Introducing The Moth Radio Hour
"I think it's the next big huge hit in public radio." -Garrison Keillor
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PRX is thrilled to announce the debut of five pilot episodes of The Moth Radio Hour. Each Moth Radio Hour mixes humorous, heartbreaking, and poignant tales that captivate audiences with their honesty and bravery.
The new radio series captures the energy and authenticity of an evening of live performance at The Moth woven into a compelling hour of radio.
Brought to you by PRX and award-winning producer Jay Allison, the pilot season of five hour-long episodes is available free to public radio stations. Listen to the pilots below. If you're with a station, follow the links to license and download the shows for air.
Public radio is embracing The Moth – dozens of stations are committing to carrying the pilot season, including the major market stations in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, Seattle, Washington DC. See current carriage list here.
Note: Some stories are emotionally intense and not for children. See the Content Advisory on each program.
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Sarah Jones storytelling in Moth Radio Hour 5 |
The Moth Radio Hour Pilots
The Moth Radio Hour features true stories told live on stage without scripts, notes, props, or accompaniment. Each episode presents a selection of the very best stories from The Moth, which has been staging live storytelling shows since 1997.
These pilot programs are hosted by Lea Thau and Catherine Burns, two dynamic women who lead The Moth organization in New York, and by Dan Kennedy, who MCs many of the live events.
The Moth Radio Hour 1 | For stations: program & promos | Listen now:
A batboy for the New York Yankees goes on a wild goose chase for a left-handed bat-stretcher; an Irish-Catholic family obsessed with the Kennedys dedicates a summer to spying on their idols; a comedian experiences the ultimate heartbreak; and a drill sergeant faints at the sight of blood.
The Moth Radio Hour 2 | For stations: program & promos | Listen now:
A severely stuttering child finds solace in speaking to animals and vows to speak for them if he grows up to find his voice. Years later we find him as the world's premier jaguar expert, having a face to face with an animal in the jungle of Belize. Plus, a Texas tale of moon pies and bedazzlers, and the surprising story of a Harlem man who ends up at a rodeo in Oregon.
The Moth Radio Hour 3 | For stations: program & promos | Listen now:
"We're grateful for The Moth...it'll make you laugh, it'll make you think" says Time Out magazine, and this hour is sure to do both. We'd be surprised if it didn't make you shed few tears as well. Hear how celebrated author and writer Adam Gopnik (Paris to the Moon, The New Yorker) embarrasses his son and offends other loved ones by getting lost in the new world of Instant Message abbreviations. Also, stories of first love and unlikely pen pals, and the sad tale of gay man who comes out to his parents with dramatic consequences.
The Moth Radio Hour 4 | For stations: program & promos | Listen now:
This episode of The Moth Radio Hour includes stories from beloved author Malcolm Gladwell (Outliers, Blink, The Tipping Point) about a wedding prank gone horribly wrong; an African-American home care attendant caring for a dying Klansman; and a miracle survivor of a gang initiation.
The Moth Radio Hour 5 | For stations: program & promos | Listen now:
A man is instructed not to fall in love with his monkey, but fails; renowned performer Sarah Jones (Bridge and Tunnel) finds herself the subject of racial profiling; and the inventor of the Baby Calzone runs into trouble with the Mob.
What is The Moth?
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| Malcolm Gladwell performs at a live Moth event |
Originally formed by the writer George Dawes Green as an intimate gathering of friends on a porch in Georgia (where moths would flutter in through a hole in the screen), and then recreated in a New York City living room, The Moth quickly grew to produce immensely popular events at theaters and clubs around New York City and later around the country.
Moth storytellers stand alone, under a spotlight, with only a microphone and a roomful of strangers. The storyteller and the audience embark on a high-wire act of shared experience which is both terrifying and exhilarating. Individuals, without the comfort of fame, instrument, script or props engage in the world's oldest art form — stories that will make you laugh, cry, think.
