Are the stories on This American Life real?
Each week there are a bunch of stories organized around a theme. The stories are the same sorts we do on the radio, true stories about real people. The hard part was everything else.
Is This American Life appropriate?
Fine for younger than 14, too. We listen to TAL podcasts in the car all the time and on trips for my kids that are younger than 14 (they're 9 and 12.)
How much does This American Life pay?
This American Life offers two six-month production fellowships each year, one starting in January and the other in July, based in our office in New York City. This is a paid position. Our fellows earn about $6,250 a month, before taxes. We offer benefits like health insurance and a relocation reimbursement.
What are the best episodes of This American Life?
The 12 Best This American Life EpisodesNo Coincidence, No Story.129 Cars.Notes On Camp.What's Going On There.Harper High School.Christmas and Commerce.Switched at Birth.20 Acts in 60 Minutes.More items...•
Is This American Life affiliated with NPR?
From This American Life It is hosted by Ira Glass, produced in collaboration with Chicago Public Media, delivered to stations by PRX The Public Radio Exchange, and has won all of the major broadcasting awards.
Is This American Life appropriate for kids?
This is a great piece for middle-school and older kids, but maybe not for those who worry about what might be wrong with their own bodies. We had to turn it off. When I play the show for my children, I want them to like it.
Is episode appropriate for 13 year olds?
On the Common Sense Media website, parents have given Episode a parental advisory rating of 14+, whereas kids have rated it suitable for ages 13+. On the Apple App Store, the game is rated 12+ and on Google Play it's rated “Mature”. That said, players of Episode are often impressionable older children and teens.
How old is Ira Glass?
63 years (March 3, 1959)Ira Glass / Age
Is This American Life free?
New episodes are free for ten weeks on podcast apps like Apple Podcasts, Radio Public, Stitcher, etc. Our entire archive — all 700+ episodes — is available to stream or download here on our website.
What type of nonprofit is NPR?
nonprofit media organizationNPR is an independent, nonprofit media organization that was founded on a mission to create a more informed public.
What is the most popular episode of This American Life?
Best Episodes of This American Life:No Coincidence, No Story!The Magic Show.Abdi and the Golden Ticket.129 Cars.Lights, Camera, Christmas!Superpowers.Break-Up.The Room of Requirement.
Where do we begin Esther?
Where Should We Begin? with Esther Perel Esther Perel Global Media & Gimlet. Listen to the incomparable therapist Esther Perel counsel real couples as they reveal the most intimate, personal, and complicated details of the conflicts that have brought them to her door.
When did this American life begin?
1995If you're brand new to our show, you might start with the list of episodes our host Ira Glass put together called “New to This American Life?” We've been on the air since 1995, so you can also browse through our recommended lists or our entire archive of more than 700 episodes.
What was the first podcast ever?
Dead End Days, a serialized dark comedy about zombies released from October 31, 2003, through 2004, is commonly believed to be the first video podcast. Never Not Funny was a pioneer in providing video content in the form of a podcast.
Is This American Life ending?
Public Radio International announced today that it will end distribution of one of its biggest titles, This American Life. The Minneapolis-based PRI has offered TAL to stations since 1997.
Who Owns This American Life?
Ira GlassThis American Life (TAL) is an American weekly hour-long radio program produced in collaboration with Chicago Public Media and hosted by Ira Glass. It is broadcast on numerous public radio stations in the United States and internationally, and is also available as a free weekly podcast.
How is this American life made?
This American Life is a weekly public radio program and podcast. Each week we choose a theme and put together different kinds of stories on that theme. Mostly we do journalism, but an entertaining kind of journalism that's built around plot. In other words, stories!
From This American Life
This American Life is a weekly public radio show, heard by 2.2 million people on more than 500 stations. Another 2.5 million people download the weekly podcast. It is hosted by Ira Glass, produced in collaboration with Chicago Public Media, delivered to stations by PRX The Public Radio Exchange, and has won all of the major broadcasting awards.
762: Apocalypse Creep
February 13, 2022 • A woman wakes up and discovers her backyard has disappeared, and other stories from places slowly coming apart.
761: The Trojan Horse Affair
February 6, 2022 • A while back, one of our producers Brian Reed was in England giving a speech about the podcast he'd hosted, S-Town. A journalism student approached him, asking for advice about a story he wanted to look into – something that'd been big news in Britain, something he'd thought about for years.
760: A City Walks Into an Investigation
January 30, 2022 • Last week's story continues, about a Michigan couple who walked into a police officer's house and made a disturbing discovery. This week: the police officer suffers the consequences and so does the couple.
759: A Couple Walks Into a House
January 23, 2022 • Rob and Reyna Mathis make an unsettling discovery in the home of a local police officer. Soon, their whole city is asking questions about who the officer really is and what he's been doing.
