Radio

 

I make sound-rich stories for radio stations.

 

Romance on the Connecticut: ‘Loquatious’ retirees nearly miss their moment

Part 4 of Life on the Connecticut, a series I made for NEPM, VPR, NHPR and the New England News Collaborative.

Listen to the story here

Check out the immersive photo story here

Romance on the Connecticut: Elsie & Ed
Ben James
 

“Fix it and move on”: Life on the Connecticut with ridiculous rent and a special kind of ‘energy’

Part 3 of Life on the Connecticut, a series I made for NEPM, VPR, NHPR and the New England News Collaborative.

Listen to the story here

Check out the immersive photo story here

Fix it and move on: Life on the Connecticut with ridiculous rent and a special kind of ‘energy’
Ben James
 

Once a ‘floating sewer,’ changes to the Connecticut River contribute to rebirth, hardship

Part 2 of Life on the Connecticut, a series I made for NEPM, VPR, NHPR and the New England News Collaborative.

Listen to the story here

Check out the immersive photo story here

Once a ‘floating sewer,’ changes to the Connecticut River contribute to rebirth, hardship
Ben James
 

Working, grieving and getting by along the Connecticut River

Part 1 of Life on the Connecticut, a series I made for NEPM, VPR, NHPR and the New England News Collaborative.

Listen to the story here

Check out the immersive photo story here

Working, grieving and getting by along the Connecticut River
Ben James
 

Dude paddles the Connecticut River in a ‘very hokey watercraft’

It would be difficult to overstate just how janky David Rothstein’s pumpkin/boat actually appeared

Listen the story at New England Public Media

NEPM PUMPKIN PADDLE
Dude paddles the Connecticut River in a ‘very hokey watercraft’

National Edward R. Murrow Award Winner for 2023

We catch a thermal and up we go

I followed a group of paragliders to the peak of Mount Tom — and off of it.

This story won a 2023 national Edward R. Murrow Award for Excellence in Sound!

Listen to the story below, or check it out at New England Public Media

Flying On Strings And Cloth — NEPM
 
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Mrs. Anderson will do just fine

Fans of blues legend Robert Johnson have been inventing racist and ridiculous stories about his origins for decades. In a new book, Johnson’s 94-year-old stepsister, Annye Anderson, tells the blues musician’s actual story — and her own.

Listen to the story below, or check it out at NPR’s All Things Considered

'Brother Robert' Reveals True Story Of Growing Up With Robert Johnson — All Things Considered
 
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Remote learning: make it ambitious and make it real

Wiley James is the knife-wielding protagonist of this piece I made for NPR’s Morning Edition.

Listen to the story below, or read the more expansive version at NPR.

A Chef's Recipe For Remote Education: Make It Ambitious — NPR's Morning Edition
 
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The end of the world is nigh — on the Q train

"At some point I thought, 'There's no Richard. There's just an old white guy standing up in the subway car yelling.

Listen to the story below, or check it out on NPR’s Morning Edition

The Gospel Of Climate Change — NPR's Morning Edition
 
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Dude, that’s gonna hurt a lot

Downhill Skateboarders Seek 'Mellow' 70 MPH

listen to the story below, or check it out at WBUR

Downhill Skateboarders Seek Mellow 70 MPH — NEPR
 
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Can we stay focused on the fascists?

Loretta Ross Addresses the Call-Out Culture

Listen to the story below, or check it out at New England Public Radio

In Smith Swastika Incident, One Professor Asks: 'Can We Stay Focused On The Fascists?' — NEPR
 
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It’s OK — at least I got the flame

Zoom school? Nah. Firebuilding? Yes! Wilderness schools are busy during the pandemic, with more kids than ever spending part of their week embedded in the woods. That’s great news for outdoor educators, except for one question: Who gets to go?

Listen to the story below, or check it out at NPR’s All Things Considered.

Growing Demand For Wilderness Education May Widen Learning Inequality — All Things Considered
 
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Not all acts of confrontation and reconciliation occur in public.

listen to the story below, or check it out at WBUR, or listen to a shorter version on NPR's Here and Now

For One Springfield Woman, A Complicated Desire To Preserve Racist Emblems — WBUR
Ben James
 
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We are parents with lived experience raising a child with a mental health challenge

In this 3-part series for New England Public Media, I speak with 3 extraordinary mothers, plus doctors, therapists, hospital CEOs, social workers and one cool kid about the escalating crisis in youth mental health.

Part 1 is about the Pile-Up in Emergency Rooms. Part 2 is about the Limits of Acute Inpatient Care. Part 3 is about the Shortage of Child Therapists. Click on the links, or listen below.

PART 1: Hospital Emergency Departments Bearing Brunt Of Youth Mental Health Crisis — NEPM
PART 2: Kids In Mental Health Crisis Face Inpatient Bed Shortage, Revolving Door Of Treatment — NEPM
PART 3: Therapist Shortage Fuels Ongoing Crisis In Youth Mental Health — NEPM
 

More Stories:

Ambitious young crowd brings new life to a staple of the western Mass. music scene — NEPM
School mental health program eases transition from hospital to classroom - WBUR
Multilingualism is an opportunity instead of a hurdle in Burlington schools — Vermont Public Radio
Multilingual liaisons are ‘cultural brokers’ in this Vermont school district — The World
'As Scary As A Virus In Some Ways': Mental Health Concerns Grow As Remote Schooling Continues
Robert Johnson's Stepsister Tells His Story, And Her Own, In 'Brother Robert' — NEPM
This refugee’s academic success in the US comes with plenty of complications — and joy — The World
On New England Soil, Somali Bantu Refugees Reclaim A Farming Tradition — NEPM
PART 1: Western Mass. Educators Seek Solutions For Chronic Shortage Of Teachers Of Color — NEPR
PART 2: Shortage Of Teachers Of Color In Western Mass. Has Major Costs — NEPR
PART 3: One Strategy to Get More Teachers of Color: Treat Students of Color Better — NEPR
No Longer “Watching the Barn Burn” — NEPR
Healthy School Meals That Are Also Tasty? Springfield, Mass., Gives it a Try — NEPR
Amherst, Massachusetts, Puts its Historic Town Meeting Up for a Vote — NEPR
Ben James
Students Lead the Way in Shifting Discipline at Holyoke High — NEPR
Ben James
Why One Lawyer Wants Elephants to be Considered Persons — NEPR