It’s not often that I’m able to listen to anything that’s an hour long, especially if it’s a news-oriented podcast. Usually I can only bear a couple of episodes of a TV show or a good movie or documentary, but NPR’s “This American Life” has become a rare exception. Listening to episodes like “The Secret Recordings of Carmen Segarra” only leave me wanting more, as well as with a deep appreciation for well-produced audio content.
Hosted by Ira Glass, “This American Life” has been a staple in my family for years. My dad listens to it all the time, and I developed my habit after listening to the show with him on countless car rides and road trips. That’s why I went to it immediately for this assignment.
One of the perks of a good podcast is that, unlike a good TV show or film, you can do other things while you’re listening. Personally, I can’t idly listen to a podcast like “This American Life.” I need to be on my feet doing something productive. The way I listened to this particular episode was no different. With Ira Glass’ familiar speech impediment flowing out of my laptop speakers, I busied myself folding laundry and cleaning my apartment, killing two birds with one stone.
The Hook
To be frank, not all episodes of “This American Life” are overly engaging, and on several occasions I’ve found myself tuning out the podcast or shutting it off all together. But “The Secret Recordings of Carmen Segarra” was a particularly intriguing episode, which delved into important but shady topics like the Federal Reserve and the treatment of a bank examiner-turned-black sheep – Segarra – who dared to speak up about the way the Fed did business.
The most interesting and engaging aspect of the episode was the use of Segarra’s recordings, which she made without the knowledge of her superiors and co-workers via a small recording device, which she flicked on during important meetings or interactions with her bosses. They gave the episode an air of exclusivity, and they made me feel like I was listening to top-secret, privileged information.
Adding to the podcast’s intrigue was the ongoing interview between Segarra and ProPublica’s Jake Bernstein, who asked prudent questions while making not-so-simple subject matter easy to digest, which is far from an easy task.
The Production
As far as production value was concerned, I knew prior to listening that anything with “This American Life” stamped on it is going to be well-produced by top-notch people, and I wasn’t disappointed. The length – just over 60 minutes – was on par with other episodes of the show, and given its topic’s importance and relevance, I didn’t mind staying with it from start to finish.
Another perk of doing other things while listening to a podcast is that you lose track of how long it’s been since you started listening, and you can just settle into the story.
Short musical interludes and brief injections from Glass did a nice job of breaking up the story, as did Berstein’s summarizations and explanations of what he and Segarra had covered and where the story was going.
Finally, the episode’s page on the “This American Life” website had several useful features. The podcast had been divided up into “Prologue,” “Act One” and “Act Two” clips, which made it easy to go back and listen to a specific part of the story if you needed more clarification. The page also included the standard social media share buttons, as well as a helpful 100-word synopsis of each “act.”
The Bottom Line
I’m a big fan of podcasts and multimedia storytelling. Podcasts especially offer a great deal of creative opportunity, and the ability to showcase emotions and the human voice, both of which are very powerful tools. As a journalist, I am excited about the opportunities for storytelling outside of my currently print-centric experience.