HowSound

Rob Rosenthal/PRX/Transom.org

The Backstory to Great Radio Storytelling, hosted by Rob Rosenthal, for Transom and PRX.

  • 28 minutes 2 seconds
    We Do It For the Ears, Right?

    We tell stories in sound for many, many reasons. For our listener's hearts and minds. For community. For self-expression. For the democracy. For listener's ears. Yes. Their ears. On this episode of The Sound School Podcast, Rob relishes the ear catching qualities of work from Delia Derbyshire (BBC), Michel Martin (NPR), and the Making Gay History podcast. 

    10 September 2024, 2:00 pm
  • 26 minutes 26 seconds
    To Swear or Not to Swear in Narration

    Say you're listening to a great narrative podcast. The host has really grabbed your attention and you're pulled in. Then, out of nowhere, the narrator swears. Not once. Not twice. But three times. Including f-bombs. Is that a turn off for listeners? Should narrators swear? Dan Taberski defends his swears in his latest podcast. 

    27 August 2024, 2:00 pm
  • 16 minutes 48 seconds
    Gaining Access While Preserving Anonymity in Medical Settings

    Patient privacy in medical settings is essential. So, how does a reporter convince a facility to let them in with a microphone and assure anonymity of the patient? Selena Simmons-Duffin has answers. She is a health policy reporter at NPR who recently reported inside a primary care facility that provides standard medical care as well as abortions.  

    13 August 2024, 2:00 pm
  • 23 minutes 44 seconds
    Revisiting: Robot Babies and Radio Luck

    There are four kinds of luck. Unlucky. No luck. Lucky. And radio luck. On this archive episode of Sound School, Hillary Frank digs into the *incredible* radio luck she encountered reporting a story about teens and their "robot babies." 

    30 July 2024, 2:00 pm
  • 35 minutes 38 seconds
    Revisiting: Magical Realism in Radio

    David Weinberg pulls off a real radio feat mixing fantasy and reality in his documentary called "Grace of the Sea." In this archive episode, David explores the value of "magical realism" in audio storytelling.  


    16 July 2024, 2:00 pm
  • 30 minutes
    An Audio Field Trip

    Rob plays "Story DJ" on this episode "spinning" excerpts from several excellent stories you'll definitely want to hear. It's an audio field trip taking you around the world: Macon, Georgia, Wales, Madagascar, Kenya, and a closet at an undisclosed IKEA. Bring your best headphones for this one. 

    2 July 2024, 2:00 pm
  • 15 minutes 12 seconds
    Structure Interviews Like a Good Story

    Don't leave an interview entirely to chance. Structure it like a good story. On this episode, Rob dissects an interview on The Daily revealing its effective inner story structure. 

    18 June 2024, 2:00 pm
  • 56 minutes 52 seconds
    Tips to Elevate Your Reporting and Storytelling from Ira Glass

    Ira Glass of This American Life is a master audio storyteller. He's equally skillful at laying out the mechanics of creative storytelling and reporting, too. Rob unearthed a presentation Ira made back in 2001 at a radio conference that is signature Ira and brimming with incredibly helpful tips on writing, structure, reporting, and scoring. A good listen for audio 

    4 June 2024, 2:00 pm
  • 23 minutes 33 seconds
    Safety First: Recording with Actors for an LGBTQ Story in Uganda

    It's illegal to be queer in Uganda and incredibly unsafe. Queer people risk violence, eviction, harassment, and arrest. How then does a producer protect the identity of interviewees, especially when someone's voice might be recognized. British freelance producer Mary Goodhart solved this problem and many other safety issues while working on an LGBTQ story for the BBC World Service Podcast "The Comb." 

    21 May 2024, 1:22 pm
  • 35 minutes 38 seconds
    Shocking, Heartbreaking, Transformative…and Ethical?

    There's a moment in this episode when Rob is gasping and holding his hand to his chest. Why was he so astonished? Listen to his conversation with Jess Shane as they dissect the ethics of her Radiotopia documentary "Shocking, Heartbreaking, Transformative."

    7 May 2024, 2:02 pm
  • 46 minutes 12 seconds
    Introducing Sound Judgment

    Deadlines, production meetings, staff management, show scheduling... in any given day, there's rarely time to pause and consider the craft of audio storytelling. Of course, PRX and Transom hope Sound School provides an easy opportunity to do that. On this episode, we'd like to introduce you to another podcast with the same mission: Sound Judgment hosted by Elaine Appleton Grant and featuring an interview with Jonathan Menjivar about his podcast Classy.

    23 April 2024, 3:15 pm
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