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Comment for "las mujeres de Juarez"

Review of "las mujeres de Juarez"

I was intrigued by the beginning of the piece, as I initially thought that the vox pop was to establish the premise that Las Mujeres de Juarez Mexico is an under-covered story in the American media. But this point becomes clear after hearing just the first few voices in the chorus calling for more media attention and government action. I wanted to learn more about the history of this conflict and hear more personal stories from those directly affected by it. I would encourage the producer to work on a follow-up story that incorporates interviews with the survivors of this conflict and their family members, and more information about what the Mexican government is currently doing in terms of security and what it should be doing. This kind of reporting would help fill the need for more information about Las Mujeres de Juarez Mexico. Like the previous reviewer Ness, I found the haunting music to be a perfect fit for the tone of this piece. I also would have appreciated identification for the people interviewed in this piece.

Comment for "James Crimp and the polar bears"

Review of "James Crimp and the polar bears"

This interview focuses on a Steller Seconday School student's recent trip to see polar bears in Canada. It was interesting to hear this student's progression from first being involved with his school's environmental club to travelling to Canada to see firsthand how climate change affects life in the Arctic. I was surprised to hear that James Crimp didn't have a "polar bear thing," as ATMI reporter Javon Johnson calls it, before going on the expedition, and he only developed a specific interest in polar bears after seeing them in the wild. The interview is on the long side, and can be strengthened with tighter cuts and a stronger focus on what Crimp saw during the trip. I would guess that listeners have not had the rare opportunity to see polar bears in person, and would appreciate hearing more about Crimp's observations. The volume levels during the interview also seemed to peak frequently.

Comment for "When I Grow Up..."

Review of "When I Grow Up..."

The popular hit "Lip Gloss" by Lil Mama provides a fitting soundtrack for a short radio diary about Pulse of Portland Music Project's Jacita Walker's aspirations to be a cosmetologist when she grows up. Unfortunately, the song seems to dominate this short piece, and it isn't until about 30 seconds that listeners hear the speaker's original commentary. It sounds as if the speaker has some prior experience as a cosmologist, so it would interesting to hear more about what makes cosmetology fun for the speaker -- perhaps a story about her first time doing makeup or hair for another person. Slower narration and better sound quality would also strengthen this piece.

Comment for "Chicagoans Consider Their Road Not Taken"

Review of "Chicagoans Consider Their Road Not Taken"

This is a beautiful piece, short and sweet. Curie Youth Radio's Armand Curtis mixes three different voices that both recite Robert Frost's "The Road Not Taken" and share reflections on the choices they have made personally. The layering of voices creates a feeling that the listener is traveling down a road herself, stopping to hear the next person in a relay of voices. I would encourage the producer to create a longer piece on the topic of choices if there is more interesting tape available. This would be a nice addition to a program about choices, and it's especially appropriate for graduation season.

Comment for "Teacher Crush Vox"

Review of "Teacher Crush Vox"

Polished and well-produced, this lighthearted piece about students' crushes on teachers is sure to bring a smile to its listeners. The ambiance of a lively classroom (or is it the cafeteria, or a hallway?) helps to link the different interviews together, and provides color and a sense of location. The editing and sound mixing is especially well done. Stay tuned for a surprisingly effective intercutting transition between interviews at around 00:28. Fergie's "Clumsy" provides a bouncy, playful soundtrack. As the description notes, this piece would be quite appropriate to air on this year's National Teacher Day on May 5th.

Comment for "What Obama can bring to this country"

Review of "What Obama can bring to this country"

Pulse of Portland Music Project's Leticia "TC" Martinez attempts to build upon Black Eyed Peas member will.i.am's musical collage "Yes We Can." Inspired by a speech by then-presidential candidate Barack Obama following the New Hampshire primary, the original song "Yes We Can" incorporates actual excerpts from Obama's speech. Martinez adds another layer of her own interviews with various individuals sharing their views on what an Obama presidency would bring to the U.S. The multiple layers of this piece serves as an intriguing and symbolic concept. The interwoven sounds seem to represent the multi-layered fabric of American society. Nonetheless, the poor audio quality of some of the interviews, and quick edits that cut off the ends of some sentences, make portions of the piece difficult to understand.

Comment for "The New Lure of Government Jobs"

Review of "The New Lure of Government Jobs"

This year's graduating college seniors face desperate times in the job market, and Youth Radio's Lauren Silverman pinpoints the ongoing shift in focus for aspiring professionals: jobs in the government sector are in, and the private sector is out. As Silverman perceptively notes, "friend-ing" a new contact from Goldman Sachs on Facebook seems like a waste of time now, when networking with a Capitol Hill intern may more likely lead to a stable job opportunity. Silverman's writing is insightful, and her delivery is smooth. This audio commentary would serve as a refreshing injection of "youth perspective" on the current economic crisis for a public affairs program.