758: Talking While Black
January 9, 2022 • Think back to two summers ago, the summer of 2020, when a series of violent, highly-publicized killings of Black Americans sparked outrage and a national movement to eradicate racism and its evils.
756: But I Did Everything Right
December 12, 2021 • People earnestly doing what they're told, and absolutely not getting what they were promised.
What is the show "This American Life" about?
Often This American Life features stories which explore aspects of human nature, such as "Kid Logic", which presented pieces on the reasoning of children.
When was this American life live?
On April 23, 2009, This American Life broadcast a second theater event, titled This American Life – Live! Returning to the Scene of the Crime. Contributors included Mike Birbiglia, Starlee Kine, Dan Savage, David Rakoff, and Joss Whedon .
What is the TAL radio show?
This American Life. This American Life ( TAL) is an American weekly hour-long radio program produced in collaboration with Chicago Public Media and hosted by Ira Glass. It is broadcast on numerous public radio stations in the United States and internationally, and is also available as a free weekly podcast.
What was the first news program to win the Pulitzer Prize for Audio Reporting?
In 2020, This American Life became the first news program to win the Pulitzer Prize for Audio Reporting. The winning work was "The Out Crowd", the 688th episode with "revelatory, intimate journalism that illuminates the personal impact of the Trump Administration’s ' Remain in Mexico ' policy".
How many times has This American Life been on the road?
This American Life has taken the radio show on the road three times since 2000; material recorded on each of the three tours has been edited into an episode which aired on the radio shortly after the tour. Other episodes include segments recorded live.
How many listeners does This American Life have?
In 1999, more than 800,000 people listened to This American Life each weekend on 332 public radio stations. By 2019, the show broadcast to 2.2 million listeners each week , with an additional podcast audience of 3.6 million.
Why don't we use music in this American life?
We don't use music at This American Life to create a mood in a story or make things sound pretty. Instead, it's there to help you make your point ... We're trying to point out what you should be listening for in the tape so you get the same joy or sorrow out of a story that we're feeling. And we use music the same way—it's a little flashlight that helps us get our ideas across.
What is American life podcast?
Listen on Apple Podcasts. This American Life is a weekly public radio show, heard by 2.2 million people on more than 500 stations. Another 2.5 million people download the weekly podcast. It is hosted by Ira Glass, produced in collaboration with Chicago Public Media, delivered to stations by PRX The Public Radio Exchange, ...
Who hosts this American life?
Another 2.5 million people download the weekly podcast. It is hosted by Ira Glass, produced in collaboration with Chicago Public Media, delivered to stations by PRX The Public Radio Exchange, ...
What is the most rerun episode of This American Life?
One of This American Life ’s most rerun episodes, “Fiasco!” is a collection of masterful debacles. Everything goes wrong, at least once in a while. When it does, you can only hope someone is there to record the wreckage. A community theater’s attempt to dazzle in their production of Peter Pan shatters the fourth wall and a rookie cop succumbs to a devious foe (a squirrel). Each of the episode’s four acts investigates a doomed, hilarious series of errors.
When was this American life first broadcast?
F irst broadcast in November 1995 , This American Life is the most influential precursor to narrative podcasting as it exists today. Over the last 25 years, the show founded and led by Ira Glass has built a vast network of producers and writers who have set standards across all genres of audio production.
How did Scott Carrier start radio?
The legend about TAL contributor Scott Carrier (later explored in Carrier’s own podcast Home of the Brave) is that he started making radio by hitchhiking, cross-country, from his home in Utah to the NPR headquarters in Washington, D.C. Arriving on a Saturday, he asked the first Weekend Edition producer who would listen to teach him how to make radio. Carrier is fiercely partisan, an outsider in every possible sense, and keenly unafraid to burn bridges. He writes like Hemingway, with brief language, quick movement, and constant grappling with the more toxic angles of masculinity. He can sound, at times, both dangerous and uniquely tuned to an unknown rhythm. All of these traits are on display in “Running After Antelope,” a 40-minute narrative of a decade-long attempt to chase down an antelope on foot, and how his desire to be “primitive” conflicted with the inexorable movement of time. Carrier would later get a full episode of This American Life dedicated to his work ( 181: The Friendly Man ).
What is 24 hours at the Golden Apple about?
In this episode, Glass and a few other producers spend the day at a local Chicago diner, from early morning until late into the night. We meet a regular who plays harmonica as the sun ris es, a waitress who’s been working the night shift for the past 26 years, a pair of teen girls trying to corral friends to come join them at the diner, and many, many others.
What episode of This American Life is Dawn?
