This American Life

This American Life (TAL) is a weekly hour-long radio program produced by WBEZ in Chicago and distributed by Public Radio International. Ira Glass created the show, and has served as the producer and host since it debuted on November 17, 1995.

Related Topics:
Radio - WBEZ - Chicago - Public Radio International - Ira Glass - November 17 - 1995

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The show was originally titled Your Radio Playhouse, but changed its name with the March 21, 1996 episode. A vestige of its original title is the reference to each segment as an "act."

Related Topics:
March 21 - 1996

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The show began national syndication in June 1996 and currently airs on 420 public radio stations in the United States, reaching an estimated 1.5 million listeners each week.

Related Topics:
Syndication - June - 1996 - Public radio

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TAL is primarily a journalistic non-fiction program, although it has also featured essays, memoirs, field recordings, short fiction, and found footage. Each segment is produced by a different contributor, some editors of the show and some freelancers. The mood of the show can range from gloomy to ironic to thought-provoking.

Related Topics:
Journalistic - Non-fiction - Essay - Memoir

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Each week's show centers around a particular theme. Examples include "The Cruelty of Children", "Hoaxing Yourself", "Accidental Documentaries" and "Fiasco!". Each show features several acts exploring that theme. A show usually consists of two to five acts, but some have consisted of just one, such as "Hitler's Yacht". One show ("20 Acts in 60 Minutes") went the other direction and fit 20 acts into the hour.

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The show helped launch the literary careers of contributing editor Sarah Vowell and essayist David Sedaris.

Related Topics:
Sarah Vowell - David Sedaris

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