140 teams from all around the world took up our challenge to produce an artful and compelling 4-minute audio piece in one mad-dash, energy-drink-swigging 24 hour period. The result was an explosion of creative radio storytelling. Our KCRW judges narrowed down the pieces to a final 10. Then the final 3 were chosen by our esteemed panel of celebrity judges: Alix Spiegel of NPR, radio educator Rob Rosenthal, producer of the How Sound podcast, and Eleanor McDowall producer of the Short Cuts podcast from BBC Radio 4.
The Winners:
Coming Home produced by Whitney Henry-Lester and Lowell Wyse. A mother sings to comfort herself when she misses her son, away in prison. Whitney Henry-Lester is a radio producer and filmmaker.
Eleanor
Psychic Blob produced by Jeff Emtman. On radio race day, Jeff decides to undergo an amateur medical procedure. Jeff Emtman is the producer of the Hear Be Monsters podcast in Seattle, Washington.
Jeff about to get his arm cut open
Erin, You Should Know Bobby Is Trying To Get In Touch produced by Abby Wendle. A guy in a McDonald's parking lot talks about his life, and worries about a friend. Abby Wendle is the senior audio producer for This Land Radio in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Bobby
You Should Know What’s Right Next Door produced by Anna Boiko-Weyrauch. A suspicious smell in a family’s house, changes the course of a life. Anna Boiko-Weyrauch works on the Investigations Desk at NPR in Washington, D.C.
Karan Ireland speaks to a group
Plus an excerpt from Caturday, What a Day, winner of the Social Butterfly Award for best use of social media to document their race, Producers Ashleyanne Krigbaum and Kristina Loring.
If you’d like to listen to ALL of the entries to the radio race, you can find them here.
The brains behind KCRW’s 24 Hour Radio Race is Jenny Radelet, manager of the Independent Producer Project. She was ably assisted this year by Carlee Jensen.
Thanks to PRX.org, soundcloud.com, and PopUpArchive.com for supplying some of the prizes for our winners.
Banner image courtesy of Ashleyanne Krigbaum and Kristina Loring