Karen Given
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Storyteller/Podcast Consultant - Narrative Beat Newsletter: karengiven.com/narrativebeat - karen (at) karengiven (dot) com
Articles by Karen Given
My Existential Crisis
Without further ado, here are 5 lessons I took from Transom 25 that are helping me resolve my existential crisis. Lesson #1: The industry is still bigger than it once was. Okay, I get it. I’m a dinosaur. I started in audio back when we were still cutting tape with grease pencils and razor blades. Analog, baby! Back then, there was no money. I mean none. Many of the radio reporters I knew had to relocate to rural Alaska for their first on-air jobs. I was lucky. I only had to move to Reno, Nevada for mine.
My Hate-Hate Relationship With the Tool-That-Shall-Not-Be-Named
In case you’ve been living under a podcasting rock, Descript is an all-in-one audio and video editing software. And yeah…I’m an audio person. So I’m gonna stick to the stuff I know. Like many of you, I have lost DAYS of my life to various Descript dramas. I have watched in terror as it has glitched, hiccuped, and out-and-out failed. I have had my workday interrupted by constant updates and unnecessary changes to the UI.
5 Things I (Still) Do Better Than AI
5 Things I (Still) Do Better than AI Hello friends...and happy 2024! I've been struggling with how to close out this past year. If you've been paying any attention at all, you know that there's been a ton of doom and gloom in our industry as of late. And yeah, I could write about that. But seriously – who wants more doom and gloom? And the truth is, it's been a very productive year for me.
Learn to Let Go (In 10 Easy Steps)
As promised, I have scheduled our next Narrative Beat workshop, How to Make a Story. We're gonna plot the process of making a story -- from beginning to end. How do you turn a concept into a pitch? How do you turn a pitch into a series of interviews? How do you turn those interviews into a script? And finally, how do you add music and sound design to bring it all together? This workshop is a great fit for folks who are relatively new to audio storytelling.
Binge Watch For Better Storytelling
Confession time. I am a binge watcher. I cannot stand waiting for new episodes of my favorite shows to drop. I want to watch all the episodes ALL AT ONCE. No interruptions. I'm the same way with my favorite podcasts. And my favorite books. Don't even get me started on how long it took Diana Gabaldon to write Book 9 of Outlander. Torture. The roots of my obsession might come from a childhood without television (really) where I'd come home from my weekly library visit with an armful of new books.
(No) More Marimba
Friends, I'm gonna say something, and I don't want you to get offended. Can we stop with all the marimbas? Please?!? Look. I get it. This isn't your fault. One fateful day, not long after the dawn of podcasting, some hot shot producer walked into a podcasting studio and declared that marimbas made for really good background music. I blame Christopher Walken. (And yes, I made my own meme of this very moment.
It Gets Easier (But It Might Not Ever Be Easy)
Trust Your Story Okay, I've told you to plan and then plan some more. I've asked you to outline and structure. You have already put a LOT of work into your story before you sit down and write. But I'm going to tell you now… Writing still sucks. It's still hard. You're going to doubt. You're going to second guess. You're going to turn yourself around in circles. And when that happens, I want you to breathe. Chill out. Maybe go for a walk? And then force yourself to sit down and do the work.
Shall We Dance?
Hello friends, I was recently reminded of the year I spent as the only reporter for a tiny public radio station in Reno, Nevada. (Hello, KUNR!) I was in my early twenties, recently single, and I was working ALL the time. Think 14-16 hour days. There weren't a lot of opportunities to make friends. So, I did the thing you totally might do, if you were a young person living in a strange city before the era of Tinder or Bumble. I signed up for a ballroom dance class.
What's in the Water? Trauma-Informed Coaching Part 1 on Apple Podcasts
Guest producer Karen Given explores trauma-informed coaching at McClymonds High School in Oakland, CA and how the infusion of trauma-informed care into sports can impact player performance and team success. In part 1, Karen talks with Brian McGhee former student and quarterback at McClymonds, who has since gone on to receive his education in social work and is now bringing those skills back to his alma mater's football team.
Let's Get ... Emotional?!?
