Not surprisingly, I really enjoy “The Story,” from American Public Radio, hosted by Dick Gordon and produced at the University of North Carolina.
“The Story,”‘s Web site “About” section explains that the show is about telling the stories of what one listener called “the ordinary us:”
“The Story,” with Dick Gordon has taken us around the country and around the world, discussing political issues, family issues, health, science, the arts and the environment — what’s in the news as well as what’s in the air. From the beginning it has sought out first-person experiences from real people, not experts, to help us understand what’s happening in the world. Responses from listeners in every market where “The Story,” airs tells us that the program is making its mark. And the regular feature, Ahmed’s Diary, has won three major international awards.
“The Story,” in its current form has been produced since 2006, having started out with Dick Gordon hosting The Connection out of WBUR in Boston. More history:
… But when the station canceled production of the show in 2005, many listeners were upset … Many of them called or sent e-mail messages to the Chapel Hill station urging WUNC to bring Dick Gordon to North Carolina and to continue the program from here. … With financial support and encouragement from its supporters, WUNC invited Dick down to North Carolina to discuss the possibility of doing a new national radio program from Chapel Hill. Shortly afterwards, American Public Media — the national program distribution arm of Minnesota Public Radio, joined in the conversations….
The program now airs on 60 stations.
The program’s Web site tells what stories are in progress and asks for people to get in touch if they have a story to share. Another part of the site offers a way to share stories in general and suggests some prompts.