I never tire of hearing about the original Mercury Theatre broadcast of War of the Worlds - especially appropriate as we approach its 70th anniversary. The old-fashioned doco style of this feature suits the subject perfectly. The interviews are woven with excerpts from the radio play and it's a delightful half-hour of radio history. No tricks, all treat!

A powerful meditation on race and racism that couldn't be more timely! In the wake of Barak Obama's recent speech and coming up on Asian American Heritage Month in May, this piece is programming heaven. Dmae and the other "secret asian women" sharing their stories are insightful without being too introspective. The results are provocative and charming, angry and amusing, enlightening but never pedantic.

I found particularly revealing: The "double-edged sword" of the seemingly benign question "Where are you from?" The "Suzie Wong assumption" that Asian women who married white men were rescued from prostitution. And the role of multi-ethnic "bridge-walker" or peace-keeper in today's troubled times.

Timely and timeless, this program should be heard - sooner rather than later.

Every radio station in the US should make use of this Katrina special - tailered to your needs with one-hour & half-hour versions, or individual segments. I listened to the full hour which flew by even though I'd heard some of the material in a program last year. But it's all been refreshed and updated.

It begins with a rich montage of voices and music, followed by a recap of original news coverage which ends with a voice filled with so much emotion I found tears filling my eyes - and this at only 8 minutes into the program. A powerful introduction!

The stories which follow are all excellently produced testaments to individual grit and determination in the face adversity and frustration: the passionate organizer of Common Ground, abused immigrant construction workers, a 15 year old girl who weathered the storm with her family.

What's extraordinary is how often the word "hope" is still spoken - despite the appalling failings of the Bush administration. It's unfathomable that one of America's great treasures has been left to fend for itself while billions are spent waging war in Iraq. I'm not a particularly religeous person but I say, God bless New Orleans and God bless the National Radio Project for this inspiring reminder of the city's indomitable spirit and will to rise again.

The gentle rural pace of this special filled me with nostalgia. I grew up just north of the Hudson Valley where husband/wife team Joe & Lorie talk to their friendly neighbors - some natives and some transplanted New Yorkers. But all have found their way to the joys of healthy eating/living. There's lots of information about Community Supported Agiculture and the benefits of organic foods such as micro-vegetables. (Though I must admit, the details of a so-called Sunshine Burger based on sunflower seeds had my own debauched system screaming out for McDonald's!)

There's lots of fun sound - especially when a persistent rooster does some serious scene-stealing - and the tone is always casual. I wasn't overly fond of the old comedy sketchs in the second hour - but they make a kind of Borscht Belt sense, I guess. I loved the final comments of the old philosopher, tying everything together. (A pity the mood is then broken by 5 minutes of shameless self-promotion for the next show - but, hey, that's part of the old American work ethic, as well!)

All in all, laid-back Labor Day fare that should entertain both relaxed rurals and edgy urbanites.

There's much to recommend this hommage to Melville's timeless epic. Studio 360 has carefully chosen smart, engaging, living icons of the art world to discuss the impact of this work on their own. And abundant usage of sound from film and musical adaptations keeps the story rolling along. The producers note it is excellent summer fare and I'd have to agree.

However, perhaps it's all just a tad obsequious. Yes, the characters are memorable, the themes universal and some of the writing simply breathtaking. But nobody ever mentions that no matter how motivated one might be to read this book, it remains one of the most exasperating, convoluted and interminable epics in literature - brilliant but extremely difficult.

On another note, considering the "post-modernism" of both the novel and most of the guest-list, I wasn't expecting such a formulaic treatment. I liked the idea that the program's meandering, digressive path might be trying to emulate the book's unusual form - until, that is, I listened to the Oz program and heard exactly the same style. Somewhere over the rainbow there might be a thesis equating Ahab's quest to Dorothy's. But I don't think these two great American literary icons should recieve the same audio approach. Perhaps I'm getting overly critical because I love them both - in entirely different ways!

All that said, listeners will enjoy any of the polished programs in this American Icon series - summertime, anytime!

Powerful material has been collected on this disturbing topic. But the two pieces sound like a work-in-progress. The first introduces victims with a long untranslated encounter which becomes emotional. The producer then introduces the difficult journey upon which she has embarked in minimalist thoughts, impressions. The second part is more focused - a visit to a 12 year old victim in hospital surrounded by family who do most of the talking for him. The recordings tell the story with little intervention.

I understand what the producer is attempting here. But I fear it may still be too raw for most listeners without more context. However, I'll be curious to hear how this work continues to develop. Anyone interested in tackling this tough subject should give this material a listen and think about how it might be crafted to suit their format.

A 21-gun salute to War News Radio! This timely/topical series is thoughtful and very well-produced (based on listening to this particular program.) The interviews are all by phone in this installment but the content is beyond reproach. Especially strong is the middle segment about the soldier-poets. One can't help but wonder if the military might try to curb war poetry the way they have internet access!

I think only a college radio station would take on the challenge of producing a weekly series such as this. And yet they do it so well there's no reason it shouldn't be heard on any NPR affiliate. Unless, of course, control issues of government funding make PD's uneasy. These committed young radio voices are a breath of fresh air.

Dull, Dull, Dull. Now that I've got that out of my system, why? George Walker is an extremely intellegent, eloquent and sometimes even engaging speaker (when he ventures off the well-crafted pages from which he reads). His ideas about education are important and he presents them with an array of fascinating quotes by great thinkers: Montaigne, Rousseau, Dickens, Emerson, Ghandi, Friedman, to name just a few. Historical and contemporary anecdotes abound.

And yet less than half-way through I checked the time to see how much longer I'd be forced to endure this lecture. I'm not opposed to the format of one person speaking for an hour to a room full of eager listeners. But unless you have a particular interest in this subject, I defy you to stay engaged until the end. Recorded last year on the 4th of July, don't expect any fireworks!

