509233/">Luis3D</a>
Image by: Luis3D 
Curated Playlist
Here are the January picks for news stations from PRX Format Curator Julianne Welby of the Public Radio News Directors Incorporated (PRNDI).

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.

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 newsroom. Julianne also teaches radio at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and she works with Public Radio News Directors on its training initiatives.

What Julianne listens for in a piece:

"Surprise me. Teach me something new. Or debunk what I thought I knew a lot about.

"Lets sources speak for themselves. Strike a nice balance between the elements — narration, sources and sound. Always cut to the chase.

"I appreciate a well-crafted script but crave spontaneity. Whether it's extemporaneous dialogue or a magnum opus, I want to feel like you're talking directly to me.

"Keep me in the moment with your characters and your story with nice, clean edits and mixes."

Nominate a piece for Julianne to consider. Hide full description
Here are the January picks for news stations from PRX Format Curator Julianne Welby of the Public Radio News Directors Incorporated (PRNDI).

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.

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 newsroom. Julianne also teaches... Show full description
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Saints and Indians

From Homelands Productions | Part of the Worlds of Difference series | 00:15:39

Here's some radio that grips hold and won't let go. A narrator would be an intrusion into this 15-minute piece about a placement program for American Indian children in Mormon homes. Chipper newsreel audio contrasts effectively with sobering reflections of the participants. They discuss the pain of leaving the reservation, the appeal of Mormon life, and conflicts over straddling cultures and religions. It reminds me of another tale of social experiment that deserves more air time...

The Orphan Train

From Annie Wu | 00:52:59

Like "Saints and Indians," this source-driven, historic documentary brings to light some shocking information about America's past: the shipping of homeless city kids to the country in the hopes of giving them some manners, religion and a better life. The experiment with an eventual 250,000 children paves the way for child welfare policy of today, and we learn about it through deeply personal reflections from surviving orphan train riders and dramatic readings from period sources. It's a newscast-friendly hour that takes us from New York City to the western frontier lands, so it's good for broadcast on urban and rural stations alike.

Death's Footprint

From 2 below zero | Part of the Chicago Public Radio Documentaries by Melby/Richard series | 00:27:50

Living a green lifestyle apparently isn't enough. Learn how to die green in this half-hour documentary. It's produced by a couple who tag team as delightful hosts and manage to keep the subject matter lively. Todd Melby and Diane Richard introduce us to people who've factored the earth's needs into their pre-need arrangements, and industry professionals grappling with increasing demand for environmentally friendly entries into the afterlife. It's not easy to get people talking frankly about death, but in this program Melby and Richard do so quite well.

A Postcard from Paris: Hope Without Borders

From Janet Robbins | Part of the A Postcard from Paris series | 00:06:28

Check out these ambiance-laden dispatches — mostly from Paris — on various topics, from baseball and borders, to protesters and public transportation. In my favorite, Robbins takes us on a ride through the streets of Paris on a Velo Libre - the public access bicycles for rent all over the city. She's a natural storyteller and a delightful narrator. Her essays vary in length, and many of them are pegged to news events or seasons, but plug in any of the above keywords, and these literary gems will drop nicely into evening or weekend program holes.

Meal Ticket: My Lunch with Marlon Brando

From Eric Winick | 00:09:59

You know you're listening to a good storyteller when 10 minutes fly by unnoticed. Physician Wayne Liebman recounts a chance encounter with the eccentric actor in a hospital. Well-told, vivid details and appropriate musical interludes carry the piece.


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