Listening Journal - THE NEW "BAREFOOT" RUNNER USES SHOES

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Feature Title: "A Shoe for Barefoot Runners" on All Things Considered
Producer: NPR
Length: 5:01 minutes
Link: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=112995970

The barefoot running shoes don't quite look like this - but very similar.

This five-minute feature deals with a new phenomenon in pop culture: barefoot running shoes. Guy Raz, the host of the NPR show "All Things Considered" starts off the piece by trying out those shoes first hand and documenting his experience while jogging. Natsound of feet jogging on a sandy ground and Rocky's running song "Eye of the Tiger" playing in Raz's earphones, make for a compelling beginning of the story. Then Raz takes the listener back to the studio where he interviews editor-in-chief of the magazine Runner's World, David Willey. They then discuss the advantages and disadvantages of barefoot running and how and when the idea of running shoes became popular.

Indeed, this feature was very interesting because of the playfulness of the show host. The fact that he went out and tried out those funny-looking shoes himself, was a compelling intro to the episode. Also, the change of location is always a nice thing to listen to. Raz moved from outdoors into the studio which is a nice change for the ear and keeps your attention on the piece. Another good thing was that Raz got lucky with his interview partner who seemed to be a very laid back guy with a good sense of humor.

The use of natural sound in this story was nice, although maybe a little top heavy. I like, how the nat sound of running on a sandy ground, the running song and the hosts narration all flow into each other and support each other. The quality of the natsound as well as the sound of the interview are very good and there is no background noise that would distract from the topic of this feature.

The quality of the hosts voice is very good. As for his voice in general, Guy Raz has a nice voice that is not outstanding. It's just a "normal" voice that is not particularly deep or pleasant. But there's one thing that sets Raz apart from many other radio show hosts, which is his charisma. You can hear when he's smiling. Also, his voice is very lively and never monotone, which makes this piece easy to follow.

The length of the feature was just right, but it could have been shorter. I think the interview went a little too much in depth about the arguments for barefoot running versus running with shoes. This part could have been cut out.

If I was sent to do this story, I would've maybe collected reactions by other runners. Those I could place at the end of the story and thereby take the listener back to the outdoors. However, it is just my personal preference to make a full circle and end a story at the same location, where I started it. Surely there are other ways to spice this story up.