In our final installment of our three-year anniversary special, I look back at some of the experiences and strategies (intended or accidental) that have made this show what it is.

Are you looking to start your own podcast?  Want to be a bigger part of the audio drama community?  Then I hope these tips help out a little bit.

1. Reach out to the community
   
   When I started this show, I had no idea where all of the content would come from.

   The very first thing I did is send out a blast to the Radio Drama Listserv looking for content and WOW did they respond.  I have never actively seek new content since (though, of course, I still do).Huge kudos to Craig Wichman and Jay Stern who let me air their work without having any idea what I would be doing with this show.

   Quicksilver Radio Theater has gone on to be one of our most appreciated, and frequent, guests, and having them on the show brings me to the next point…

2. Interview a Lot of People

   As I said, Craig Wichman and Jay Stern were happy to be interviewed way back in the early days – also special thanks to Scott Hickey and Brian Price who got involved early on.Interviewing all these storytellers, producers, writers, and directors has taught me a lot.

   I’ve learned who people are and where they’re coming from.  What starts people down the mad course of becoming a radio dramatist – the challenges they’ve faced, the fun they’ve had, and the things they’ve learned and would do differently next time.

   Not only has this been great content to share with all of you, but it’s taught me a lot in my own life as a dramatist.

   I picked up field recording early on, avoided some missteps, learned the rigors of live recording, and have gotten the jist of how you make a production happen and what good audio sounds like.

   So, for everyone who’s ever been so generous to spend some time to talk to me, THANK YOU.

3. Do a Halloween Feature

   Bob Arnold has started calling October “Audio Drama Month” and I’m in agreeance.As a lark, for the first year of RDR I produced a month-long series of spooky stories and saw traffic to this podcast blow up.  The audience continued to grow at a steady basis until 2008, when I for the second time did a whole month of horror programming – kaplam!

   Another big spike in traffic.

   And this year, when I was running myself ragged with lack of sleep putting together my own live radio drama for Halloween, traffic spiked again, higher than ever, for Halloween 2009.

   October is huge in audio drama.  Milk it.

4. Share the Love

   What makes the audio drama community so great is that it is full of pretention and egos.Unlike, well, some other performing and produced arts, audio dramatists are laid back, geeky people who you can have a beer with and talk shop.  You’ll especially notice this if you have the opportunity to go to the National Audio Theater Festivals.

   So, I make an effort to give back all the gifts of time people have given me by linking out to their shows, promoting stuff they’ve got going on, and connecting them with other people who might be able to help them out, or dig their work.  It’s what numerous other people have done for me, and the least I can do is pay it forward.

   And so far, it seems to be working.  Radio Drama Revival continues to grow.

5. Pay Attention to Google

   In case you were ever wondering why this show is called “Radio Drama Revival,” not “audio drama revival,” it’s because of Google (well, RDR is also a little more catchy).Though we dramatists tend to call our work “audio drama” or “audio theater,” people who are looking for it for the first time tend to call it “radio drama.”  And so, I pelt it out, week after week – radio drama, radio drama, radio drama…

   I am a search marketer by trade, so I have a bit of an unfair advantage, but plenty of people can do what I’ve done without knowing all the other junk I know.

   Get set up on Wordpress, install a few SEO plugins, and name your posts things that actually mention “radio drama” or maybe the genre of the show you’re featuring.

   It’s not rocket science.  And hell, if producers want me to give an introductory course on SEO for audio producers, let me know!

   Also, things like making sure your mp3 files have ID3 tags, are named consistently, have artwork that comes up right in iTunes, etc… are all really subtle, but make your podcast look more professional and polished.  RDR is produced for essentially $0 but that doesn’t mean I have an excuse not to look pro.

And so concludes our week of self-reflection…

I probably won’t do this again until we hit the big five-er   But, things continue to grow in audio drama, and believe me, you’ll see some pretty exciting news on this blog soon.

So, as always and ever, keep your mind and your ears open and let’s be in touch.

Today we continue our three year anniversary special and self-reflective analysis.  Today we focus on the most memorable interviews I’ve ever done.

This was a really hard one to put together, because I’ve done a ton. In fact, here’s a link to all interviews on Radio Drama Revival.

Here are some of what I consider the very best:

1. Roger Gregg @ Crazy Dog HQ in Ireland (Episode 117)

   I’ve had the huge pleasure of speaking with Roger Gregg on several occasions, but none more interesting than in his den of iniquity in Dublin, Ireland.

   Roger speaks of the promise and challenge of audio programming, and how innovative use of art is the way to keeping audio relevant in the YouTube age.

2. Tom Lopez on ZBS Film Noir (Episode 127)

   This past summer I was looking for people to talk about the National Audio Theater Festivals (NATF) and it made sense to talk to Tom Lopez again, arguably one of audio’s most influential and creative producers.

