Third Coast International Audio Festival
Encyclopedia
The Third Coast International Audio Festival (TCIAF or TCF) is a festival based in Chicago
showcasing feature and documentary audio work
. It is sometimes referred to as "the Sundance
of radio." The festival was affiliated with Chicago Public Radio (WBEZ), and includes a weekly radio show (Re:Sound), an annual competition, nationwide broadcast, conference, web site and Chicago
-based listening series. Prominent speakers at the annual conference have included Ira Glass
, Nancy Updike
, Joe Frank
, the Kitchen Sisters
, Jay Allison
, Jad Abumrad
, and Robert Krulwich
.
The term Third Coast refers to the fact that the Great Lakes are an inland coast, the idea that the US population tends to be higher on the east and west costs, and that Chicago, lying on the shores of Lake Michigan
, is the third largest city in the U.S.
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
showcasing feature and documentary audio work
Radio documentary
A radio documentary or feature is a purely acoustic performance devoted to covering a particular topic in some depth, usually with a mixture of commentary and sound pictures. It is broadcast on radio or published on audio media, such as tape or CD...
. It is sometimes referred to as "the Sundance
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
of radio." The festival was affiliated with Chicago Public Radio (WBEZ), and includes a weekly radio show (Re:Sound), an annual competition, nationwide broadcast, conference, web site and Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
-based listening series. Prominent speakers at the annual conference have included Ira Glass
Ira Glass
Ira Glass is an American public radio personality, and host and producer of the radio and television show This American Life.- Early life :...
, Nancy Updike
Nancy Updike
Nancy Updike is an American public radio producer and writer. Her work has been featured on radio programs including This American Life, All Things Considered, and Fresh Air, and has been published in The New York Times Magazine, LA Weekly, The Boston Globe, and Salon.com.- This American Life work...
, Joe Frank
Joe Frank
Joe Frank is an American radio personality, known best for his often philosophical, humorous, surrealist, and sometimes absurd monologues and radio dramas.-Early life:...
, the Kitchen Sisters
Nikki Silva
Nikki Silva is a radio producer, and museum curator from Santa Cruz, California. She is one half of the Peabody Award winning public radio team, the Kitchen Sisters....
, Jay Allison
Jay Allison
Jay Allison is an American independent public radio producer and broadcast journalist. His work has been featured on radio programs such as This American Life, as well as National Public Radio's All Things Considered, and Morning Edition...
, Jad Abumrad
Jad Abumrad
Jad Abumrad is a Lebanese-American radio host and producer. He has reported and produced documentaries for a number of local and National Public Radio programs, including On the Media, PRI's Studio 360 with Kurt Andersen, Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Democracy Now!, and WNYC's "24...
, and Robert Krulwich
Robert Krulwich
Robert Krulwich is an American radio and television journalist whose specialty is explaining complex topics in depth. He has worked as a full-time employee of ABC, CBS, National Public Radio, and Pacifica. He has done assignment pieces for ABC's Nightline and World News Tonight, as well as PBS's...
.
The term Third Coast refers to the fact that the Great Lakes are an inland coast, the idea that the US population tends to be higher on the east and west costs, and that Chicago, lying on the shores of Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America and the only one located entirely within the United States. It is the second largest of the Great Lakes by volume and the third largest by surface area, after Lake Superior and Lake Huron...
, is the third largest city in the U.S.