Let's Get ... Emotional?!? Hello friends, I'm so sorry for the Olivia Newton-John pun. I was raised in the age of Xanadu. (In case you're wondering, "Let's Get Physical" is the refrain from an Olivia Newton-John song that played in repeat in the early 80s. And Xanadu is an Olivia Newton-John movie. I've never actually seen it. It was rated PG.
A Song of Sound and Story
Hello friends, As I mentioned in my last newsletter, the never-ending cycle of bad news has been getting me down. Like, a lot. So, I decided to do the thing I tend to do when reality feels too real. Retreat into a fantasy world where things are much, much worse. To that end…I just finished binge watching all 73 episodes of Game of Thrones. Yep. All 73. In about ten days. I'm obsessive like that.
Please STOP Doing These Things
Please STOP Doing These Things Hello friends, I usually try to keep things pretty upbeat in this newsletter. Focus on the positives. The success stories. Storytelling struggles that turned out a-okay in the end. But I'm just not in a positive mood today. (I mean, really. Have you seen the news lately?!?) So, I decided to do the thing I often do when life has got me down. Wallow in it. Yep. I'm just gonna give into this slightly-negative feeling. I'm gonna sit in my discomfort.
Vacation Inspiration
It was our first day in Lisbon. We had been awake all night on a crowded airplane. We were exhausted. And sweaty. We dropped our bags at the hotel and went for a walk. We were walking…somewhere. On our way to…something. (According to the photos on my phone, it was sometime after I drank a glass of vinho verde but before the amazing guide on our food tour convinced me to eat a sardine.) That's when I snapped a photo that, to me, sums up the entire reason why I do what I do.
The Story in the Haystack
How does your story break the mold? Again, this story seems pretty similar to the story you just asked yourself. But again, there are some important differences. We're looking for stories that are surprising. We just are! A story where the outcome is predictable just isn't going to keep people listening. Here's a real life example. For the first season of The Long Game, I wanted to do an interview episode with an athlete who was also an environmental activist.
Finding Community
Hello friends, Is that strange? That I call you my friends? Most of you are people I've never met. And I'll probably never meet many of you in person. (Though, I'd like to!) I first started using that "hello friends" greeting more than a year ago, when I was still quite new to this freelance life. For almost three decades before that, I spent five days a week in a radio newsroom filled with like-minded people. I never knew how valuable that was… until it was gone.
14 Reasons to (Maybe) Use a Signpost
14 Reasons to (Maybe) Use a Signpost Hello friends, How about those Oscars, eh? As I write these words, the world is still buzzing about the whole Will Smith/Chris Rock drama. My previously planned newsletter about signposts doesn't seem all that relevant. Or is it? The truth is, when Will Smith walked up on stage and slapped Chris Rock, it was a twist we did not see coming. It was a twist we did not immediately understand.
Sound Design for Really Smart People
Sound Design for Really Smart People Hello friends, Last week, after teaching a workshop, I got a few questions from an attendee. And it made me realize something. Sometimes, when you've been doing something for a really, really long time, you forget what it was like at the beginning. When you were starting from scratch. And that's what had happened here. In my quest to explain some of the best practices for sound design, I had skipped over some of the basics. And basics are really important.
My 2022 Audio Almost-Resolutions
My 2022 Audio Almost-Resolutions Hello friends, I feel like I need to say this right up front: I don't believe in New Year's Resolutions. I really don't see the value of picking one day that will supposedly change my life. Any day is a good day to do better. Why are we putting all the pressure on January 1? That said, the new year does provide new opportunities to re-assess. What's working? What's not working? What do I want to do more often? What do I want to avoid?
Equity in Women's Basketball, Part Two on Apple Podcasts
41 min Guest producer Karen Given hosts a women's basketball roundtable, exploring how the sport can become more equitable, what research shows us about fandom and passion around women's hoops, and how to grow the sport as the NCAA and other social factors stand in the way.
Solve that Problem First
(Seriously, 3M should probably just go ahead and sponsor me. I am a walking billboard for their product!) Some thoughts to reflect on as you make your way through the decision tree. 1. This decision tree is predicated on the concept that both options SOUND equally good. Don't just look at the transcript. LISTEN to your tape. Is your interview subject more emotionally engaged in the first option? Is there a dog barking in the second? We're working in audio, after all. So pay attention to this stuff! 2.
Should I Choose a Beat?
