KFAI's MinneCulture Presents

An Actual Story in Sound of a Dog's Life by Tony Schwartz The sound of the first year of the life of a dog; all the people the dog meets and all the situations a dog (and his humans) go through. This recording was broadcast on The CBS Radio Wordshop in 1957 and released on Smithsonian Folkways Records in 1958. Known as the "wizard of sound," the pioneering Tony Schwartz (August 19, 1923 - June 15, 2008) was an American sound archivist, audio designer, media theorist, and advertising creator. Tony embraced audio tape technology while in its infancy in the 40s, and over the next 55 years assembled a vast collection of audio-visual materials. Schwartz’s life-long interest in people, events, and music led him to record urban soundscapes and to collect similar recordings from other folklorists around the world. Already considered a master of the electronic media, Mr. Schwartz also changed the face of

Sink or Swim - Airs July 20 As humidity and heat fills the air, we head to the lake for a nice, cool swim. On this show, we air four stories related to swimming. We begin with Baumgartner's Got Nothing on Charette , the story of one woman's unusual relationship with distance swimming. Her adult son dies, so she hits the water. And later tries to swim the English Channel. It's riveting. And scary. And inspiring. We also air Swimming , a cautionary swimming lesson that covers all the risks -- and none of the pleasure -- of keeping afloat. And then we ease up on the throttle for Dock Jump , an essay about the joys of leaping into the unknown on a pier in northern Minnesota. The fourth story is a surprise. The water is refreshing, join us for a dip on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.

Last Reel: Drive-In Movie Theaters of Minnesota - Airs July 13 They had names like The Cinebuff, the Bronco, The Maple Leaf, The Sunset. They were the drive-in movie theaters of Minnesota. Once, there were more than 80 outdoor movie theaters in the Gopher State. Today, only a handful remain, including the Sky-Vu in Warren and the Starlite 5 in Litchfield. Grab your popcorn, get in the car and join us for a tour of drive-in movie theaters of Minnesota. Produced by Todd Melby.

This is the radio documentary that most producers wished they had created, including me. "Ghetto Life 101" tells the story of two teenagers growing up on Chicago's South Side. But it tells it from their point-of-view. Producer David Isay gave LeAlan Jones and Llyod Newman tape recorders so they could record themselves leaving home in the morning, riding the city bus, fooling around and interviewing their relatives. There are light moments and sad moments. But it all adds up to life. Originally broadcast in 1993 on WBEZ Chicago Public Radio. We'll also air a second Isay documentary: "Witness to an Exectuion," an Isay doc about capital punishment's impact on prison guards. Extras: Listen to an interview with producer David Isay on PRX's Saltcast A second documentary by Jones and Newman: Remorse: The 14 Stories of Eric Morse Photos, Transcripts and more from Ghetto Life 101 Photos, Transcripts and more from  Witness to an Execution