Today The Moth has three ongoing programs, all of which contribute their very best stories to The Moth Radio Hour: The Moth Mainstage, where celebrities appear alongside unique voices from all walks of life (an astronaut, an owl expert, a reformed pickpocket, a Nobel Prize-winning physicist are among the hundreds and hundreds of storytellers to date); The Moth's StorySLAM competitions, which are open to all and rapidly expanding to cities across the country; and The Moth's community outreach program, MothShop, which bring workshops to people whose stories would otherwise go unheard. To learn more about The Moth, visit themoth.org.
Hear an audio history of how The Moth got started from producer Susanna Capelouto.
Airing The Moth Radio Hour
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Moth Radio Hour hosts Lea Thau and Catherine Burns |
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| Moth Radio Hour host Dan Kennedy |
Broadcast Rights
The Moth Radio Hour pilot season is available free to all public radio stations on PRX and Content Depot.
Broadcast rights open on August 1, 2009, and the station may air each program twice prior to March 31, 2010. Excerpting is permitted for promotional purposes only. The programs may be streamed live from a station Web site but not archived for on-demand listening.
ClockEach program is 59 minutes long, is newscast compatible, and includes two 1-minute floating ID breaks.
SchedulingWhen you hear it, you'll know that The Moth Radio Hour is something special. Consider scheduling it that way: Five summer evenings; in a weeknight strip; Saturday or Sunday after Prairie Home for five weeks; or over five Fridays in place of Fresh Air. Audio promos will be available to support your scheduling decision.
Carriage ConfirmationSince this is a pilot season, carriage reporting is essential to secure funding for additional production. Please confirm carriage of The Moth Radio Hour by contacting Israel Smith at 612-377-3256 or via email.
Content AdvisorySome stories are emotionally intense and not for children. See the Content Advisory section near the bottom of each program page.
Stations Carrying The Moth Radio Hour
Want more details on when you can hear The Moth? Contact your local station.
Some stations have more than one signal covering multiple regions as indicated below. Contact your local station for more details on that, too.
| CA: KVPR - Fresno | 1/3/10 at noon | 2 |
| CA: KIDE - Hoopa | TBD | 1 |
| CA: KPCC - Los Angeles | 10/4 at 8 p.m. | 3 |
| CA: KZYX - Philo | TBD | 3 |
| CA: KRCB - Rohnert Park | 8/11 at 7 p.m. | 1 |
| CA: KALW - San Francisco | 8/12 at 1 p.m. | 1 |
| CA: KCLU - Thousand Oaks | 10/9 at 8 p.m. | 3 |
| CO: KRCC - Colorado Springs | TBD | 1 |
| CO: KCFR - Denver | TBD | 7 |
| CO: Mountain Public Radio - Summit | 8/22 at 6 p.m. | 2 |
