100 Outstanding Pieces of Audio for 2017
Our favorite audio of the year, as chosen by the Bello Collective team (and friends)
For the second year, we are proud to share these 100 outstanding pieces of audio with you.
At Bello, we view this list as an opportunity to not only highlight the shows that had everyone talking, but also to unearth diverse and often unsung episodes that might have slipped by your ears.
So, what makes a show worthy of this list? Perhaps it introduced something new we haven’t seen in podcasting before. Maybe it captured the zeitgeist of our times. Or — and dare we say, most importantly — it stayed with us long after the outro.
In addition to the Bello team, we invited our friends to share their favorites too. The result? 100 episodes of the most thoughtful audio we heard all the year.
There is a lot we could say about where our industry has been this year and where it’s going, but for now, we’ll just celebrate the good work of the producers, reporters, hosts, sound artists, and many, many, others who made these incredible stories for us to enjoy.
Act 1, 36 Questions
Two Up Productions
Can a podcast musical make you the happiest person in the world? Yes it can. Jonathan Groff and Jessie Shelton take us deep into the world of a relationship built on lies, trying to solve all their problems with just 36 questions and I loved every song, joke and second of it.
Chosen by: Sara Weber, creator of Sara’s Podcast Newsletter
Portal, Ending, Archive 81
Dead Signals
Now in its second season, this is audio drama at its dystopian, bizarre, horrific best. No description can do this podcast justice.
Chosen by: Calen Cross, Bello Collective contributor
The Studio, The Big Loop
Independent
Having listened to Tanis and The Black Tapes, I was expecting one thing, and was completely blown away with what this episode turned out to be. It was well narrated, it was poignant, and by the end I was so invested in the story that I sat in the driveway to finish it. It felt familiar throughout, like I had heard the story before, knew the way things were going to turn out. It felt strangely comfortable, yet distant, and by the end, my heart hurt for these fictional characters as if they were personal friends.
Chosen by: Calen Cross, Bello Collective contributor
El Sol Negro, EL GRAN APAGÓN
Podium Podcast
In 2018, a solar storm destroyed all electric systems, leaving the planet in total darkness: No internet, no phones, no electricity. This podcast chronicles what happened in those (literally) dark times. There aren’t many audio dramas in Spanish, and definitively none that have the production quality of El Gran Apagón. A truly compelling piece of fiction that uses a documentary form. In its second season it garnered over 2 million downloads, a remarkable achievement for a podcast in Spanish.
Chosen by: Martina Castro, founder of Podcaster@s
A Better You, SAYER
Geekly Inc
The return of a beloved sci-fi psychological horror SAYER gave me another year worth of kill-happy computers. It’s taste for terrifying technology warms a dark spot in my heart every time
Chosen by: PodCake
The Safe House (Parts I and II), The Bright Sessions
Independent
My favorite fictional podcast is getting better and better as the grande finale of season three showed. All the suspense and so much love for the characters. Listen at the beginning, binge away and join the world of Dr Bright and her patients.
Chosen by: Sara Weber, creator of Sara’s Podcast Newsletter
Story and Song — Finale, Part 3, The Adventure Zone
Maximum Fun
The Adventure Zone is the longest show I’ve ever marathon listened to, and while I’m recommending the last episode, you should, of course, start at the beginning. It’s a show about magic and love and loss and intrigue and bureaucracy and just go listen to it what are you doing?
Chosen by: Galen Beebe, Editor, Bello Collective
The Watchtower, Wolf 359
Independent
The mere thought of Gabriel Urbina’s Wolf 359 drawing to a close was bittersweet. No words can describe this sprawling space-centric story filled with compelling characters and plot twists. It is a perfect balance of comedy and tragedy, and the best science fiction audio drama has had to offer.
Chosen by: PodCake
Henryk Ross’ Photos of the Lodz Ghetto 1940–1944, The Lonely Palette
Hub & Spoke
This episode showcases Tamar Avishai’s remarkable talent as a storyteller. Avishai tells us about a series of photos taken at the Lodz Ghetto during the Holocaust: images of real people, living life, not knowing the fate that is to befall them, but making do in a less-than-ideal situation. She plays with the ideas of compliance versus resistance, and challenges us to strip our common perceptions of history and allow those who lived to tell the stories. It is a heavy, human must-listen.
Chosen by: Calen Cross, Bello Collective contributor
Kathleen and Columbine, How’s Your Day?
KUOW
The questions this episode bring up are impossible to answer. Does a mother’s love have limits? Should the government have a say in how we raise our children?