   This interview was fun because we got to talking about short-form audio drama and experimenting with a visual component.  Like Roger’s interview, we got a veteran’s view of audio in our society and ideas on how audio can keep its place in an environment of media glut.

3. Sue Zizza and Pat Fenton (Episode 84)

   In what I think is my only interview with both producer and writer, Sue and Pat talked about the work that went into the audio dramatization of Jack’s Last Call, including a lot of fun anecdotes about Jack Kerouac’s life and some gems about audio production.

4. Scott Hickey and Brian Price Talk about the Slasher (Episode 81)

   Ihad the occasion to sit in behind-the-scenes in the recording of “The Slasher,” an – ahem – killer work by The Grist Mill and a great opportunity to see seasoned vet Brian Price do what he does best.  This interview brought in producer and director to talk about their ambitious approach to audio – producing stories by published authors – and getting together an incredible cast and a professional recording space for their show.

5. Erik Bauersfeld and Jim McKee Talk About Radio Drama in the Bay Area (Episode 134)

   In case interviewing Tom Lopez wasn’t good enough, I got to talk to his mentor, Erik Bauersfeld, who’s been inspired by radio drama since he first heard the Witches’ Tale back in the 1930s.

   In this interview we touch on everything from his early days at KPFA doing Black Mass to his pioneering productions in field recorded audio drama.  By the way, Erik won the prestigious audio luminary award from Third Coast Audio Festival this year!

Did I miss something?  Disagree?  Leave your thoughts in the comments.

Welcome to day two of our three year anniversary special and self-reflective analysis.  Since Jan 2007, I’ve had a chance to feature a LOT of good work on the show.  75 hours and counting of audio goodness so far!

It’s impossible to feature everything that’s good, particularly because there are episodes in so many different genres, from a heavy dose of horror to holiday tales, classic retellings to contemporary drama, sci-fi, fantasy, and even a little bit of romance.

However, sometimes you just gotta pick your favorite babies.  Here are some episodes I think you should listen to again:

1. Dialogue with Martian Trombone (Episode 13) – What can I say?  I’m a lover of jazz music and this absurd martian tale showcases the endless wit of Great Northern Audio Theater.  Having David Ossman and Philip Proctor from the Firesign Theatre certainly doesn’t hurt, either.
2. Buried in Falling Sand (Episode 16) – While Dreamseeed has not produced much else, this gem of a sci-fi bears deserves a listen.This inspired, eerie tale does what science-fiction does best: use a society not so unlike our own to tell us truths we’d rather not know.  What WOULD happen if we had a drug that made us forget the work day?
3. God of the Razor (Episode 94) - The Grist Mill has produced many fine tales, but God of the Razor may be the best.Moody, atmospheric, and unremittingly dark, Joe Lansdale’s God of the Razor tells of the dark that lurks in the basements of East Texas… and in the hearts of men.
4. The Salmon of Blackpool (Episode 52, Episode 53, Episode 54, and Episode 55) – Okay, here’s a cheat, because it’s a series of four episodes, not just one, but it is worth it.Crazy Dog Audio Theatre’s “Salmon of Blackpool” is simply one of the most compelling produced and moving pieces of audio drama I’ve ever heard.  The only thing I’ve listened to that deserves the name “audio cinema.”  Give a listen and tell me you don’t agree.
5. Hayward Sanitarium (Episode 126) – And let’s not miss this entry from the catalogue of audio suspense.While we only featured one episode of it, “Hayward” is a masterfully written and produced tale of the goings-on at one strange home for the mentally in coastal Maine.  The precedent for shows like Wormwood and Shadow Falls, even if they don’t know it!
6. Medusa on the Beach (Episode 138) – Okay, well this is #6, but I couldn’t help myself.  I’m addicted to myth and Wireless Theatre Company’s “Medusa on the Beach” retells the myth of medusa beautifully.  Cheeky, moving, and dark, I’m delighted from the first few minutes.

Did I forget one of your favorites?  Want to share what you thought about a great audio artist?  Leave something in the comments below.

Tomorrow, we talk about the greatest interviews with audio artists over the past three years.

It doesn’t seem like so long ago that a chance opening at local radio station WMPG gave me a great opportunity: start my own weekly radio show dedicated to radio drama.

My goal from the beginning: expose more people to the medium of radio drama and give me an opportunity to share my own work with others.

Suddenly it’s 3 years later, and Radio Drama Revival has gone a lot of places I never expected and given me the opportunity to do a lot of cool stuff.

I’ve talked to lots of really awesome people, legends like Tom Lopez (two times), Roger Gregg (two times on the phone, and once in person), Tony Palermo, and Erik Bauersfeld, authors Mort Castle and Joe Lansdale, and all sorts of great independent dramatists, such as Brian Price and Jerry Stearns, Marc Rose and Geral McQuinn, Doug Bost, the guys behind Wormwood… the list goes on.