| CT: WNPR - Hartford | 9/20 at 2 p.m. | 5 |
| DC: WAMU - Washington, DC | 8/2 at 6 p.m. Again in Nov. TBD. | 1 |
| FL: WGCU - Ft. Meyers | 12/1 at 8 p.m. | 1 |
| FL: WQCS - Ft. Pierce | 11/14 at 1 p.m. | 1 |
| FL: WLRN - Miami | 10/3 at 1 p.m. | 1 |
| FL: WMFE - Orlando | TBD | 1 |
| GA: WJSP - Atlanta | 9/6 at 7 p.m. | 15 |
| GA: WABE - Atlanta | 11/1 at 7 p.m. | 1 |
| ID: KBSX - Boise | 8/2 at 8 p.m. | 6 |
| IL: WBEZ - Chicago | 8/30 at 7 p.m. | 3 |
| IN: WVPE - Elkhart | 10/2 at 7 p.m. | 1 |
| IN: WFYI - Indianapolis | TBD | 1 |
| KY: WFPL - Louisville | 8/7 at 8 p.m. | 1 |
| KY: WEKU - Richmond | TBD | 1 |
| MA: WNNZ-AM - Amherst | TBD | 1 |
| MA: WBUR - Boston | 9/24 at 9 p.m. | 4 |
| MA: WGBH - Boston | 10/11 at 8 p.m. | 1 |
| MA: WCAI/WNAN/WZAI - Cape & Islands | 8/2 at 7 p.m. | 3 |
| MD: WYPR - Baltimore | 1/9/10 at 8 p.m. | 1 |
| ME: Maine Public Broadcasting - Portland | 11/7 at noon | 7 |
| MI: WUOM - Ann Arbor/Detroit | 8/8 at 3 p.m. | 3 |
| MI: WDET - Detroit | 9/4 at 7 p.m. | 1 |
| MN: WTIP - Grand Maris | 8/12 at 4 p.m. | 1 |
| MN: KNOW - Minneapolis/St. Paul | 11/16 at 6 p.m. | 17 |
| MO: KCUR - Kansas City | 8/16 at 6 p.m. | 1 |
| NC: WUNC - Raleigh | 11/29 at 10 p.m. | 5 |
| NH: WEVO - Concord/Manchester | 9/12 at 4 p.m. | 5 |
| NM: KUNM - Albuquerque | 9/6 at 11 a.m. | 1 |
| NY: WSKG - Binghamton | Saturday in Sept. TBD | 5 |
| NY: North Country Public Radio - Canton | 8/1 at 4 p.m. | 6 |
| NY: WJFF - Jeffersonville | TBD | 1 |
| NY: WNYC FM/AM - New York | WNYC 93.9FM: 8/29 at 4 p.m. WNYC AM820: 8/30 at 10 p.m. |
2 |
| NY: WRVO - Oswego | 9/27 at 3 p.m. | 4 |
| NY: WXXI-AM - Rochester | 9/20 at 10 p.m. | 1 |
| NC: WCQS - Asheville | TBD | 11 |
| NC: WFAE - Charlotte | Sundays at 6 p.m. TBD in Nov. | 1 |
| NV: KNPR - Las Vegas | TBD | 2 |
| OH: WVXU - Cincinnati | 10/18 at 8 p.m. | 1 |
| OH: WCPN - Cleveland | 9/4 at 9 p.m. | 1 |
| OH: WKSU - Cleveland/Kent | 9/6 at 6 a.m. | 1 |
| OH: WCBE - Columbus | TBD | 1 |
| OH: WYSO - Yellow Springs | 8/2 at 11 p.m. | 1 |
| OK: KWGS - Tulsa | 9/21 at Noon | 1 |
| OR: KOAC-AM - Portland | 10/6 at 8 p.m. | 2 |
| OR: KOPB - Portland | 10/6 at 8 p.m. | 10 |
| PA: WITF - Harrisburg | 12/6 at 6 p.m. | 1 |
| PA: WHYY - Philadelphia | 10/20 at 9 p.m. | 1 |
| PA: WDUQ - Pittsburgh | TBD in Nov. | 4 |
| RI: WRNI-AM - Providence | 9/24 at 9 p.m. | 3 |
| TX: KUT - Austin | 8/2 at 11 a.m. KUT-HD: 8/7 at 6 p.m. |
2 |
| UT: KUER - Salt Lake City | TBD | 1 |
| VA: WHRV - Norfolk | 9/2 at 1 p.m. | 1 |
| VA: WRIR - Richmond | 11/6 at 10 a.m. | 1 |
| VT: Vermont Public Radio - Burlington | 8/29 at 4 p.m. | 5 |
| WA: KUOW - Seattle | 8/31 at 8 p.m. | 2 |
| WA: Spokane Public Radio - Spokane | TBD | 2 |
| WI: WHAD - Milwaukee | 8/1 at 3 p.m. | 15 |
| WI: WUWM - Milwaukee | 8/2 at 10 p.m. | 1 |
| WV: West Virginia Public Broadcasting | TBD | 9 |
