The Sound School Podcast

The Sound School Podcast The Sound School Podcast is the bi-weekly show on audio storytelling produced by Rob Rosenthal for and . Formerly HowSound

The Sound School Podcast is a bi-weekly show presenting the backstory to great audio storytelling. From fieldwork and recording techniques to narrative and ethics, Sound School Podcast explores the ins-and-outs of radio production. Each episode highlights the work of producers such as Al Letson, Alex Blumberg, Noel King, Leila Day, Saidu Tejan-Thomas, Jr., Phoebe Judge, David Isay, and Susan Stamb

erg, as well as emerging producers from podcasts and local NPR stations around the country. Rob Rosenthal is the host. Rob launched and directed the radio program at the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies for eleven years. He was the lead instructor for the Transom Story Workshops for ten years. He’s an audio guy through and through producing podcasts, documentaries, features, multi-media, and audio tours. He now works mostly as a story editor and still teaches from time to time.

My ears swirled after the Resonate Festival in October. In a good way. And when I tried to describe what I saw and heard...
12/02/2025

My ears swirled after the Resonate Festival in October. In a good way. And when I tried to describe what I saw and heard, I was at a loss for words. Which reminded me of my chat with Jazmine Green. They lamented the limits of the words we use to describe our work -- NPR-style, chatcast, etc. In this archive episode, Jazmine tosses out a few provocative words for your consideration. PRX. Transom.org.

Revisiting: We Need More Words to Describe Audio Stories - Transom

Sound School goes LIVE this week! From ! Whaaaaat!?? My partner, Samantha Broun, interviews high school students she's ...
11/18/2025

Sound School goes LIVE this week! From ! Whaaaaat!?? My partner, Samantha Broun, interviews high school students she's never met. They chat for about 45 minutes. Sam cuts down the interviews to an essential 2 minutes. Schools then play the stories as a way to connect young people with one another. She calls the project "Small True Things." Sam lays out her process and the value of listening closely to young people on stage at the annual audio festival in Ljubljana, Slovenia. RTVSLO.si. PRX. Transom.org.

Seeking Small True Things - Transom

Susan Stamberg sang her own song at NPR. Her writing and her voice, you could always tell it was Susan behind the mic. S...
11/04/2025

Susan Stamberg sang her own song at NPR. Her writing and her voice, you could always tell it was Susan behind the mic. She died at the age of 87 in October after decades at the network. In honor of Susan, we present this archive episode of Sound School where she lays out her best practices for reporting on the visual arts. PRX. Transom.org.

Revisiting: Hang A Picture In Front Of The Microphone - Transom

Funny is hard. Wicked hard. Knowing when to land a joke and when not to in a story about grief is even harder. Yet, some...
10/21/2025

Funny is hard. Wicked hard. Knowing when to land a joke and when not to in a story about grief is even harder. Yet, somehow, Neena Pathak has an uncanny ability to thread a needle through funny and deep heartache. PRX, Transom.org.

When Funny Points to Truth - Transom

It's true. Radio is the most visual medium. Former NPR reporter John Burnett made pictures for listeners writing from hi...
10/08/2025

It's true. Radio is the most visual medium. Former NPR reporter John Burnett made pictures for listeners writing from his notes -- color notes he took while reporting. He was wicked good at it. PRX Transom.org.

Revisiting: Fill Your Notebook with Color Notes - Transom

My ears perked up listening to "Ghost of a Chance" from The Minnesota Star Tribune. What caught my attention was the rel...
09/23/2025

My ears perked up listening to "Ghost of a Chance" from The Minnesota Star Tribune. What caught my attention was the relationship between the host (Melissa Townsend) and the reporter (Eric Roper). I thought "Hmmmm.... I think that's a new approach." Have a listen. PRX. Transom.org.

Host Sits Down With a Reporter - Transom

One of my hopes (one of MANY) is that when you listen to Sound School you say to your self "Hunh. That's interesting. I ...
09/22/2025

One of my hopes (one of MANY) is that when you listen to Sound School you say to your self "Hunh. That's interesting. I should try that." Serial. The New York Times. PRX Transom.org.

Writing Like TV in a Podcast - Transom

Writing like it's a television drama complete with instructions for a camera operator. That's an unusual maneuver for a ...
09/09/2025

Writing like it's a television drama complete with instructions for a camera operator. That's an unusual maneuver for a podcast. One I'd never heard before. Neither had Susan Burton until she wrote that way herself for from Serial and The New York Times. PRX Transom.org.

Writing Like TV in a Podcast - Transom

I write and write and write and write and then..... I get to the end and "p**f" -- I ain't got nothin'. I'm stuck. How t...
08/26/2025

I write and write and write and write and then..... I get to the end and "p**f" -- I ain't got nothin'. I'm stuck. How the hell will I end this story?!

Robert Smith of NPR's Planet Money has the same problem. Robert says he arrives at the end of a story with "empty pockets."

As a fix, he created at taxonomy (word of the day?) of memorable endings.

PRX. Transom.org.

Fill Your Pockets with Endings - Transom

At the risk of not making any friends, I find this approach to sound design cheesy:"I flew to Los Angeles...." (sound of...
08/12/2025

At the risk of not making any friends, I find this approach to sound design cheesy:

"I flew to Los Angeles...." (sound of jet taking off)

"A dog barked in the distance..." (sound of dog barking in distance)

"The crowd cheered..." (sound of cheering crowd)

Let's talk about how to avoid this.

PRX, Transom.org, Radiolab.

Don't Say Rabbit, See Rabbit - Transom

A constant piece of advice for producers is "Find a good talker." But what about shy people? They may not be great talke...
07/30/2025

A constant piece of advice for producers is "Find a good talker." But what about shy people? They may not be great talkers but they may have a good story to tell. The question is: How do you help shy people open up? Erika Lantz and her sister Elin Lantz Lesser, producers of The Turning podcast, have answers. Good ones. PRX, Transom.org.

Revisiting: Interviewing Shy People - Transom

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