Chosen by: Andrew Geary, Bello Collective member
Hostesses of the Movement, Gravy
Southern Foodways Alliance
“They fed people. They nurtured resistance.” When civil rights protesters traveled across the country in the 1960s and 70s, they were often not welcome at local (segregated) hotels. Gravy introduces us to the women who hosted “Freedom Houses,” safe spaces where protesters could get a good meal and a place to lay their heads. Another powerful story of the unsung women behind a movement.
Chosen by: Ashley Lusk, Editor, Bello Collective
The Tiki Bar, Offshore
PRX
In this podcast, there is always tension between the authentic and the imagined. This episode exposes the truth about tiki culture, which has long been credited to Hawaii in the mind of its tourists.
Chosen by: Calen Cross, Bello Collective contributor
Mother
Necessity is the Mother of Invention, Mother
Independent
The story of Margaret Crane, inventor, designer, and advocate for the home pregnancy test. This is an incredible story of passion, relentlessness, and selflessness told through a lovely interview with 75-year-old Margaret and a bit of reporting. Sidenote: There should be a word for this type of creator, the ones that do everything they can, at great personal risk and sacrifice, to make sure people get the products they need, often without receiving credit or financial gain. We love to praise the entrepreneur or companies with vision, but these guys are often doing it on the back of or just stealing from this person. Bravo Margaret! We will remember your story and your name.
Chosen by: Tyesha Snow, director of StreamPDX and creator of What podcasts should I listen to?
Whales and 911, How’s Your Day?
KUOW
During a major historical events, we may remember where we were when we heard the news — but what about everything else that happened on the same day? The ambitious How’s Your Day? revisits stories connected by a date in time and how those things may have influenced each other, like how whale researchers were able to observe different behaviors in the ocean when international travel paused after September 11, 2001.
Chosen by: Ma’ayan Plaut, RadioPublic Podcast Librarian
On the Ice, 30 for 30
ESPN
This story about the first all-women expedition to the North Pole is incredibly gripping.
Chosen by: Erik Jones, Bello Collective contributor
Down and Out at Harvard, Second Decade
Independent
What was Harvard like in the 1810s? Sean Munger uses the diaries of two attendees to give us a view. A well-researched and well-narrated look at higher education.
Chosen by: Calen Cross, Bello Collective contributor
In Plain Sight, Criminal
Radiotopia
The courageous costumed escape of William and Ellen Craft, whose crime was stealing themselves from slavery. The couple navigated complicated race, class, and gender performance throughout their thousand-mile journey to freedom.
Chosen by: Ma’ayan Plaut, RadioPublic Podcast Librarian
Man of the People, Reply All
Gimlet Media
This is the truly fascinating story of the original mass media charlatan, Dr. John Brinkley. It’s the classic tale of the charismatic criminal versus the determined regulator, and I am astonished I had never heard of any of it before.
Chosen by: Erik Jones, Bello Collective contributor
The Separation of Church and Coffee, Gravy
Southern Foodways Alliance
What if your coffee came served with a Bible verse? Is it an opportunity for discussion? An intrusion in your morning routine? This episode of Gravy explores how coffeehouses in Knoxville are looking to serve up more than just your next caffeine fix.
Chosen by: Ashley Lusk, Editor, Bello Collective
The Cowboy of West Village, The Nod
Gimlet Media
The Cowboy of the West Village is a docu-bio about Storme DeLarverie, a should-be-legendary performer and activist. Producer Brittany Luse expertly guides us through DeLarverie’s life and impact, and really nails the role of awe-inspired admirer on a mission to know more. I hope work like this gets Storme’s name in our collective conscious as a legendary performer and activist.
Chosen by: Dana Gerber-Margie, Editor, Bello Collective
From Camelot to Abilene, Inward Empire
Independent
If you have never heard Inward Empire, this is a great place to jump in. Inward Empire looks at the interplay between history as it is recorded and how it is remembered.
Chosen by: Calen Cross, Bello Collective contributor
Episode 2, Intrigue: Murder in the Lucky Holiday Hotel
BBC Radio 4
An unlikely romp through death, sex, money and power in China, by the usually straight-laced BBC World Service. It’s a story with global implications — it details the dramatic takedown of Bo Xilai, the charismatic figure who could be running China now instead of Xi Jinping. And it involves a conniving jealous wife, a mysterious dead Englishman, a corrupt showman cop and a prattish son. Sonically rich and hosted with galloping glee by China expert Carrie Gracie, it’s a rare insight into the all too human underbelly of Chinese politics.
