AIRblast Spotlight: A.D. Ira: Is There Life After This American Life? Kiera Feldman Writing in The American Journalism Review in 1999, Marc Fisher asserted that This American Life "is in the vanguard of a journalistic revolution." Launched four years earlier, This American Life introduced public radio listeners to a brand of journalism that relied on personal narrative, proceeded scene-by-scene, and used long sound bites that dwarfed the 10-second snippets heard in standard NPR news stories. Since then, TAL has attracted a weekly audience of 1.7 million listeners while maintaining a perfected formula: anecdotes alternating with reflection, ending with a larger reflection about human nature. "You can't just have an anecdote," Glass says. "It's got to mean something." Just as each story on This American Life hinges on an unresolved issue, so too does mine. Who comes after Ira? Is it Jad? Is it an unknown? Where do new kinds of storytelling originate, anyway? I turn now to examine public radio's signs of new life. View the entire article » Demystifying AIRdaily, AIR's Online Gathering Place The AIRdaily is the heart and soul of our society of producers. It's where AIR members can swap stories, secure gigs, and troubleshoot technical problems. This 24/7 online gathering place is an invaluable resource to our members. With a recent surge in new membership (about 80 new members in the past few months!), we want to take time to demystify the AIRdaily. The following set of instructions provides tips that will help you manage your relationship with AIRdaily -- ones you might not know about. View the AIRdaily Tutorial » Upcoming Fellowship and Grant Deadlines: April 1st: International Reporting Project Fellowships April 1st International Women's Media Foundation Elizabeth Neuffer Fellowship April 2nd: NEA Arts Journalism Institute for Dance Journalists April 16th: International Center for Journalists' McGee Journalism Fellowship April 28th: Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism May 1st: Creative New Media Women Entrepreneurs Send your comments and questions to airblast@airmedia.org Past issues of the AIRblast are available. Love the AIRblast? SUBSCRIBE/UNSUBSCRIBE Send to a friend NOW! Funding for AIR comes from our members and the generous support of NYSCA, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts, which believes that a great nation deserves great art.