(I promise you. That's a real question...and not something I just made up as an excuse to talk about myself.) As you might know, I worked on an NPR sports show for more than 20 years. I held every position, from technical director to producer to reporter to executive producer and host. And even now, in my freelance career, the majority of my projects are set in sports. But the truth is...I am not a sports fan. Never have been. Never will be. So how did I end up on this beat?
Embrace the Suck
Oh my goodness. So, let me tell you about how last week went down. The drama started on Monday afternoon. For the first time in a long time, I was ahead on my deadlines, and nothing was blowing up. I felt good. I felt confident. So, I invited my husband to lunch. We went to the only restaurant open on a Monday afternoon in our little, suburban town. I ordered a glass of wine to go with my not-so-healthy honey mustard chicken salad. (Okay, I won't lie.
Ask Questions, Get Stories
Ask Questions, Get Stories Hello friends, The last time I sent out one of these newsletters, I was a bit worried that I was getting too geeky. Never fear. Apparently, y'all enjoy geeking out over story. I know I sure do! So, there is one thing that irks my story geek sensibilities more than anything else. I've mentioned it before. But I think it deserves it's own blog post. Never, ever, ever ask your interview subject to rephrase the question as part of the answer. There. I said it.
A Year of Learnings
Look, I don’t have to tell you that this has been a tough year. Like, a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad year. (No offense to children’s book author Judith Viorst, but I’m pretty sure the last 12 months have been worse than anything she ever dreamed up.) Like a lot of us childless types, when the world shut down, I found myself with tons of spare time.
[Project Name] Goes Here
Or… The Power Of Starting Over I’ve never been good at naming things. So I suppose it’s not a surprise that more than a month after I launched my new business, it doesn’t really have a name. But wait…I’m getting ahead of myself. A little more than 100 days ago, at the end of September 2020, I climbed into my closet to record the very last episode of Only A Game, the public radio sports storytelling show I helped produce for more than two decades.
The True Origins Of The Rooney Rule on Apple Podcasts
48 min In 2002 the NFL and its owners agreed they needed to improve the hiring of head coaches of color. But how they came to that agreement and the subsequent rule wasn't something that came from within. Reporting is Karen Given, former host and producer of NPR's Only A Game. 48 min
Narrative Beat Archive
A newsletter for journalists and podcast makers who want to tell better stories.
Thanks For Listening
September 30, 2020 Bill Littlefield with NPR's Scott Simon and Car Talk's Tom and Ray Magliozzi during the programs early years. (Courtesy WBUR) For 27 years, each episode of Only A Game ended the exact same way. "Only A Game returns next week. Thanks for listening." I wasn't with the show at the beginning, when that tradition was established. But I always wondered.
¿Por Qué Leo Ferris Todavía No Está En El Salón De La Fama De Naismith?
Traducido por El Planeta Media. Or, here in English. En marzo de 2017, recibí un correo electrónico de un hombre llamado Christian Figueroa. Me dijo que su tío abuelo Leo Ferris fue el co-creador del reloj de lanzamiento de baloncesto. Pero por razones que Figueroa no entendió, Leo nunca recibió el crédito. Algunos dicen que el reloj de lanzamiento "salvó" a la NBA. Y eso no es exagerado.
Why Is Leo Ferris Still Not In The Naismith Hall Of Fame?
In March of 2017, I received an email from a man named Christian Figueroa. He told me his great uncle Leo Ferris was the co-creator of basketball’s shot clock. But for reasons Figueroa didn’t understand, Leo never got the credit. (Editor's note: check out Karen's story about Leo Ferris, re-broadcast in 2018.) Some say the shot clock "saved" the NBA. And that's not a stretch.
Why Doris Kearns Goodwin Says Baseball Made Her A Better Historian
Back in March of 2017, I attended a narrative journalism conference at Boston University. The theme was "Storytelling in Turbulent Times," which looking back, makes me think we might need to re-define the word "turbulent." In between dire warnings about the perils of reporting during the Trump presidency, one speaker stood out: Doris Kearns Goodwin.
