Best of the Best 2011:
The Third Coast Festival Broadcast
The perfect program for the holidays is back!
Listen here: 
| Special available now
Best of the Best: The 2011 Third Coast Festival Broadcast showcases the winning entries of the 11th annual Third Coast / Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Competition. This is THE place to hear the most accomplished producers and best emerging talent from around the world, artists who are shaping the future of public radio.
Award-winning host and humorist Gwen Macsai (author of Lipshtick) hosts the show with appearances from some surprise guests.
These and other pieces are featured in the Best of the Best
(Official list of winning pieces.)
(Radio Impact Award)
(Best New Artist)
(Gold)
Listen to the full playlist of Third Coast winners on PRX from 2005-'11.
Hear last year's 2010 Third Coast Broadcast.
About the Special
Program Description
Each fall the Third Coast International Audio Festival brings the best new documentaries produced worldwide to the national airwaves in a special two-hour program.
The 2011 broadcast includes evocative stories, from the tale of a young woman coaxed out of a coma by her boyfriend, to the insightful exploration of Tea Party politics in Michigan through a friendship gone awry. And much more.
Host Gwen Macsai, an award-winning writer, producer and humorist, is our guide through this annual tour of the world's best new documentaries.
Plus, you'll hear interviews with winning producers Jad Abumrad of Radiolab, Nick van der Kolk of Love+Radio and Ben Calhoun of This American Life; and highlights from the 2011 Third Coast Awards ceremony, which was hosted by Peter Sagal of NPR's Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me.
Host Bio
Gwen Macsai hosts the Third Coast International Audio Festival’s weekly radio program Re:sound. She’s an award-winning writer, producer and humorist, whose radio work has aired on All Things Considered, Morning Edition, and Weekend Edition Saturday. She's also the creator of the television sitcom What About Joan starring Joan Cusack, and author of Lipshtick, a book of humorous first-person essays.
Program Website
For more information about the Third Coast Festival, promotional materials, and fun things like T-shirts, head to thirdcoastfestival.org.
Airing the Special
Availability
Best of the Best: The 2011 Third Coast Festival Broadcast will be available on PRX.org on Nov. 17, 2011.
FeesFree to stations with PRX memberships.
Program Feed ScheduleThe program will be available exclusively on PRX.org for streaming preview and MP2 download on Nov. 17.
A generic, ready-to-air promo will be available before then. Custom promos for stations are available by emailing Third Coast.
Length and ClockThe Best of the Best special can be broadcast as a 2-hour program (:59 plus :59) or as staggered, separate hours of :59 and then :59. Floating cutaways at approximately :20 and :40.
Scheduling SuggestionsOver the past nine years the Third Coast Broadcast has become an annual Thanksgiving weekend tradition on scores of public radio stations. As a celebration of radio, the Third Coast broadcast is perfect anytime during the holiday season or beyond.
- We suggest a two-hour clock of the program OR
- Using the 2010 Third Coast Festival Broadcast to promote your upcoming broadcast of the 2011 Best of the Best OR
- Dropping into your local shows some of the award-winning pieces from previous competitions (available on PRX.org) as a marketing hook for the special broadcast.
Stations with PRX memberships may carry this program two times though October 31, 2012. The program must be carried in its entirety. No excerpting is permitted. Simulcast streaming is permitted. Stations must complete a carriage report on PRX.org. Questions? Contact prxhelp [at] prx (dot) org.
National UnderwritersThe Third Coast International Audio Festival is a non-profit arts organization made possible with lead support from The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Additional support is provided by The Boeing Company Charitable Trust, Chicago’s Navy Pier and American Airlines.
Listeners Love Third Coast!
"I happened to be listening to my favorite NPR station WBUR in Boston last night when the Third Coast Festival Broadcast came on at 10 p.m. I had NEVER heard of this festival. I was mesmerized and BLOWN AWAY by it — it was magnificent! I listened to the whole show!"
"Wow! Thank you so much! I didn't know you existed. I tuned into NPR this morning and they were doing stories from your work. It reminded me of stories my father used to tell me and stories I've told my kids. All that is so basic, so important, so beautiful! Thank you so much for your wonderful work!"
"Thank you for the gift that was 'My Lobotomy'. While I always enjoy the programming on NPR, this is the first time I've written in. I was so moved by Howard Dully's gorgeous, brave, and beautifully told story. Wow! Fascinating, informative, and heartrending. A perfect gem. My sincere thanks to Mr. Dully and to all who worked to bring 'My Lobotomy' to the public. I am going to the NPR website now to make my donation."
"I have just listened to the entire TCIAF on KQED radio for the 2nd time in 3 days. I was spellbound by most of the documentaries."
