For the 100th episode of This American Life, a radio show about the pleasures of radio. About what makes radio so great, and what makes it so terrible.
-
Download Control-click (or right-click) Tap and hold to download
- Subscribe on Spotify Subscribe in Apple Podcasts Subscribe
- Transcript
Act One
Act Two
The Invisible Leading The Blind
Jack Hitt talks about a radio station he chanced upon while on a long drive. The station seems to ignore the last six decades of broadcasting history and convention. Jack is the author of Off the Road: A Modern-Day Walk Down the Pilgrim's Route into Spain. (10 minutes)
Act Three
The Radio Most People Listen To
How the science of radio enabled V103 to become tied for number one in the Chicago market. And how it cost DJ Ida Hackele her job. (18 minutes)
Act Four
Noble Calling
Now in exile, Jose Ramos Horta spent two decades as the leading international spokesman against the invasion of his country by Indonesia. He won a Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts. And one day when peace finally comes to his country, East Timor, he will move on to his next dream: to be a radio talk host, just like Howard Stern. (10 minutes)
Related
If you enjoyed this episode, you may like these
Act Five Preview: Chickenman
Chickenman was a short daily radio show airing from 1966 to 1969, and it was incredibly popular.
Act Two: On The Green River
We begin to hear a story by Scott Carrier.
Act Two: Financial Mousetrap
Looked at one way, the current flailing economy is a victim of invention—Wall Street invention.
Staff Recommendations
How I Got Into College
How a stolen library book got one man into his dream school and changed his life forever. Or at least that's the story he tells himself.
Mistakes Were Made
Freezing dead people so scientists can reanimate them in the future is a lot harder than it sounds.