Comment for "Mother-Teenage Relationships"

Review of "Mother-Teenage Relationships"

Youth Mic reporters Rosa, Esther and Constance speak to a wide variety of sons and daughters about their relationships with their mothers. The interviews featured in this piece span across generations. The reporters have clearly made an effort to speak with, as their description notes, "New Yorkers of all ages." Despite the age differences, however, all certainly share the common experience of being a mother's son or daughter. While the audio quality of the interviews sounds great, the narration can be improved in terms of delivery and volume. A tighter focus on just one (or two) of the stories highlighted in the interviews would have made a stronger piece. I was especially intrigued by the second interview about the mother who survived a car accident and how it impacted the mother-son relationship.

Comment for "Every Color is Somebody's Gang Color"

Review of "Every Color is Somebody's Gang Color"

Curie Youth Radio’s Chris Cuello and Chris Flynn provide an insider’s look into the daily lives of Chicago public high school students. Their montage of interviews constructs an engaging narrative with different first-person accounts of being bullied for simply wearing gang-affiliated colors. At one point, after being asked whether retribution for the attackers though violence would be just, one of the students interviewed responds bluntly, “This is reality, sir. It is kind of ironic [that he would want to physically hurt the gang members who hurt him as payback]. But they had it coming.” The ambiance of the high school hallway provides a colorful backdrop. Slower narration at the beginning of the piece would help make a stronger opening for the piece, but the rest of the piece is of broadcast quality (in fact, the piece has been featured on Chicago Public Radio’s “Eight Forty-Eight” as part of the occasional “Southwest Side Stories” series).

Comment for "How the West was Won"

Review of "How the West was Won"

This engaging first-person essay by Lacy Roberts of the Ladies Village Improvement Society Podcast takes listeners to America's heartland, serving as a friendly reminder that America encompasses more than just the two coasts. Roberts shares how she grappled with her Montana roots as a freshman in college at Providence, Rhode Island, where most of her classmates knew next to nothing about life in her home state. "Are there cities in Montana? Is there an airport there?" one asks, in a particularly funny voice montage of her classmates sharing how much they knew about Montana. The highlight of this piece is Roberts's phone conversation with her "Grampa." The rapport between grandfather and granddaughter is so natural that listeners may feel like they're eavesdropping. Throughout the piece, Roberts creates memorable scenes, beginning with her ancestors, five generations ago, "[planting] their pitchforks in the dust of southeastern Montana." She makes effective use of Western-themed song clips for story transitions, and her narration sounds natural and at ease. This piece would be a natural fit for some hybrid program of "This American Life" and "A Prairie Home Companion." I would challenge Roberts to create a shorter version of the story, with a tighter focus on her relationship with her grandfather. In any case, thank you for sharing your story, "Montana Lacy, Genuine Cowgirl."

Technical note: There's a 6-second delay (silent) until the piece begins.

Comment for "Teen pregnancy is on the rise"

Review of "Teen pregnancy is on the rise"

Being a mother is "a pretty tough job," says Betty Cockrum of Planned Parenthood of Indiana, and it's especially tough for teen-aged mothers. In this radio report for Y-Press, Nick Greven reports on recent studies on the patterns of teenage pregnancy in America. He speaks with representatives of different advocacy groups like Planned Parenthood about how teen pregnancy rates can be reduced. After being presented with a deluge of statistics and other figures, however, it was difficult for this listener to stay focused on the piece. It would have been interesting to beyond the numbers and to learn more about the alternative "abstinence plus" (as opposed to "abstinence only") education programs suggested by one of Greven's interviewees. Perhaps as a follow-up story, Greven could compare the personal experiences of students in a school where "abstinence only" sex ed classes are allowed to those of a school that allowed alternative curriculum. Stronger narration could have helped listeners become more engaged with the piece. Tighter cuts for the actuality would have also improved the flow of the story. A high buzzing sound can be heard throughout the piece.

Comment for "There's a Black Family in the White House!"

Review of "There's a Black Family in the White House!"

It's been more than two weeks since President Barack Obama took the oath of office, but the reflections of Youth Outlook Radio's Russell Morse and Jazmyne Young on the historic event continue to resonate. Morse talks about growing up during the George W. Bush years and about how Obama's inauguration marked a drastic change in his view of "the establishment." In a shorter segment, Young focuses on how she came to realize the "gravity" of the fact that "there's a black family in the White House" now. Bed music helps to enliven both commentaries, although the string instrumental at the beginning of Morse's segment seemed a bit too saccharine. Stay tuned for an effective use of a police car sound effect when Morse recounts how he almost vomited on former President George W. Bush at the 2004 Republican National Convention.

Fun fact: Russell Morse is a former reality show contestant on MTV's "I'm From Rolling Stone."

Comments by Hansi Wang