I laughed and came *this close* to buying this. But, the final 'lemonade means sex' just crossed the line of what I feel comfortable running at 2:45p on a Monday afternoon.
My standard is, "Would I want to hear this in the car with my 6-year old?"

That said, the read is terrific and the ad is a scream. I'll keep it in mind for an evening broadcast.
And, if possible, I'd run it more than once. I think some listeners would find this a hoot.

Even though this story is 11 years old, it still stands up to listening today.

I hadn't heard about a lot of the history covered in this piece.

Carl shares an iconic family story in a way that makes me feel like I'm a friend of his. His brother's experience in the library would be an interesting story anyway. But, knowing he grew up to be an astronaut makes it all the more compelling. Then, the terrible Shuttle disaster AND the information in the final tag?!?

It stands out for me because it delivers pieces of the story in every element: the intro, the audio and the tag. As a listener, it helps the story really stick in my mind.

From the piece description I was looking for more a more vivid recounting of his experiences. And I hoped to learn a bit more about Hubie's interest in this. Why a children's choir? What challenges did he face? What do the kids learn in rehearsal.

The interview drew me in when Hubie spoke about children spending the night with friends in neighborhoods they might never see otherwise. And, if there more scenes and specific moments like that, I'd totally go for this story. As it was, I just wasn't able to fully see and connect with him and his work in my mind's eye.

I do like hearing about this work, though. And I will continue to listen to other stories in this series and from this producer.

I like this piece for its insight into how the music business is changing. I am running it with this lead:

Technology has radically altered the music business.
Take Matisyahu as an example.
He’s a Hasidic Jew from White Plains, New York.
He’s also a musician who blends traditional Jewish themes with Reggae, rock and hip hop sounds.
And, Matisyahu uses high tech applications to build real relationships as he tours across the country meeting fans.
It's going so well he's finding himself as part of the Olympic promotional engine for NBC.
Andrew Davis explains his technological and personal approach.

I am not crazy about the nearly 10 second of music at the top of the story, I'd rather have jumped into the story first and then gotten the music.
Also, the delivery is a little too enthusiastic. I doubt the objectivity of the reporter. It would have been nice to get an outside voice to put Matisyahu's approach into context.

That said, I chose to run it on our afternoon magazine because it is an interesting lens into what music fans now are responding to. We have a lot of musicians - and technology - in Seattle and I think listeners will be drawn into both the music and the story of how Matisyahu has used hi-tech to reach fans.

This is a valuable addition to any discussion about health care in America.

I liked this story suggestion from the PRX editors and previewed it. I won't broadcast it for two reasons:

1. It is too time dated. Shawn Green retired from baseball in Feb 2008. So, saying 'we recently sat down with him' and referencing him as a current player doesn't work.

2. Like many podcasts, too much of the piece is identifying the segment, giving the concept, providing web links and soliciting feedback. The story is too buried.

A piece of history that offers real insight into the mystique of technology.
We ran this on KUOW Presents and have gotten several e-mails back from listeners who really enjoyed hearing it.

I hesitate to call this terrific only because the images from the museum are terrifying. As other reviews have commented, though, the tone of the producer and museum guide help give some levity to disturbing instruments of mental treatment. It is a piece that has real impact.
The museum tour could actually be shortened. After abour five minutes I needed some kind of context for all the historical devices. The interview at the end gave me that context and helped me as a listener put all those images into a place in my head where I could really mull over the significance.
Also, the artifacts are presented out of chronological order. It would have been helpful to me to hear about them in a way that gave me a sense of the 'progression' of treatments. For me, that would have given this a stronger story structure, a sense of cause and effect, a beginning, middle and end - something that helps a radio piece stick in my head so I can tell others about it.
This piece does offer much-needed historical perspective on mental health treatment. I find this an important - though gruesome - tour of what humans have tried to do for one another. And, I really appreciate the final thought in this from the producer.

The stories and philosophy of nature and life in this piece are inspirational. For anyone living in a city, the Medicine Garden and the attitudes of the people who tend it, give hope to what is possible just beyond the concrete and cyclone fencing.
Nice ambiance, good 'visuals' and sticky information about plants, Native American beliefs and the history of Chicago.

This is an interesting piece of history and Nate has a good style to his storytelling.
There are times, however, when it's hard to catch some of his words. His tone is a bit too soft on critical words. The overall effect is intimate storytelling, but a piece like this is such a different pace and volume from most other stories that it is difficult to find the best place to schedule it.
That said, the story is vivid. Within the context of the larger tale, I figure out what's going on - even if I can't catch every word.

I program a local magazine that mixes in-house stories and acquired content. So, I still need some kind of intro to set up this piece and let listeners know why they want to hear it - especially since it does not have any kind of current news hook.

Here's how I led in:
INTRO:
"Cross-dressing, high-drama, guns, romance, a remarkable ending… you don’t have to go to Hollywood to get an amazing story.
Just turn to history.
Independent producer Nate DiMeo [dih-MAY-oh] brings us this tale of Ellen and William Craft's escape from slavery in 1848."