Chosen by: Siobhan McHugh, Founding Editor, RadioDoc Review
The Peoples Temple, Transmissions from Jonestown
Independent
I’m always looking for shows that are pushing the narrative envelope, and I found that in Transmissions from Jonestown — in particular, in its A+ use of historical tape. The tape at times interrupts the narrative, giving the equivalent of a grainy photo look into the warped world of the Peoples Temple and its charismatic leader.
Chosen by: Galen Beebe, Editor, Bello Collective
“The Red Man Was Pressed”, Threshold
Montana Public Radio
There’s as much activity to the sound of Threshold as a walk in the meadow, which is to say a lot. It demonstrates the potential for audio to be the most sensory medium — to evoke not just sights and sounds, but also smells and a sense of quiet abundance. And then there’s the narrative: the past and future of America’s bison, and how newcomers decimated herds in an attempt to defeat the Native populations.
Chosen by: Galen Beebe, Editor, Bello Collective
Sex Appeal, More Perfect
WNYC
Do you know how few times women are the hero of the story? By the end of this episode, I wanted to stand in my chair and shout “O Captain, my Captain,” to the indomitable Ruth Bader Ginsberg.
Chosen by: Ashley Lusk, Editor, Bello Collective
How Race Was Made (Seeing White, Episode 2), Scene on Radio
Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University
An excoriating, illuminating journey through the foundational scar and ongoing scourge that is racism in the US. Beautifully wrought by host John Biewen, who mediates between academics, experts and onlookers and frankly interrogates his own preconceptions. Bracing cameo appearances by black academic and journalist Chenjerai Kumanyika, who now co-hosts his own podcast, Uncivil, on the Civil War.
Chosen by: Siobhan McHugh, Founding Editor, RadioDoc Review
The Song, Uncivil
Gimlet Media
Chenjerai’s conversation in the second half of this episode has not left my mind. The depth and complexity of being an African-American in the South is hard to fathom, and this episode starts to lay it bare.
Chosen by: Andrew Geary, Bello Collective member
Who Invented Rock ‘n Roll: Parts One and Two, Our Fake History
Independent
Host Sebastian Major researches his topics well, and in doing so has debunked some of history’s greatest myths: Phantom Time, Atlantis, for example. These two episodes are where his passion for history and music meet as he chronicles of the roots of Rock ‘n Roll music and the myths that surround it. Come for the facts, stay for the playlist.
Chosen by: Calen Cross, Bello Collective contributor
Missing (Episodes 1–5), The Untold
BBC
The BBC’s best and most underrated documentary program, which looks at turning points in ordinary people’s lives, continues to deliver powerful local stories. A standout of 2017 was this five-part series about a young couple, Zack and Kirsty, who’ve recently had a baby. Zack has bipolar disorder, which he controls with medication — until one day when he leaves for work and doesn’t come back again. It soon becomes clear that he isn’t missing, he just doesn’t want to come home. Is it a manic episode, or does he really want to reset his life? Kirsty is frantic and bewildered, but either way, she’s determined to find him. It’s a detective story with a twist, and unlike so many other missing person narratives, we’re gifted an ending that feels both complicated and complete.
Chosen by: The Auditors
Wishes of the Dead, Hi-Phi Nation
Independent
Hi-Phi Nation became one of my favorite new shows of the year. This episode explores the question: Why do we respect the wishes of the dead? It’s a simple question with anything but a simple answer.
Chosen by: Erik Jones, Bello Collective contributor
If You Have to be a Floor, The Memory Palace
Radiotopia
The ghosts that occupy the spaces we inhabit are front and center in this former ballroom which houses American furniture art in the Met. Nate Dimeo recalls them and the glorious, rich history of this room that used to be used for so much more than display. If you have to be a floor, be a dance floor…
Chosen by: Calen Cross, Bello Collective contributor
Lin-Manuel Miranda — Almost Like Praying (feat. Artists for Puerto Rico), Song Exploder
Radiotopia
Lin-Manuel Miranda is a national treasure, and it’s not just because he crafted a historically sound hip hop musical about the Founding Fathers. In-between greeting us with relentless warmth and kindness every morning and night on Twitter, he also gathered an all-star cast of performers in less than 8 days to produce a song dedicated to raising money for Puerto Rico after the devastating Hurricane Maria. In this episode, Miranda takes us through nods to West Side Story, naming every town in Puerto Rico, and expertly layering each artist’s expression in honor of the island.
Chosen by: Dana Gerber-Margie, Editor, Bello Collective
The Addict, Where Should We Begin? with Esther Perel
Audible
This could have gone so wrong — making a show out of real people’s sessions with a real therapist — but thanks to the sage, human presence of Belgian counsellor Esther Perel, and deft, sensitive production, it becomes an exercise in empathy and understanding and triggers genuine connection to other people’s lives. When Esther tells the chronically unfaithful and self-justifying husband to “shut the fuck up” and listen to his wife, I practically cheered.
