Today, Explained: The Making Of 'A Phone Call From Ukraine'

Join Dear Alana creator Simon Kent Fung and Tenderfoot TV's Tracy Leeds Kaplan as they take us through the making of 'Dear Alana,' a story of "teenage rebellion and spiritual manipulation, the price we pay to belong, and the systems that pay no price at all."

Hear from award-winning podcast director and producer, Shane Salk, and Dolby’s Tina Eckman on how to bring stories to life. Dolby Atmos provides a new experience for podcasts and allows creators to place sounds in a multidimensional space that creates an audio-only experience so rich and lifelike that it transports the listener into the story. Learn how Salk approaches his creative process to create immersive storytelling across podcast genres.

This talk was broadcast as part of On Air Open House 2023, at dublab. Also on site was the Dolby Atmos Experience, which gave attendees the opportunity to experience podcasts and audio experiences in Dolby Atmos in both a studio setup, and in the Dolby Atmos car.

Today, Explained co-hosts Sean Rameswaram and Noel King provide a behind-the-scenes look at what Sean describes as "one of the best episodes we've ever made on our show." When the Russian invasion of Ukraine forced the Today, Explained team to reconsider their editorial plans for their next episode, the team rallied to pull together a brand new episode—in under five hours.

Listen to Sean and Noel as they give a play-by-play on the troubleshooting and problem solving that went into the compelling Today, Explained episode, 'A phone call from Ukraine.'

In this episode:
-Today, Explained's piece from the day before the Russian invasion: Why Ukraine Matters (2-23-22)
-Today, Explained: A phone call from Ukraine (2-24-22)
-Today, Explained's piece on Afghan Refugees: From Kabul's airports to Virginia's burbs (3-9-22)
-The Soyuzivka Heritage Center in Kerhonkson, NY
-Noel promised to check in again with Kurii Vasil and his niece Yulya. They are featured again on the Today, Explained episode: Why Ukraine Won't Quit. (3-16-22)
-Today, Explained: The real and imagined history of Ukraine (2-25-22)

The 2022 Audio Vanguard Award was awarded to Jad Abumrad, creator of 'Radiolab.' In this interview with Anna Sale (creator and host of ​Death, Sex & Money​) we celebrate Abumrad's remarkable career. Hear all about the early years of Radiolab, and how Jad and his team navigated creative challenges and transitions to make one of the most well known audio programs of our day.

At the end of the interview, cake was distributed to the audience, who stood to sing "Happy Birthday" to Radiolab on the occasion of its 20th anniversary.

Mentioned in this episode:
The First Radiolab
On the Media with Brooke Gladstone
This American Life
NPR News
Robert Krulwich, former Radiolab co-host
Ellen Horne, former Radiolab producer
More Perfect, a Radiolab spinoff
Adoptive Couple v. Baby Girl, the Supreme Court case which inspired the first More Perfect story story
Joe Frank's audio drama, Rent-A-Family
Radiolab's episode on Stress, featuring Robert Sapolsky
Jad's rec: The Mantis Shrimp choir from the Colors episode of Radiolab

Music has the power to make us feel good, but did you know that listening to the right frequency can support better sleep, lower stress and even reduce anxiety? Listen to powerhouse music producer Maejor as he discusses his Audible Original podcast, 'Maejor Frequency,' an innovative journey through sound, and the ability of different frequencies to help tackle pain relief, focus attention, and allow people to connect with a higher sense of well being.

Maejor has been an influential force in the world of music, and now he’s bringing the same passion and skills to help you recharge your own world. Moderated by Carmel Holt.

Mentioned in this episode:
Maejor Frequency
Binaural Beats
The Andean pan flute
Sonic Geometry: The Language of Frequency & Form
My Inventions: The Autobiography of Nikola Tesla

On Air Fest 2022 opened with a keynote—from a special Speaker!

In this performance, audio artist Kaitlin Prest delights with an audiovisual experience dedicated to 'the language of sound': the physical experience of sound in space, the things that sound can tell us about spaces, and the frequencies, rhythms, tones, and pitches that humans use to express themselves and communicate.

Mentioned in this episode:
Charles Spearin's The Happiness Project

Listen as the pages of The Paris Review come to life. Hear excerpts of an interview with Toni Morrison live scored by musicians, then Pulitzer Prize–winning poet Vijay Seshadri reads his poem “Ailanthus”; actor Quincy Tyler Bernstine reads “A Story for Your Daughters, A Story for Your Sons” by Rebecca Makkai; finally, Emily Wells provides live scoring for Bill Callahan's rendition of Adrienne Rich’s poem “A Tree.” Executive producers John DeLore, Emily Nemens, and Brendan Francis Newnam guide the performance.

“The Tree” excerpted from Collected Poems: 1950-2012 © 2016 by the Adrienne Rich Literary Trust. Used with permission of the publisher, W. W. Norton & Company, Inc. All rights reserved.

In an act of mutual admiration, musicians Meshell Ndegeocello and Joan As Police Woman joined us at On Air Fest to play each other's songs and talk about each other's lyrics. These two artists are linked by a particular candor about their history, and the relationship between pain, growth and the healing power of music. In this episode, hear a far-ranging conversation between the two artists, and exclusive live recordings of their music.

One of the most powerful storytellers out there making music today, Meshell Ndegeocello is a bassist, singer-songwriter and vocalist who has collaborated with the likes of Madonna, Chaka Khan and Missy Elliot, she holds ten Grammy Award nominations. Joan As Police Woman trained first as a classical violinist before moving into experimental collaborations with everyone from Lou Reed to Rufus Wainwright. Her latest album, Joanthology, was released in early 2019.

Artforum is the leading international art publication. Each issue writes the history of our visual culture, and demonstrates how art is the most iconic measure of what’s urgent in the here and now. In this conversation, Editor-in-chief David Velasco, sits down with contributing writer Tobi Haslett to explore what role a magazine like Artforum can play in structuring our resistance to power. Together, they discuss this moment in artistic production and the value of art criticism today.

For the tenth anniversary of ESPN’s iconic documentary series 30 For 30, Podcast host Jody Avirgan sat down with Ezra Edelman, Oscar-winning director of OJ: Made In America. The two explored the power of sports storytelling, and their approach to documentary work through their chosen medium. At one point in the conversation, Edelman describes documentary making as a leap of faith. Part plan, part following the story to see the unexpected places it will evolve, and being open to the work having a mind of it’s own. Let’s see where it goes.