This American Life (TAL) is a weekly hour-long radio program produced by Chicago Public Radio and hosted by Ira Glass. It is distributed by Public Radio International on PRI affiliate stations and is also available as a free weekly podcast. Primarily a journalistic non-fiction program, it has also featured essays, memoirs, field recordings, short fiction, and found footage. The first episode aired on November 17, 1995, under the show's original title, Your Radio Playhouse.
A television program of the same name and basic structure of the radio program airs on the Showtime cable network, and features Ira Glass as the host and executive producer.
Each week's show loosely centers on a particular theme. The theme of the show is explored in several "acts", usually two to five. On occasion, an entire program will consist of a single act. A notable exception was the show "20 Acts in 60 Minutes", which broke the normal convention by presenting twenty acts in one hour. Each act is produced using a combination of staff and freelance contributors.
Content varies widely by episode, and stories are often told as first-person narratives. The mood of the show ranges from gloomy to ironic, from thought-provoking to hilarious. The show often addresses current events, such as Hurricane Katrina in "After the Flood". Listeners may be introduced to novel subjects and issues as well, since the program covers fringe groups within the USA as well as international matters. Often This American Life features stories which explore aspects of human nature, such as "Kid Logic", which presented pieces on reasoning of children.
The end credits of each show are read by Ira Glass, and include a quotation extracted from some portion of that show, which Glass attributes out of context to WBEZ general manager Torey Malatia.
Website:
www.thislife.org/