Chosen by: Siobhan McHugh, Founding Editor, RadioDoc Review
Salt Spring II: Cathy’s Vanishing Legacy, Sleepover
CBC
Sleepover has been my favorite radio conceit since it first arrived on the scene; it is playful, joyful, empathetic, complex, and serious. This episode comes from a beautiful island off the west coast of British Columbia and features Aunt Cate, a First Nations Hawaiian woman with a deep love for tradition, family, and oral history that runs so deep it’s hard to let go of the specifics. She desperately wants her family to celebrate and learn the family history that has been passed on for centuries, but struggles to feel satisfied with the way they are doing it. I loved this episode for its atmosphere, for its demonstration of the modern struggle of generational differences, and for its reflection on how to untangle history from fact and from story.
Chosen by: Dana Gerber-Margie, Editor, Bello Collective
Chapter 2, Terrible, Thanks for Asking
American Public Media
I experienced an unusual amount of tragedy and grief this year, and this exploration of grief from two perspectives cut me. Their takedown of a “right time table” and “grieving correctly” helped me through my own pain. Sometimes you need to hear someone else say what you feel to validate you. This is that validation.
Chosen by: Andrew Geary, Bello Collective member
Brooke Gladstone, The Turnaround
Maximum Fun
Jesse Thorn talks with interviewing mastermind Brooke Gladstone about her process for creating an interview — from getting an answer, to the ethics of editing, to the benefits and drawbacks of the narrative/reflection story structure. A must listen for all who interview.
Chosen by: Galen Beebe, Editor, Bello Collective
Week 1: New President, New Show, New Normal, Indivisible
WNYC, The Economist, Minnesota Public Radio
A lot of Americans, especially those who weren’t already part of activist communities, needed time to digest WTF happened November 8, 2016 and WTF was going to happen after January 20, 2017. Processing has been ongoing; it takes the form of glee for some, despair for many, anger for most, and hopefully determination to be active citizens above all. Indivisible Radio was a force in the first 14 weeks of Trump’s presidency that let Americans start the process.
Chosen by: Dana Gerber-Margie, Editor, Bello Collective
Staying In Your Lane, My Taught You
Independent
In this episode, Myleik gives tips on making sure you can describe what you’re doing in simple words. She speaks on her own successful business, Curl Box and how she’s grown by staying in her lane.
Chosen by: Berry, creator of Podcasts in Color
Go Outside (with Rahawa Haile, Brother Nature, and Velva Clayton), Another Round
BuzzFeed
I! Love! Nature! But I also live in a city, and it can be hard to remember the transformative power of seeing trees. Luckily, writer & Appalachian Trail hiker Rahawa Haile and Kelvin Peña aka Brother Nature aka the guy with the deer named Money are here to remind me (and you) that nature is super really important and that we, too, should go outside.
Chosen by: Galen Beebe, Editor, Bello Collective
Black Holes Don’t Suck, Cosmic Vertigo
ABC
Cosmic Vertigo’s first season was a wonderful travelogue of our universe. Black holes are so alien to our existence, but hosts Drs Amanda Bauer and Alan Duffy offer a study that is both charming and informative.
Chosen by: Calen Cross, Bello Collective contributor
Kristy and the Baby Parade, The Baby-Sitters Club Club
HeadGum
This show easily brought me the most laughs out of any others all year. Truth be told, I should be recommending you start with episode one to fully immerse yourself in studying the Baby-Sitters Club through doll theory, bee theory, bread theory, purple orb theory, and amber theory. These books are rich tapestries to discover along with co-hosts Jack Shepherd and Tanner Greenring, like the many honorific titles of Ann M. Martin, the characteristics of Ann’s trusty ghostwriters, the masterful roleplay of Goliath Hardbody & co, and a time traveling clumsy man-child named Jackie. Since episode one was in 2016, I chose this episode for its Good Clean Baby-Sitting Fun, the beginning of a couple new theories & segments, and because there is a good chunk devoted to guessing whether a quote came from the BSC or from the Communist Manifesto.
Chosen by: Dana Gerber-Margie, Editor, Bello Collective
California Dreaming, Flash Forward
Independent
Released two months after Donald Trump was inaugurated, this episode sparked my interest in what might happen if the ideological divide in this country manifested itself in a physical split. Host Rose Eveleth interviews people from the California Nationalist Party to understand what it would mean if California broke from the rest of the U.S.
