let the people tell

one thing i've learned in the past seven years working for an international radio festival is that most americans have had little or no exposure to european radio. and the more i hear and learn about traditions, innovations and general programming from all across europe, the more regrettable this seems.

but recently a digital carrier pigeon delivered curious news which i'm excited to share. ready?

here comes the third ever Radio Day of European Cultures, on sunday 14 october 2007 (note euro-arrangement of date!) the goal of project, which has been organized by the european broadcasting union and the prix europa, is to involve radio audiences across the continent in an interactive dialogue about european identity, history, culture and - maybe most interestingly - europe's future. implicit in this goal is to hear from listeners - to "Let the people tell."

stations from across the continent are participating. and currently the radio day blog asks the question 'what does your europe look like?' and features various answers to that question from russia, france, hungary and beyond. don't miss the post that likens europe to a crowded bus...

realistically this project isn't going to teach you everything you want to know about european radio, and most of the actual audio related to the project isn't accessible through the site (since it will mostly play on october 14th) but it's not a bad way to get a feel for the energy and spirit traversing the airwaves, Over There.