Cari Champion And Jemele Hill Won't 'Stick To Sports'
OK, confession time: When we realized that today would be our last new show, we really wanted to knock it out of the park with an A-list guest — someone who epitomizes what we’ve been saying for the past 27 years: that sports is important for reasons that have nothing to do with what happens on the field, court or ice. So, of course, the first person who came to mind was LeBron James. Unfortunately — we were told — LeBron was focused on the playoffs and would not be available for an interview.
'Gooooool!': Soccer Commentator Andrés Cantor Is More Than His Famous Call
Just 16 minutes into the 2015 Women’s World Cup final against Japan, American Carli Lloyd scored for the third time. And the internet went crazy. Not just about Lloyd’s hat trick. But about the call, by Telemundo's Andres Cantor. Andrés Cantor is the lead soccer play-by-play announcer for Telemundo Network. He joined us to talk about his life and career as a commentator. KG: I know the first thing that everyone wants to talk about is how you call a goal, and we're going to get to that.
'Are We Going To Become Hashtags?' Racism At A Florida Pool
G is a former competitive swimmer. "My full, proper name is Ghenete Wright Muir. And I go by 'G.' " Under normal circumstances, G and her 23-year-old son swim with a group called Diversity in Aquatics. It’s an organization dedicated to making sure that everyone has the opportunity to learn to swim. But it’s also a masters swim club, where swimmers like G get together in Fort Lauderdale for organized workouts. But G and her son hadn’t swam with their club in a while.
Is it Always Chronological? ... and More
Is it Always Chronological? ... and More Hello friends, First things first. There are still a few seats open for my Interview Skills for Storytellers workshop THIS Sunday, Sept. 19 at 1pm Eastern. We'll be talking about all the ways to get the tape that will really make your story sing. And we'll have a lot of fun. Tickets can be purchased here. And, as always, if the price is too steep, just send me an email and I'll send you a code. No questions asked.
'I'm Going In': How Sportswriter Diane K. Shah Opened Doors
In July of 1971, Diane K. Shah arrived in Detroit for the MLB All-Star Game. As far as she knew, she was the first female sportswriter ever to cover that event. She checked into her hotel and picked up her credentials. And she was handed a goody bag. "And it was all men's stuff, you know, razor blades, razors, tie clips," Diane says. "I thought it was kind of funny. But anyway, there was this envelope.
Double Play: Sportswriter Diane K. Shah Writes Her Revenge
July 24, 2020 Steve Carlton in the Game 2 of the 1980 World Series. (AP)Phillies pitcher Steve Carlton delivers the first pitch in Game 2 of the 1980 World Series. (Brian Horton/AP) We had Diane K. Shah on this week's show to discuss her sportswriting career and her recently published memoir, "A Farewell to Arms, Legs, and Jockstraps." In October of 1980, Shah was covering the World Series between Kansas City and Philadelphia.
'Reimagining' A More Equitable America - In Sports And Beyond
This piece is part of our special 6/27/20 episode "Sports, Racism And The Myth Of Meritocracy." Check out the full show here. The myth of meritocracy isn’t just affecting athletes in youth sports, or athletes in college sports, or athletes in the pros. It turns out these issues of racism and inequity in sports — they’re affecting everyone. So what can we do? "Such a great question. I hope that ...
'Crafty' Vs. 'Sneaky': How Racial Bias In Sports Broadcasting Hurts Everyone
This piece is part of our special 6/27/20 episode "Sports, Racism And The Myth Of Meritocracy." Check out the full show here. We all know what racism in sports sounds like, right? It sounds like the late Don Imus on his radio show back in 2007. But two sociologists recently published a study that looked at a decade's worth of March Madness broadcasts, and they found that sometimes racial bias sounds like this: "That’s a tough matchup for JJ Redick on the glass. Redick not known as a rebounder.
The Blind Spots: How Sports Movies Sell The Myth Of Meritocracy
This piece is part of our special 6/27/20 episode "Sports, Racism And The Myth Of Meritocracy." Check out the full show here. We wanted to start this week's special episode at the movies, because we’ve been thinking a lot lately about the messages Hollywood sends about sports and race. "One of the first things that comes to mind is 'Rocky I,' which is kind of a weird starting place," former Only A Game producer Niko Emack says.