Chosen by: Arielle, founder and lead curator at EarBuds Podcast Collective
Healthy Relationships Need Effective Communication, Therapy For Black Girls
Independent
Dr. Joy and guest therapist Kiaundra Jackson, LMFT, discuss ways to have stronger relationships and include tips on changing relationships you currently have. This podcast gives words to everyday feelings.
Chosen by: Berry, creator of Podcasts in Color
Russia and America Are Different Countries, She’s In Russia
Independent
Over the last year the American public has been led, blinkered by the media, down a path to developing a Cold War-era mindset regarding Russia. But the country, for all of its government’s meddling and grandstanding, isn’t a monolith and to view its people in any other light would be disingenuous and problematic. Luckily there is a podcast that can help counteract the issues of this very moment. She’s In Russia is an independent production from longtime friends Smith Freeman and Lily Capozzalo, where Freeman resides in Brooklyn and Capozzalo is based out of St. Petersburg. Each episode is a deep dive on different aspects of Russian culture, to help listeners understand that there is so much more to the nation than the binary model proffered by most pundits. This particular episode serves as a good jumping-on point, as the Freeman and Capozzalo start the show by re-introducing themselves and their mission. Don’t let the heaviness of the topic fool you though; the show is offbeat, funny, and always educational.
Chosen by: Ben Cannon, contributor at The A.V. Club and founder of Constant Listener
Movement Time, Scene on Radio
Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University
It’s rare, in my experience, to remember an interview as though it were a first person narrative — especially when the person telling the story wasn’t even there. In this interview, Tim Tyson, the author of The Blood of Emmett Till, tells the story of the events and the aftermath of Till’s murder in 1955. And he tells the story of interviewing the woman in whose name Till was murdered — a woman who had never told a journalist or historian her story.
Chosen by: Galen Beebe, Editor, Bello Collective
Obama’s Last Interview, Pod Save America
Crooked Media
A compelling look at a president and his people.
Chosen by: Calen Cross, Bello Collective contributor
Susan Wokoma, Griefcast
Independent
Let’s get this out of the way first, the name Griefcast doesn’t exactly telegraph to listeners the warmth and enjoyment that one will find within, but it would be a mistake to pass this show over. British comedian Cariad Lloyd is intent on forging a better understanding of the refractory period humans go through following the death of a loved one, but in her search Lloyd chooses to only interview other comedians. The resulting show is as funny as it is emotionally affecting, and a stellar example of the kinds of conversations that are only happening in the podcasting space. On this standout episode Lloyd speaks with comic actress Susan Wokoma about the almost unfathomable series of coincidences surrounding the death of her father. There is a bravery in revisiting one’s most distressing times in such a frank and public manner. The real beauty of the program comes from hearing Lloyd and Wokoma bond over the similarities of their experiences, helping to heal each other’s wound, if just a little.
Chosen by: Ben Cannon, Contributor at The A.V. Club and founder of Constant Listener
A Heart for All People, Not Your Little Lady
Independent
This episode of Not Your Little Lady takes us to the heart of why this podcast is important. Hosts Sarah and Allison interview Kaytrina P. Simmons, the first African American woman to represent her district and serve on the Florence, Alabama, city council.
Chosen by: Arielle, founder and lead curator at EarBuds Podcast Collective
Friday, Oct. 20, 2017, The Daily
New York Times
This podcast still haunts me. I have many close friends that work for the Federal government that haven’t stopped soul searching since Trump’s election.The headlines wash over us everyday about Trump, but the impact to the systems that make this country function will resonate long after he leaves. This episode will be a constant reminder why voting matters.
Chosen by: Andrew Geary, Bello Collective member
The Traffic Stop, 74 Seconds
Minnesota Public Radio
A day-by-day narrative of the trial of Jeronimo Yanez, the police officer who shot and killed Philando Castile, and an investigation into the events of the day and the people involved.
Chosen by: Galen Beebe, Editor, Bello Collective
Fan Fiction (Don’t Judge), Imaginary Worlds
Panoply
In 5th grade, I asked my teacher — totally and utterly seriously — if I could use one of my favorite Hanson fan fiction stories for my book report. (The teacher said no. I forgive you, Mr. Cornejo.) Fan fiction had a huge impact on me and so many of my peers who became professional authors, but it’s barely talked about beyond the walls of Archive of our Own. Stephanie Billman guides Eric Molinsky through the history of fan fiction, including its beginning as a male-dominated space and its power to rewrite plot/character in your own image instead of a straight white male’s. Let’s keep talking more about fanfiction’s place in our culture.
