Zeitfunk 2011 Awards Ceremony

Welcome to our virtual Zeitfunk Awards Ceremony! Below you'll find photos and "acceptance speeches" from PRX members all over the country who won first-place in our Zeitfunk Awards for 2011.

Zeit-what? It's like a zeitgeist, only funkier: Each year we release a list of the most licensed and listened-to pieces, producers and stations of the previous calendar year. And, it's a great way to see what's selling and who's buying it on PRX.

Were you a first-place winner who didn't submit your photo or acceptance speech? Don't be left out — send them along!


All 16 shiny Zeitfunk trophies before they were
sent to the winners




Most Listened-To Piece,
Most Playlisted Piece,
Most Embedded Piece & Most Visited Embedded:
The Hidden World of Girls (Hour 1)

"All hail Tina Fey and all the other women and girls who shared their hidden worlds with this project. And hail to all the reporters, correspondents and producers at NPR and independent producers scattered around the globe who collaborated with us and brought this series to air. Big thanks to PRX and to Izzi Smith, Deb Blakely and Joan Miller of I.S. Marketing. And thanks much to all the stations around the nation who aired these Hidden World of Girls Specials, support the work of independents and build community through storytelling. God loves radio." -The Kitchen Sisters




Most Licensed Piece & Most Licensed Group by Public Radio Remix:
Best of the Best: The 2011 Third Coast International Audio Festival Broadcast

"We would like to thank the academy… and we don’t mean West Point. We don't even mean the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. We mean the Academy of Audio (aka PRX), the organization that has revolutionized the dissemination of great work, created opportunities for producers and given the world intensely pleasurable browsing experiences.

"And I might add, you guys make great company around a conference breakfast table. We thank PRX for all it does. We thank PRX for this awesome recognition. We thank PRX for our only pigeon made of gold plastic!" -The Third Coast Crew: Johanna, Julie, Katie and Gwen





Most Licensed Youth-Produced Piece: Our 9/11: Growing Up in the Aftermath

"Thank you PRX for this honor and for simply existing, without it 'Our 9/11' wouldn’t have been produced or distributed to stations across the country. When we told the Rookies featured in 'Our 9/11' about the award, we asked a few of them to send in their definition of the word Zeitfunk. Here's what they had to say:"

Zeitfunk- Means to happen-upon a situation that was meant for just you, to change you. Call it serendipity, call it fate, call it Zeitfunk. It found you, you did not find it. This is how I feel about Radio Rookies and Our 9/11 that it was a moment in my life that found me and changed me. I think all of us involved can say that we are different and grateful for the experience. I am so glad we have won this award, and honored that so many people have listened to it. -- Erin Reeg

Zeitfunk: A nonspatial continuum of irreducible essential pulse, life force, hyperventilating rhythmic quality of expression that is emotionally communicative and soulful. -- Norhan Basuni

Zeitfunk- n. a person whose funk levels exceed that of James Brown, there for properly can be called the "emperor of funk" and if there are more than one, the consuls of funk. I guess I'd like to thank my producer, Courtney Stein for being so wonderful and putting up with my ramblings. I also like to thank my friends and family who helped me out and were featured in my story. None of this could have happened without them. I’d also like to thank all the brave men and women of the FDNY, NYPD and countless other agencies who responded to 9-11 and risked their lives to help others; as well as all the brave men and women currently serving our nations in the armed services. -- Brendan Illis

I'm going to say that "Zeitfunk" is a space age movement of disco music, who's leading proponents include the bands "Astro's Belt" and "Red Phish 2Phish. (I'm quite proud of that second imaginary band name actually. It's a reference to a Dr. Suess book, the Star Wars character R2D2, and the band Phish.) -- Eric Leinung

- WNYC Radio Rookies





Most Licensed Debut Producer: Paula Morrell

"Thank you, thank you, thank you PRX! I am honored and thrilled to be named 2011’s Most Licensed Debut Producer. And many thanks to 'the guys': Jay 'Big Jaimo' Jones, Mark 'Ginger Slide' Simpson, and Jason 'Super Chef' Morell.

"But the real credit goes to the Southerners who tell their own true stories each week on the show. In 2011 we did 50 shows in front of our live audience during “dinner and a show,” and had 135 writers. But, alas, PRX only sent 1 trophy instead of 136, so I’d like to give a shout out to the 135. You are my heroes.

Thanks again, PRX, for helping keep the tales alive!" - Paula Morell, Executive Producer, Tales from the South




Most Licensed Producer by Public Radio Remix: Rebecca Sheir

"A huge, sound-rich thank you to PRX and Remix for this fantastic award! Your support and creativity make the public radioverse an even more stellar place for us audionauts, and I salute you from the bottom of my .wav-lovin' heart.

"To my fellow Zeitfunkees: kudos, congrats and mazel tov! It's wizards like you that remind me I'm far from being the only one to score a Bullseye here. Radio on, folks. Radio on..." - Rebecca Sheir




Most Licensed Series &
Most Licensed Group:
Vinyl Cafe

"Thank you from the great white north! We are delighted that, station by station, our humble radio show is making an impression on public radio program directors and listeners in the USA. Thank you for your support and enthusiasm.

"And if you aren't familiar with the world of The Vinyl Cafe, check us out: www.vinylcafe.com or on Facebook." - Host Stuart McLean and Producer Jess Milton



Most Licensed Producer: Philip Nusbaum

"It's a real struggle today if you do radio. Every time you talk about public or community radio, somebody responds by saying "do you mean PBS?" And then you have to remind them that despite the hegemony of "the medium with the pictures" the medium of insight is still there for them. Hats off to PRX. It's invaluable to my productions about bluegrass and Minneapolis high school kids' perspectives about their cultures. Embedding a player in productions for all to hear whenever the mood strikes is even greater. Thanks to PRX for the award. Let's keep ratcheting up the standards." - Philip Nusbaum, Bluegrass Review



Outside Purchaser that Licensed the Most: HCC Radio the Dragon

"When I discovered PRX four years ago as an independent producer, it was like finding a treasure chest I didn't know I had always wanted until I opened it up to my delight!

"Now that I work as a Program Director, I get to be on the other end, combing the PRX archives for great radio work. And I have a lot to chose from! Our station is young, and we're growing all the time. Being able to play great productions from talented producers has expanded our listener base. And as I also teach radio production at the college, I regularly play top-notch PRX pieces in the classroom for my students. They are continually inspired to make great radio based on what they hear.

"We look forward to hearing all the upcoming programs by PRX producers. We're particularly interested in pieces focused on sustainability and diversity. So if producers have work in those areas, feel free to drop us a note!

"I'd like to shout out a thank you to my ever-supportive Executive Director, Margaret Kahlor in our Televison and Radio Department at Howard Community College. She's jumped on the PRX bandwagon and has always made sure a key ingredient is available to us for being able to purchase pieces: money in the budget!

"Thank you, PRX, for honoring us as Outside Purchaser that Licensed the Most. So happy to be part of the PRX family!" - Louisa Jonas, Program Director HCC Radio the Dragon