Another strong program in a series that takes on important issues. What's most interesting here is listening to a Catholic priest and bishop challenge the official Vatican stance on homosexuality. They discuss specific events which happened in 2005 and 2003 but which unfortunately remain all too topical today.

Father Joseph Veneroso speaks eloquently about the church's "document of instruction" disallowing gay men to enter Catholic seminaries - which he calls a document rooted in fear. He questions the Vatican's use of the term "unjust discrimination" by asking, "Is there just discrimination?" And he reminds us that the Vatican was still defending slavery in 1866.

Detroit Bishop Thomas Gumbleton, in a phone interview, talks about the hurt caused by the church labeling gays as "intrinsically disorderd" and suggests this may be rooted in internalized homophobia. His point of view is made more poignant when he explains how having a gay brother altered his views.

The program is made up of two self-contained 14 minute segments, either of which would certainly spark further discussion. I'm not usually a fan of extended introductions but here I think they work well to set up these complex issues. The obviously sympathetic interviewer has a relaxed rapport with the priests which keeps the pieces from getting to heavy despite the seriousness of the topic.

Ideal for broadcasting on or around May 17th - International Day Against Homophobia, or any Sunday during June Gay Pride period. But personally I feel the issues are important enough to be broadcast any time!

Usually I'm a fan of PRI programs, but this offering from the America Abroad series falls flat - a broad overview which neither scares nor confronts, though it seems to attempt to do both. The erudite experts drone on without passion and the extensive archival audio bounces between "historic" political rhetoric and toneless news anchors/reporters. Most annoying to me was the stentorian narration prone to sweeping banal pronouncements: after 9/11 "America faced a dangerous new enemy" intones Garrick Utley in the worst example of many during this hour-long examination of nuclear proliferation (a term used so often it began to lose any sense of importance.)

Also, a lot of info is repeated in the overlapping segments. But mostly I was just bored by this obviously well researched and polished (in terms of production values) program. America Abroad calls itself "serious radio for the intellectually curious." Hmmm... It chose the tone "authoritative" to describe this effort - I'd agree, but not in any positive sense of the word.

The Irish are great storytellers and producer Charles Lane wisely allows his speakers to tell their tales of the Troubles with little intervention. From a man watching his brother die during the 1981 Hunger Strikes to the childhood memories of a man and woman on opposite sides of the conflict, this piece builds in momentum to make a compelling if disturbing portrait of ordinary people in unsettling times.

More than a peg to the 25th anniversary of the Hunger Strikes, the power here lies in its subtle parallels to the conflict in Iraq. Even if only mentioned briefly at the beginning and end, it resonates throughout the whole program - especially in the smallest of details, often supported with haunting Irish music.

Unbeatable as a serious meditation on St. Patrick's Day! If you desire a somewhat lighter touch, Lane also has a more musical offering in Songs of the Troubles. But the real voices should be heard any day another car bomb explodes in a street market, or another child's father is shot on the streets of his own city, or another conflict befalls another generation in another country.

Note: I listened to the full-hour version but there is also a newshole version, as well as promos and even a 3 minute demo for busy PD's - it shouldn't take any longer than that to decide to air this piece for your listeners.

Another hard-hitting investigative program from the excellent series Making Contact. This one is as topical and timely as can be - especially in light of news this week about secret American flights in Europe. But it covers a broad spectrum of issues which surround the Patriot Act. With most of its speakers from organizations such as the Center for Constitutional Rights, Human Rights Watch, the ACLU and the American Library Association Office of Intellectual Freedom, the arguements may be somewhat one-sided - but the other side gets a lot more media attention in day-to-day news.

The first section takes on "enemy combatants" detained at Guantanamo and the "reinterpretation" of the Geneva Convention regarding the definition of torture. The second and strongest segment outlines a specific case in Connecticut involving government tracking of library records of computer use by private citizens. The last part deals with infiltrating peaceful war protests - including a brief appearance by one of the Raging Grannies whom I would've liked to have heard much more from than the more detatched "experts."

There's a lot of information but it's well presented and important for people to hear. It could also set up actual discussion of the issues with your listeners after airing the piece.

There's an abundance of fascinating information in this first of a series of programs about Islam and the West. The first half-hour focuses primarily on the history of Islam and the second half puts that information in perspective in post 9/11 America. The five experts interviewed by the very well prepared host are all excellent speakers. The most time is spent with an Iranian author who was particularly engaging and thought-provoking. This is a polished magazine-style program dealing with an important topic in an intelligent way. If the rest of the series maintains this quality, it's definately worth sharing with your listeners.

Holidays, family and music - a winning combination! And when the family is as talented as the McGarrigle sisters and their clan, it's a pleasure to join their party. They sing a couple of old and modern standards, but most of the tunes will be new to listeners - especially the old French carols. Between the musical numbers (some performed live), amusing anecdotes are shared - like a Jewish friend's memory of listening to Santa's Radio Show in Montreal. And there's a wonderful family archive recording of children Rufus and Martha Wainwright singing in French, which segues beautifully into a new Christmas song about children by Rufus. Excellent holiday fare which will work right up through the beginning of the new year - remember, the 12 days of Christmas last til Jan. 5th!

More than just a music profile, this piece about a group fusing traditional and modern sounds raises lots of issues regarding culture and heritage. The sound at the start sets the scene in some far off exotic locale, but the young voices bring us into the here and now - well, here being New Zealand. The crossover to today's hip-hop sound in an indiginous language is fascinating. This is perfect for any culture show or program dealing in global topics - or anywhere else one might want to treat listeners to a short but surprising trip to the South Seas.