Chosen by: Dana Gerber-Margie, Editor, Bello Collective
Friday, May 26, 2017, The Daily
New York Times
I consider The Daily a must listen, but it’s actually not their political news reporting that first sold me: it’s amazing stories like this. It’s easy to make assumptions about medically assisted suicide, but it’s an entirely different thing to hear someone talk about their plan to go through with it. Years from now, I suspect this episode will feel just as powerful as the day it came out.
Chosen by: Erik Jones, Bello Collective contributor
The Pentagon’s Secret Gaggle of Gays, Nancy
WNYC
I cannot imagine a place where your entire life is under more scrutiny than at the Pentagon. For gay men and women, working at the Pentagon meant setting up “an impenetrable wall” between their personal and professional lives. After “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” was repealed under President Obama, these same men and women would set out to make it mean something.
Chosen by: Ashley Lusk, Editor, Bello Collective
Living with Murder, Part 1, The Frontline Dispatch
PBS
In 2016, reporter Samantha Broun produced a story about her mother’s brutal assault at the hands of a parolee, and the repercussions that event — and Broun’s testimony — had for future juvenile offenders. In this episode, Broun visits a man who was sentenced to life in prison as a juvenile and who now, thanks to a series of recent Supreme Court decisions, might have a chance at freedom.
Chosen by: Galen Beebe, Editor, Bello Collective
A Complicated Legacy, Cosby Unraveled
WHYY
Two shows, and two trials, took place almost simultaneously this year: those of Jeronimo Yanez and Bill Cosby. What do we do with the work of fallen idols? And what do we do when we think justice hasn’t been served? These are both questions we have to face too often. Cosby Unraveled addresses them both through a mix of narrative and courtroom dispatches that follow Bill Cosby from his childhood to his sexual assault trial.
Chosen by: Galen Beebe, Editor, Bello Collective
Science of Survival: Adrift, Outside Podcast
Outside Magazine and PRX
The Science of Survival series consistently rises to the top of the most visceral, fearful audio experiences. Adrift details how the banality of catching some waves off the Scottish coast can turn into a nightmare far out at sea. The narrator’s soothing voice gives the entire experience a dreamy quality of drifting off to a hypothermic sleep, never to wake up, miles from land. It also reminds you to never catch some waves off the Scottish coast without telling anyone and without bringing a candy bar at the very least. (Note: Nocturne’s Shortboard detailed the amazing survival story of surfer Mathew Bryce from a more personal but still deeply atmospheric and eerie point of view.)
Chosen by: Dana Gerber-Margie, Editor, Bello Collective
What Kind of Idiot Gets Phished?, Reply All
Gimlet Media
For every millennial who ever offered an exasperated sigh while trying to free a parent’s computer from the grasp of a virus, this episode is for you. Proof that even among the most digital literate there is always a savvier hacker.
Chosen by: Ashley Lusk, Editor, Bello Collective
Something Happened, The Butterfly Effect
Audible
The advent of free, streaming porn had rippling effects on the porn industry. Many of the changes were negative, for both creators and viewers, but some industries are thriving against the backdrop of free streaming porn. In this episode, reporter Jon Ronson finds that custom porn can be a force for good.
Chosen by: Galen Beebe, Editor, Bello Collective
Sour Grapes: The History and Science of Vinegar, Gastropod
Independent
Co-hosts Nicola Twilley and Cynthia Graber give us their characteristic dash of science and history when exploring humans’ long, long, long use of vinegar for food and health. After I listened to this episode, I started putting balsamic vinegar on vanilla ice cream and I don’t think I can ever go back. (It sounds so weird, but it’s so good)
Chosen by: Dana Gerber-Margie, Editor, Bello Collective
American Surrogate, Rough Translation
NPR
This episode follows an American woman, Jacquie, as she becomes a surrogate mother for Jessie, who lives halfway around the world. Surrogacy is illegal in China, and after a early delivery ended in tragedy, this may be one Jessie’s only way to have a biological family. In a time when every moment of our days feels weighted with bad news, Rough Translation reminds us we still have one good thing going for us: humanity.
Chosen by: Ashley Lusk, Editor, Bello Collective
The Gondolier, Radiolab
WNYC
What happens when the first woman gondolier turns out to not be the first after all? And what happens when you’re the main character of a story you don’t recognize?
Chosen by: Galen Beebe, Editor, Bello Collective
We Are in the Future, This American Life
Chicago Public Media/WBEZ
This American Life did a lot of incredible journalism this year, but it was We Are in the Future, an episode celebrating Afrofuturism, that really stuck with me (and not just because I still listen to The Deep by clipping. at least once a week). TAL producer Neil Drumming takes over hosting duties and skillfully navigates us through powerful future visions in comics books, Detroit, Mount Vernon, and just walking home.
