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Hi all,

Thanks so much to all of the freelancers who rapidly (and enthusiastically!) answered my last call for pitches. The next America Abroad will focus on religious minorities in the Middle East.

We're looking for reports that can answer questions like to the following:

-What does the Arab Spring mean for Christians, Jews, and other religious minorities where new governments and constitutions are forming?

-What policies of tolerance and protections of minority rights(or lack thereof) exist in the Middle East?
-How do religious minorities fit into political systems where they are outnumbered?
-What is the societal role played by minority Muslim sects?
-What non-Abrahamic traditions exist in the Middle East, and where are they surviving/thriving? How do they fit into their society and its sociopolitical dynamics?

Of course, these are just examples. Feel free to think outside the box. We're looking for pieces around 8-10 minutes in length, with good potential for natural sound and a real opportunity to take our listeners to somewhere they might never otherwise go. We also want to make a serious examination of policy, government, and how religion fits into political questions.

The deadline for completed pieces will be June 29th, and we pay $125-$150 per minute, with higher rates dependent on a piece's quality, reporter experience, and contribution of multimedia (photos, social media participation, video, etc.)

Please get in touch off-list at acvaldez at americaabroadmedia dot org.

Thanks!
A.C.

I am a host moving from a prerecorded environment to a live show in New York City Metro. The show will air 9am – 11am M-F. I need to find a producer/audio engineer/BFF–who needs very little sleep (at least for the first month)–to be my right arm, left foot and, frankly, my spine.

Please don't send me any attachments. I do not want anything fancy. All I want to know is the following: (1) What is your work history, (2) links to any audio/visual samples, and (3) the exact amount you would expect to make per a YEAR for the FIRST year of the show being on air. [Send items to: studio@urrepublic.com].

For the corporate types, the professional job advert is below:

Title: Audio Engineer/Creative Producer
Hire Type: Full-Time or Part-Time (depending upon experience/knowledge)
Hire Date: 21 June 2012
Initial Contract Term: 26 June 2012 – 25 June 2013
Work Days: M-F, occasional weekend/holiday work (extra days are paid extra)
Work Time: 5:30AM – 12:30NOON (1st month will be longer days and late evenings)
Base Pay Range: (TBD)
Benefits/Perks: No-Benefits at this time
Supervisor: Show Host

Overview:

New live broadcast show needs an audio engineer/producer: This person MUST have a good ear and be responsible for:

General supervision of the broadcast clock, interns, guests and callers

Development/supervision of show imaging and music
Operations for the broadcast console, sound board/jingle palette
Monitor of live audio/video stream
Get/keep the show on the air on time every day
Programming of breaks including adverts, social service announcements
Other duties often related to the production of the show

Preference will go to producers that: (a) posses solid and creative production/music/audio skills; (b) have some commercial radio experience; and (c) is funny.

-mia

You might know me as Diane Rehm's former call screener and a longtime independent producer in my own right. Recently I was hired as a producer for America Abroad, PRI's monthly show on international affairs.

I'm working right now at growing my rolodex of reporters both here in the US and abroad, and since we focus primarily on international affairs, I'm very excited to connect with anybody who might want to help us out in the future, particularly if you're an expat reporter.

However! This month we're looking to make a local/global connection happen. We're focusing on water issues all over the globe. What we're trying to do is tie a water-related issue in the US into the water crisis in the world at large, either in terms of sanitation, water recycling, irrigation, solving scarcity problems, policies that need to be examined in terms of environmental cleanup, that kind of thing.

If you're from a dry area of the US, know of any exciting technological innovations that are happening here and can be applied to other places, are familiar with river issues in your area that apply elsewhere, or have another story you're willing to pitch, I want to hear from you! Here's the challenge, though: we're looking to have a story ready to go by the 5th of June (we feed to stations on the first Tuesday of each month).

Please shoot me a note off-list at acvaldez@americaabroadmedia.org.

Thanks!
A.C. Valdez

-mia

A typical story might be a seasonal nature event or traditional celebration of some kind. We also air science stories which may not be seasonal, but which have a sound "hook". Check out pulseplanet.com to get a feeling for the program.

The first step would be to pitch your story ideas: Tell us the subject matter, where it would be taking place, what you'd be recording and who you'd be interviewing. If we're not familiar with your work, you'll need to send us a link to hear a sample of it. We'll respond to the stories that interest us.

If we say yes to your story, we'll send you a set of guidelines and you'd be sending us raw sound and interview files, typically from 30 minutes to an hour of interview, plus sounds. How the sounds relate to the interview will depend upon the subject. We like stories which portray science in action, where we're hearing something interesting and its meaning is explained in the context of the story. To be clear – you'll be sending us raw sound, not a produced piece. In summary – an attractive pitch will have a strong sound component, and a compelling, seasonal subject.

We pay $250/story for raw sounds/interviews as described above which meet our standards, plus travel expenses, when necessary. We'll pay an additional $50 for a log of your sound files (not a transcription, a summary log) and another $50 if you send usable photographs to illustrate the story.

Please send your pitch ideas to pulse@igc.org. I'll be glad to respond to generic questions in comments to this post.

All the Best;
Jim Metzner
pulse@igc.org
http://www.pulseplanet.com