Nonogirl Radio

Youtube - Project: Report

My attraction to radio and the web has always been the do-it-yourself possibilities. Today's tools allow many different stories and perspectives to be shared to diverse communities. And with this Youtube initiative, citizen journalism is rewarded.

Round one asks you to feature someone in your community in under three minutes. I think the judging criteria is depth of reporting and strong narrative. Watch the video for more details.

Missed APAture on Youtube

I didn't make it out to much of APAture, the tenth anniversary celebration of emerging Asian American artists. But thankfully, Sam Chanse's featured artist set is on Youtube.

She opens with a hilarious spoof on spoken word artists and continues with a series of skits that mimic real APAture  performances.

Mexican Mafia Revealed

Most public radio segments are around four minutes long. Commercial news stations feel generous giving a reporter two minutes. But some stories are so compelling, they demand more time.

This story on Rene Enriquez, a former leader in the Mexican mafia, was so compelling, All Things Considered aired the story in two, 14-minute segments.

So many elements make this story work. It reveals secrets on how Mafia leaders earn thousands of dollars while locked up in windowless isolation cells and Enriquez's diary-like audio tape places us in the inmates' Security Housing Unit:

"What impacts me immediately as soon as I walk in, is the smell. I just stepped outside from the bus and you smell the pines, the redwoods, the forest … these earthy, loamy smells. But as soon as you step into the SHU, it hits you like a wave. It's the smell of despair, depression, desperation. This is a place where people come to die."

These segments are part of a documentary produced by American Radio Works. I'm going to have a listen this week.

Youth Radio and elementary school elections

I only caught the tale end of this segment, but it's brilliant. To teach elementary kids about the elections, they are having a book election.

The fourth grade reporter, Bridget, is amazingly well spoken as she records her stand-ups flawlessly. Students stand in groups to show their support for their favorite book. Some students vote on popularity, some students vote without having read any of the books, and there are even undecideds.

It's suppose to be an on-going series, but nothing new has posted. I hope they follow through with this great idea.

Pacifica showing signs of stress

Conscientious objector, Lewis Hill, started th first listener-supported radio station in 1946 to create a more powerful venue to spread a pacifist message.

Hill's vision grew to encompass Pacifica Radio, made up of a network of stations in Berkeley, New York City, Los Angeles, Washington D.C., and Houston. And while Pacifica stations are the go-to radio for progressives during times of war, in-fighting plagues the institution and mars the movement for progressive media.

But Nicole Sawaya addresses Pacifica's failures in her departure letter from her short tenure as Pacifica's exeuctive director.

Pacifica calls itself a movement, yet currently it is behaves like a jobs program, a cult, or a social service agency. And oftentimes, the loudest and most obstreperous have the privilege of the microphone. There are endless meetings of committees and “task forces”– mostly on the phone – where people just like to hear themselves talk. Sometimes they get lucrative contracts from their grandstanding. It’s been grueling for someone in my position, someone like me who is not a process person, much less a political gamer. I keep asking: what’s the endgame? Paralysis has set in, coupled with organizational drift.

Asian Food Beyond Borders

We've reached the day where digital video self-publishing is a reality. Just as the photocopier launched  print self-publishing, or zines, iMovie and  Youtube have made online video a vibrant new place to create and  have your voice heard.

Thy and her crew at the Asian Culinary Forum made an enticing teaser video for their upcoming weekend of programming that includes workshops, cooking classes, panel discussions and a full-day symposium celebrating Asian food. I love how the themes of the weekend are conveyed so vividly without moving image. The marriage of great sound and evocative text do the trick.

I'm bummed I'll be missing it all, but in exchange, I'll get to see fall colors in Roanoke, Virginia!