Chosen by: Dana Gerber-Margie, Editor, Bello Collective
The Case of the Phantom Caller, Reply All
Gimlet Media
I don’t think the team at Reply All intend themselves to be investigative journalists, but with episodes like “Phantom Caller” and “Long Distance,” they damn near achieve it.
Chosen by: Ashley Lusk, Editor, Bello Collective
The Basement Tapes, Revisionist History
Panoply
Malcolm Gladwell guides us through the notoriously confusing world of nutrition research, adding a compelling argument for how the last half century or so of dietary guidance from the U.S. government is fairly useless. It would be enough to tell a compelling story about research, but “The Basement Tapes” also offers a story about the legacy our parents leave behind.
Chosen by: Erik Jones, Bello Collective contributor
Greetings, My Brothas, The Nod
Gimlet Media
Every episode with Brittany and Eric is a good one, but this stood out to me. It has everything: a conspiracy theory, YouTube, very good research, moments that make you laugh out loud — and yes, Beyoncé.
Chosen by: Sara Weber, creator of Sara’s Podcast Newsletter
Trump Stories: The Apprentice, Embedded
NPR
Embedded took a season to deep dive into Trump’s past, from his associates (Bannon and Kushner) to his past ventures (Trump SoHo, a golf course). They are all excellently done, but this one on the instant success of reality show The Apprentice depressingly sat with me the longest. It details how Trump covered up his business failures, what racist/sexist/terrible things he was again caught on tape saying (and thus the complicit nature & greed of the show creators), and how millions Americans fell in love with him so much that they thought a guy with a known tagline would be a better president than a woman with years & years & years of political experience.
Chosen by: Dana Gerber-Margie, Editor, Bello Collective
What Cops Aren’t Learning, Reveal and APM Reports
The Center for Investigative Reporting and American Public Media (APM)
It’s rare that an episode about police violence leaves me not only sad about a problem, but enthusiastic about an answer. One approach to minimizing police shootings is de-escalation training, which trains officers to slow down and wait. If de-escalation can save lives — why aren’t all officers required to learn this method? And what might happen if they did?
Chosen by: Galen Beebe, Editor, Bello Collective
#1, Aziz, Not a Boat Number, The Messenger
The Wheeler Centre & Behind The Wire
Over the course of 2017, the offshore detention of asylum seekers on Manus Island — a long-running humanitarian disaster, and a national shame — has developed into a full-blown crisis. The media has no access to Manus, so any reporting comes from the inside, captured and passed on by detainees using clandestine phones. In this extraordinary series, Australia-based journalist Michael Green makes contact with Aziz, a Sudanese refugee on Manus. As the two exchange voice messages, a sliver of connection opens up between our own comfortable world and the distant, nightmare one in which Aziz is trapped — but which, through his recordings, becomes real for us at last.
Chosen by: The Auditors
It’s A Real Mother (Parts One, Two, Three, Four), Longest Shortest Time
Earwolf
Workplace discrimination against mothers happens all the time, and it harms everyone. In four parts, Hillary Frank invites listeners to share their stories, explores the embedded cultural image of a stressed working mom, makes a case for as much parental leave as you can, and shows us a workplace that actually works smoothly even when it has daily infant visitors.
Chosen by: Dana Gerber-Margie, Editor, Bello Collective
All the Time in the World, Criminal
Radiotopia
In its own way, Criminal is timeless — I can tune in to any episode at any time and be transported. I picked this episode at random after having not listened to Criminal in awhile, and it feels like it could be an episode of an entirely different show with this softer exploration of an unusual topic — body farms.
Chosen by: Ashley Lusk, Editor, Bello Collective
Part 1, The Reckoning
The Guardian Australia
Do not let this podcast’s theme — child sexual abuse in institutions — put you off. Empathy and indictment are its powerful pillars, in an exquisite use of the medium. We hear the actual voices of those brave enough to testify to a public hearing in Australia, interspersed with archival moments in the exposure of those complicit. The host, David Marr, is a top journalist and beautiful writer, but here he sounds oddly vulnerable, torn between anger and compassion. Production is well judged, letting the voices breathe.
Chosen by: Siobhan McHugh, Founding Editor, RadioDoc Review
We Are Sending You Light, Rumble Strip
The Heard
Sara Brooke Curtis has a talent of editing audio into something so delicate but so powerful. This episodes features The Eventide Singers, a non-secular choir that sings to people who are ill, homebound, or actively dying. What a gift.
