BackStory call for pitches. Go for it!

-mia

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BackStory is now accepting pitches for the following shows (dates in parentheses are dates by which all tape would be due):

Satire (7/24): In honor of Jon Stewart’s departure from the Daily Show, we’re looking at satire throughout the centuries. Why is something funny in one era but not another? How does changing media technology affect satire? When has satire been subversive — and when has it reinforced the status quo? We are definitely not limiting ourselves to political satire on this one, and are open to stories with a big ‘humor’ angle as long as there’s some element of satire in there somewhere. As always, stories from the colonial period are slightly harder to come by, so those would be appreciated.

Fire (8/14): This will be pegged to the ‘fire season’ out west. It will likely shape up to be a more open show (like our Water, Islands, and Speed shows), but we’ll want to look at cultural changes-over-time as well as fantastic stand alone stories. A note: we don’t want to conflate light with fire on this one (so a story about lightbulbs probably wouldn’t work), but if there’s something interesting to say about the handoff from fire to electricity, you might convince us.

Here’s a link to the pitch page of our web site, for info about what makes a good BackStory pitch: http://backstoryradio.org/producers/

BackStory is especially interested in stories that get out of the studio — that is, site-specific and sound-rich stories from around the country. Include what, if any, sources you would use in your story and how you would produce them. Give us an idea about what you imagine your piece would sound like (field tape, scoring, effects, readings, etc.). We’re open to non-narrated features, written essays, and reported pieces. Three to 10 minutes in length is ideal.

Email Associate Producer Kelly Jones at <khjones at virginia dot edu>, with “PITCH:” in your subject line. I’ll do my best to be in touch with you within a week of receiving your pitch.

Call for pitches from Latino USA. Go for it!

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Latino USA is looking for pitches for the following show themes:

Baseball: The Latino elements in America’s game.
Know Your Rights: Stories about people not knowing what they’re entitled to or what resources they may have access to; or how rumors or misunderstanding can get in the way of accurate information.
Beauty: Personal beauty rather than art, in the broad sense of the word – beauty inside and out, or newly defined.
Outdoors: Working, playing and living anywhere outside of buildings, from mountaintops to rooftops.
Coming of Age: Young people finding themselves and older people re-inventing themselves.
Parenthood: Broadly defined.

PLEASE NOTE: LUSA’s pitch address has changed.

Please use the submissions form on our website, www.latinousa.org/submit/.

If you’re pitching for the first time, please include a sample or two of your audio work. LUSA’s pitch meetings take place on Friday afternoons, and we try to get back to reporters early the following week.

Thanks!
Leda Hartman
Editor, NPR's Latino USA
ledahart@mindspring.com
@ledahartman
919-542-0008

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We’re looking for surprising, funny and or poignant stories about the body.

A new series is launching this summer on CBC Radio called Stripped. Each week we explore a particular body part, what we do/think about that body part, and what that says about us as a culture.

So far, we’ve looked at hair and included a story from a hair extension shop owner held at gunpoint for his goods. We looked at the politics of the beard with a Pakistani man who was kidnapped because a militant group wanted him to cut off his gigantic moustache. And, for an episode on voice, we spoke to a stand-up comic who lost his voice early on in life but delivers his jokes using text to speech software.

Right now, we’re looking for pitches for future episodes.

Some are more fully formed than others, with a theme attached.

Teeth
– The theme will revolve around the (hidden) riches of teeth. Take the meaning of that as you will (including the more obvious one of how teeth express your identity, particularly your socioeconomic status).

Skin:
– The theme will revolve around the idea of thick skin, from its strength to the vulnerability it protects. The skin as ‘tough’ in scientific terms and yet also so fragile and needy.

We’re also looking for personal stories or short documentaries about genitals, breasts, hands, bones, stomach, the ‘dead body’, etc.

CBC rates depend on several factors, including the length and format you pitch. We’re flexible on both of those things, but please keep in mind each episode is about 30 minutes.

Pitch us your idea/story by June 15 to stripped@cbc.ca with the body part you’d like to pitch in the subject line or contact us if you have further questions.

From WHYY's The Pulse:

WHYY's health and science show "The Pulse" is dedicating an upcoming episode to the science of love and lust. In recent years, a substantial amount of research has gone into understanding the complexity of our desires and what bonds us to one another. This is a rich, deep topic, and we would love to hear any pitches you'd care to submit.

Please send any pitches to: pulsepitch@whyy.org. We'll get back to you with questions or assignments…fast.

Excited to see your ideas.

Multimedia site Modern Notion wants your stories – details below!

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BackStory is now accepting pitches for the following shows (dates in parentheses are dates by which all tape would be due):

Tools of the Trade (4/24): This is probably the most design-heavy episode we’ve ever done. We’re looking at the changing nature of work in American history, through the objects and technologies that shaped those changes (the office chair, the typewriter, the cubicle, etc. etc.). Got a “tool of the trade” (or a set of tools, technological systems, etc.) you think would fit this show? Be sure to tell us not only the history of the technology, but what it meant and how it changed the way Americans worked.

Speed! (5/08): How fast — and slow — has life moved in America? What big shifts in velocity did people witness in the 18th and 19th centuries? How did the new pace at which people and ideas move change the course of history? How have we measured speed, scientifically and culturally? We’re open to stories that look at the pace of life, the concept of speed and all of its cultural reference points (drugs, the Roadrunner, Speedos…?).

Infrastructure (5/22): On this show, we’ll explore how the physical foundations of life in America went from being highly visible to nearly invisible. Think burying power lines, air traffic control, alligators in sewers, tunnels, Internet cables, and more. We want your stories of building America from the ground up … only to put it ‘underground’ again.

Here’s a link to the pitch page on our web site, for info about what makes a good BackStory pitch: http://backstoryradio.org/producers/

BackStory is especially interested in freelance pieces that get out of the studio — that is, site-specific and sound-rich stories from around the country. Include what, if any, sources you would use in your story and how you would produce them. Give us an idea about what you imagine your piece would sound like (field tape, scoring, effects, readings, etc.). We’re open to non-narrated features, written essays, and reported pieces. Three to 10 minutes in length is ideal.

Email Associate Producer Kelly Jones at <khjones at virginia dot edu>, with “PITCH:” in your subject line. We’ll do our best to be in touch with you within a week of receiving your pitch. Thanks!

New show, new opportunities! Theme and how to pitch details below.

-mia