Radio at Its Mesmerizing Best

Is there anything more deeply engaging – mesmerizing? – than a great radio documentary? PRX just posted short selections of its Best of the Best 2015 award winners. Download the entire two hours for your next trip. With approaches ranging from muckracking to intimate, topics roam far and near from “The Living Room,”  an intriguing account of one woman’s voyeuristic relationship with her neighbors to “695BGK” an account of an African-American man shot by a white police officer who lives to tell his story of racial injustice.

In “Sounds Up There,” astronauts and a sound designer meditate on the unearthly soundscape of outer space. And in “Mayday Mayday,” an actor recounts his harrowing journey from paralysis to recovery in a docu-drama which won best first-time effort. Best of the Best also features interviews with winning producers who give us a glimpse into the art of audio storytelling.

The PRX site provides links to complete versions of the winning pieces – but even the short versions heard in the beta edition will reward you richly for your attention. Don’t plan on multi-tasking: these stories are way too engrossing.

– Steve Harty

Photo Credit: Image of vintage pink radio courtesy of Pixabay