Lessons From A 2013 Tunisian Soccer Match And A Phone App
As sports leagues return to play in empty stadiums, some broadcasters have been experimenting with adding fake crowd noise to make those stadiums sound less empty. But that experiment hasn't always been well-received. "Throughout [the] recent history of sports, people have really turned their nose at the idea of pumping in crowd noise to stadiums," says the Wall Street Journal’s Andrew Beaton. "You know, it was almost seen as a form of odd cheating." The problem, Andrew says, is authenticity.
'There Are No Black Faces': The Cautionary Tale Of Arsenal's 1992 Mural
First, it was baseball in Taiwan and South Korea. Then it was soccer: first Germany's Bundesliga and, now this week, England's Premier League. Sports are starting to come back. And as they come back, leagues around the world are trying to figure out how to make the games look and feel less empty. The New York Times' Rory Smith recently wrote about how one well-known Premier League team once solved the empty grandstand problem, though this story is a bit of a cautionary tale.
3 Stories: OSU Players Criticize Coach, NBA Players Weigh Return, College Football And COVID
3 Stories You Should Know June 19, 2020 Oklahoma State University head coach Mike Gundy. (Brody Schmidt/AP) Oklahoma State University's star football player spoke out after coach Mike Gundy was photographed wearing a T-shirt supporting OAN, a far-right news network that's been critical of the Black Lives Matter movement. The Washington Post's Jerry Brewer wonders whether this will lead current and future college athletes to evaluate their coaches more critically going forward.
3 Stories: NASCAR Bans Confederate Flag, Missing The Mark, More Than A Game
3 Stories You Should Know June 12, 2020 NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace. (Steve Helber/AP) Note: We released an extended version of this conversation as a bonus episode on our podcast feed. You can find the extended conversation here, or by subscribing to the Only A Game podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Stitcher. Earlier this week NASCAR banned the Confederate flag at all of its events and properties.
'Basketball Peaceful Protest': Bringing People Together One-On-One
It was about a week ago that Stephania Ergemlidze had an idea. She wanted to take a portable basketball hoop to protest sites in Minneapolis. It was something she had done before in Philadelphia, where she lives. "This is how I've seen in the past I've been able to bring people together," Stephiania says. "I thought, 'Why not try it now?' You know?" Despite the pandemic, Stephania figured it was worth the risk.
'We Need Help': NCCU Coach LeVelle Moton Talks About Police Brutality
George Floyd's funeral was held this week in Houston. He was remembered as a father, a brother, a mentor and an athlete. Cyril White recruited Floyd to play on his exhibition basketball team in the late '90s. He spoke at the funeral: "The coaches would ask me, 'Who's your big man?' And I would say, 'George Floyd.' They'd say, "Oh, you got Big Floyd? OK. Your team must be pretty good.' " Floyd played college basketball at what was then known as South Florida Community College.
For A Florida H.S. Football Coach, Police Brutality Hits Close To Home
Among the many athletes speaking out this week is former NFL Pro Bowler Anquan Boldin. For Boldin, speaking out is nothing new. In 2017, along with Saints defensive back Malcolm Jenkins, Boldin founded the Players Coalition, which works with state and local governments to end systematic oppression. And that same year, after a 14-year career, Boldin retired from the NFL to focus on his activism full-time. But Anquan Boldin’s younger brother, DJ, is just starting to speak out.
Athletes Take A Leading Role In Black Lives Matter Protests
Over the past two weeks, some of the loudest voices speaking up against racism and police brutality have come from the sports world, from former NBA player Stephen Jackson, who grew up with George Floyd and called him, “my twin”: To 2017 NBA Rookie of the Year, Malcolm Brogdon: To 16-year-old tennis star Coco Gauff speaking out in Florida: To the other side of the globe, where UFC fighter Israel Adesanya joined a protest in New Zealand: Professor Kenneth Shropshire, CEO of the Global Sport...
'My Brother Told Me To Live': A Story Of Loss, Discovery And Ultramarathoning
Not so long ago, if you had asked Michael Ortiz if he’d consider running 100 miles in his living room, his answer would have sounded something like this: "No way. No. That's insane. That's crazy. You know, like, it's bad enough running 100 miles outside. Who on earth is going to do that in the living room? No way." But, 10 weeks ago, Michael was thinking about doing just that. One hundred miles is nearly four marathons back to back to back.
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