15: Dawn. An early highlight of This American Life is “Dawn,” the episode first to give the entire hour over to a single contributor. Master storyteller and magazine journalist Jack Hitt’s work holds a strong influence over the first decade of the program. “Dawn” follows Hitt as he interviews old friends and family in Charlotte about ...
Where was American Life filmed?
During this period, production of This American Life moved from Chicago to New York (on account of the show’s brief experimentation with television ), and the program became a force beyond itself. While much of the show’s first 10 years turned around the show’s home base of Chicago, once in New York, the show went global.
What is the show 129 cars about?
The episode is a character study of Town and Country’s employees, as Jason explains his dealership-leading success, Manny teaches the wisdom of Sun Tzu, and Bob tries to escape his reputation as the office loser. “129 Cars” swings between lighthearted and urgent, as the car dealers repeat their monthly cycle of nearly losing everything they’ve worked for.
How long are podcasts free?
Each episode is posted on Sunday evening, following the national broadcast. New episodes are free for ten weeks on podcast apps like Apple Podcasts, Radio Public, Stitcher, etc. Our entire archive — all 700+ episodes — is available to stream or download here on our website.
What is the movie Sleepwalk with Me about?
Susan Burton's melancholic essay about being trapped in an airport with her sister at Christmas was turned into a 2006 kids comedy Unaccompanied Minors . In 2012, Mike Birbliglia and Ira Glass co-wrote Sleepwalk With Me , based on a story that Mike told on the radio. Mike directed and starred in it. It won an audience award at Sundance and was released theatrically by IFC Films.
How many stories are there in a movie?
Usually we have anywhere from five to ten stories in development for film or TV.
When do transcripts come out on the show?
Transcripts become available the week after broadcast, normally on Monday. Links to transcripts are located on each episode page.
Is I've fallen in love and I can't get up a comedy?
Chris Higgins's story about cataplexy, “I've Fallen in Love and I Can't Get Up,” has been turned into a comedy, Ode to Joy , directed by Jason Winer and starring Martin Freeman and Morena Baccarin.
Overview
This American Life (TAL) is an American weekly hour-long radio program produced in collaboration with Chicago Public Media and hosted by Ira Glass. It is broadcast on numerous public radio stations in the United States and internationally, and is also available as a free weekly podcast. Primarily a journalistic non-fiction program, it has also featured essays, memoirs, field recor…
Format
Each week's show has a theme, explored in several "acts". On occasion, an entire program will consist of a single act. Each act is produced by a combination of staff and freelance contributors. Programs usually begin with a short program identification by host Ira Glass who then introduces a prologue related to the theme which precedes act one. This prologue will then lead into the presentation of the theme for that week's show. After the introduction of the theme, Glass then i…
History
In the early 1990s, Glass co-hosted, with Gary Covino, a Friday-night show in Chicago called The Wild Room. However, he was looking for new opportunities in radio, and had been sending grant proposals to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting for two years when, in 1995, the MacArthur Foundation approached Torey Malatia, general manager of Chicago Public Radio. They offered him US$150,000 to make a show featuring local Chicago writers and performance artists. Malati…
Production
In a 2014 interview, Glass revealed the software and equipment used to make the show. The staff records interviews using Marantz PMD661 digital recorders and Audio Technica AT835b shotgun microphones. After each recording session (whether a single interview or day of recording) he uses a story structuring technique he learned from print journalist Paul Tough. He jots or types all the most memorable moments from the tape, then has the recording transcribed and makes not…
Music
Episodes of TAL are accompanied by music. Some songs are used between acts and are credited in the episode guide for the show. Other songs are used as thematic background music for stories and are not credited. Jonathan Menjivar is a producer and music supervisor at the show.
"Over the years, we've used hundreds of songs under our stories—and in some stories, we use a number of different songs in different sections. We tried to answer these emails for awhile [sic?]…
Reception
The show received positive reviews from the beginning. Marc Fisher with American Journalism Review drew attention to how the program's production style elicits "a sense of ease, informality and direct, unfiltered access", and "the effect is liberating". After remarking that producing so many stories each episode is "labor intensive," David Stewart with Current said it is "remarkable th…
Adaptations
Discussions of a television adaptation of TAL date back to at least 1999. However, the show's creative team was unsure of what the show would "look like" and, with so much money on the line, turned down offers. In January 2006, Showtime announced it had greenlit six episodes of a new series based on TAL. The announcement noted that each half-hour episode would "be hosted by Ira Glass and [...] explore a single theme or topic through the unique juxtaposition of first-person …
Cultural impact
Marc Fisher with American Journalism Review wrote, in a 1999 article on the show, that "in ways small but clear, as inspiration if not direct model, This American Life is at the vanguard of a shift in American journalism." In the book Sound Streams—A Cultural History of Radio-Internet Convergence, author Andrew Bottomley calls the show "the archetype of the modern US feature-documentary mode."