Episode and podcast analysis of Radiotopia's Podcast "Strangers"

1. Presented By: Pratyush Mondal, Rangan Som, Sayantan Paine, Shubhabrata Dutta
Presentation and Episode Analysis
of

2. Introduction
 A radio podcast by an eminent Peabody award winning producer Lea Thau.
 “Strangers” features real people telling true stories from their own life
experiences, sponsored by KCRW in Los Angeles & part of PRX’s radiotopia
network.
Every single episode offers how we sometimes encounter ourselves as strangers.
 Los Angeles magazine recommended the podcast in 2014, and Southern
California KPCC listeners rated it their favourite podcast in 2015.
Strangers left Radiotopia in December, 2017, to go independent.

3. Lea Thau
The show host and Producer
• In 2011, Thau created the podcast Strangers, which she describes as "stories
about people we meet, the connections we make, the heartbreaks we suffer,
the kindness we encounter, and the frightful moments when we
discover we aren't even who we thought we were".
• The former Executive and Creative Director of The Moth
• The Moth Radio Hour, which won a 2010 Peabody Award.

4. HUMAN/ORDINARY
There is no grief Olympics-A universal truth which we as humans need to
acknowledge has been portrayed in the podcast from a mother’s perspective.
It deals with the grief of a mother who has lost her baby while she was in
The baby died before being born. Thus, the podcast deals with the pain of a
woman who is a mother and yet has no proof of her motherhood.
The podcast shows how Jesse ,the mother tries to find out ways of expressing
her pain and prove her motherhood and end up saying that her baby was
Jesse tries to push thoughts away that tend to prove her pain weaker than
someone else’s. But it only made her grieve more.
However, she eventually realizes that life is for the living and we are sure of her
realization when she says ,”Being alive means losing…That is what it means to
alive..”

5. ME FOR MAYOR?
Deals with life’s most unpredictable decisions of what one wants to be in the near future.
The podcast focuses on a experience shared by Karin Gutman where a stranger comes
a golden ticket to shape up her future.

6.  The first and foremost eye catching element of the podcast “Strangers” is that
they seek truth. Their remarkable attempt to present authentic incidents from
common people’s lives is very much appreciable. This concept not only is relevant
but also encourages people to find a new meaning in their life.
Lea always brings light to fascinating people, situations and struggles. She does
not manipulate listeners, allows the raw truth to unfold, even if painful. The way of
storytelling is remarkable and always emotionally gripping and delightfully
engaging.
Personal Review and Observation

7. Reference
• KCRW Official Site (https://www.kcrw.com/news-culture/shows/strangers)
• Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lea_Thau ) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KCRW)
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strangers_(podcast) )
• Podbay ( http://podbay.fm/show/490297492 )