So, in light of all this, and a little sentimental, this week on Radio Drama Revival I’ll put posting some “top 5″ features – “best of,” if you will, from my heavily biased and nostalgic perspective.

We’ll start today.

5 Most Interesting Web Stats

It’s the digital age, and as a podcaster I have a LOT of data to try and comprehend. Here are some of the more interesting giblets:

1. Radio Drama Revival has approximately 400 regular weekly listeners via RSS (as reported by Feedburner).  RDR has had over 300 subscribers since the end of October, 2008.
2. Each episode gets 500-1000 (!) downloads right away, and stuff deep in the archives (episodes 100 and lower) still gets downloaded!Pretty much every archived episode gets at least one download a week.
3. The single most popular day on Radio Drama Revival, ever, was October 31, 2009, with about 500 people landing on the website.Overall, the October horror stories effort has been a huge success which is why I keep doing it. I’ll talk more about that in a follow-up post.
4. God bless Google.Nearly half of all traffic to this website comes from Google alone, particularly because of the good rankings I get for “radio drama” and “radio drama podcast”There seems to be some name recognition, though, because a decent amount of traffic comes from the word “Radio drama revival” and 20% of visitors actually return using a bookmark or typing in the domain by hand.
5. It’s not a surprise that the biggest audience for RDR is the US (about 66%), but outside of the US, the show is quite a global force! 155 countries tune in to the show, with every inhabited continent representing (sadly, no listeners from Greenland). The top 10? U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Phillipines, India, and France. Radio drama is an international phenomenon!

Tomorrow, we’ll be going through the archives to find the Top 5 Episodes You Should Listen to Again.

And if it seems like I’m missing anything, do leave a note in the comments!

Lots of audio groups have success doing remote recording – having cast members from across the world record their lines independently and then email audio files of their lines to one producer who puts it all together. The baker with all of the ingredients from the cake, if you will.

Darker Projects, Brokensea, and Pendant Productions all come to mind as groups who regularly or occasionally use this method. And if you know what you’re doing, it can come out very well!

Of crouse, if you’re just starting out, there are a lot of beginner’s errors you can make that result in uneven, or unusable, results. Which it was why it was so great to come across this presentation by Richard Elen, who presented this talk at OpenTech 2009 in London on producing “Radio Drama At A Distance” using Skype:

Thanks, Richard, for this fantastic presentation. This really sums up just about everything the basic audio drama technician needs to know to get started. We’ll be corresponding with Richard via email and featuring his feedback here in a couple more weeks.

Greetings all,

My wife recently had surgery for appendicitis, and between doing my work, taking care of her, and looking after my 4 year old son, I’m just too beat to write from scratch this week. My essay on Gordon Bok’s “Peter Kagan and the Wind” will therefore be postponed to next week. However, I’m not too tired to type up someone else’s words, so today I’m proud to present a lost piece of radio drama history.

After my review of his dramatic adaptation of Franz Kafka’s “Metamorphosis” went up, Erik Bauersfeld sent me a thoughtful and fascinating email response. Noting my interest in his cooperative 1984 Hörspiel USA project between Berkeley, California Pacifica station KPFA and German station WDR Köln, Mr. Bauersfeld kindly volunteered to send me information about it. The envelope he sent contained a 1984 copy of the KPFA’s Folio, which included summaries of all the Hörspiel USA dramas and an introductory article by Bauersfeld himself.

This was, of course, much too interesting to just file away. I contacted Bauersfeld and requested his permission to post his essay here, which he generously granted. Together with the show summaries, it presents a window onto a fascinating and all-too-brief bridge between the worlds of American radio drama and German Hörspiel. The dramas showcase an impressive level of dramatic invention and intellectual caliber, demonstrating philosophical depth and artistic boldness. While I share Bauersfeld’s regret that this international cross-pollination was cut short all too quickly, these nine broadcasts alone are an impressive accomplishment. They deserve wider recognition, and more than that, re-release.

I want to make it clear from the outset that this article only reprints Bauersfeld’s essay and the show summaries from the KPFA Folio issue. The words that follow are not my own, and I do not claim them. Furthermore, this post does not contain audio files of any of the actual shows. I only wish it did, as I’m dying to hear them myself. Nevertheless, I encourage any audio drama enthusiast to read on, and audio drama producers even more so. The ideas packed into these shows are rich, fertile, and inspiring, demonstrating even today how much further the artistic boundaries of audio drama can be pushed.

Again, my deepest gratitude to Erik Bauersfeld for allowing me to reprint his words and bring attention to this intriguing chapter of radio drama history.

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