Chosen by: Dana Gerber-Margie, Editor, Bello Collective
God Loves Medics, Battle Scars
Panoply
Earlier this year we discussed “podgaps” — themes that generally lack coverage among podcasts — and for me those podgaps include discussions of what it means to be part of our present-day armed forces. Battle Scars is a podcast filled with tough conversations, but it opens a compelling window into a world less than 1% of Americans will ever see.
Chosen by: Ashley Lusk, Editor, Bello Collective
Anna in Somalia, Rough Translation
NPR
It’s easy to forget that great novels can often teach us about ourselves. In this episode, Tolstoy has a profound impact in two prison cells in Somalia. A powerful reminder of why literature is so necessary.
Chosen by: Erik Jones, Bello Collective contributor
The Rest of the Pig, The Fridge Light
CBC
I am always here for food podcasts, and The Fridge Light’s investigative journalism approach is something I’ve been craving without even knowing it. This episode is the deepest dive into the pig industry you (n)ever wanted to know. You won’t look at your plate (or the sidewalk, or your medicine cabinet) the same way again.
Chosen by: Ma’ayan Plaut, RadioPublic Podcast Librarian
The Smell of the Ballpark, Roam Schooled
Independent
My favorite part of this show are the rampant curiosity of its young hosts, but there was something perfect and nostalgic and a little bit painful about this episode from their dad. A reminder that parents are still people too.
Chosen by: Ashley Lusk, Editor, Bello Collective
Los nuevos colores del campo, Las Raras Podcast
Independent
Las Raras, a podcast from Santiago, Chile, tells stories of people who are defying the status quo. In this episode they tell the story of a Haitian immigrant who moves to Chile (one of many Haitians coming here to build a new life), and how a rural town came together to support him and unite him with his family.
Chosen by: Martina Castro, Founder of Podcaster@s
The Boom Boom Room, Ear Hustle
Radiotopia
Ear Hustle is in my top five “must listen as soon as a new episode appears” shows of 2017, and “The Boom Boom Room has stuck with me the longest. It asks the question: What does it take to have and build your family when you’re in prison?
Chosen by: Ma’ayan Plaut, RadioPublic Podcast Librarian
Kurt Vonnegut and the Rainmakers, Undiscovered
Science Friday
I love the growing trend of narrative science podcasts, and Undiscovered is one of the best examples. This episode explores how his real life experience at General Electric inspired the works of Kurt Vonnegut.
Chosen by: Erik Jones, Bello Collective contributor
Episode 5, S-Town
Serial Productions
S-Town is a game changer because it marries classic longform narrative journalism (think Didion, Capote, Berendt) with a masterful use of audio as a medium. The former gives us deep, immersive, cinematic storytelling with strong characters; the latter weaponizes timing, voice and sound itself to punch through to the gut. Those rococo Southern accents are gold, but S-Town elevates them to an art form by counterpoint: just listen to John B McLemore’s magnificent rant placed over Verdi opera, an allusion from the very Blanche Du Bois figure of Tyler Goodson’s grandmother. Sure, Episode 5 complicates the plot and messes with our sympathies, but I say go the whole series. Listening to only one episode is like judging a Coen Bros film on a half-hour excerpt. S-Town’s a thing. It will take six hours of your life. Be glad.
Chosen by: Siobhan McHugh, Founding Editor, RadioDoc Review
Rapture Chasers, Every Little Thing
Gimlet Media
The first episode of a podcast sets the tone (and in some cases, the bar) for all episodes to follow. The first episode on the total solar eclipse in August 2017 totally sold me on the show. The opening few minutes are still some of my favorite audio of the whole year.
Chosen by: Ma’ayan Plaut, RadioPublic Podcast Librarian
Our Student Loan Secrets (Parts 1 and 2), Death, Sex, & Money
WNYC
Heartbreaking and illuminating episodes — unless you also owe thousands of dollars of student debt — about the deep impact student loans have on the lives of those in debt and the US as a whole.
Chosen by: Dana Gerber-Margie, Editor, Bello Collective
Darkness falls on Virginia Tech and Walking with the ghosts of Blacksburg, Campus
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC)
It’s been ten years since lone gunman Seung-Hui Cho walked onto the Virginia Tech campus, and shot nearly 50 victims, killing 32 people and wounding the rest. In this episode, Campus brings you maybe as close as any outsider could get to the claustrophobic fear of living through an intense campus shooting. The first episode is a play-by-play from two survivors who keep waiting for the shooting to just be over, but the second episode makes it clear that it will be a long, long time before the shock of it subsides.
Chosen by: Dana Gerber-Margie, Editor, Bello Collective
Soundtrack of Silence, Q’ed Up
KQED
A music-lover knows he’s going to lose his hearing, so he sets out to memorize the sounds that’ll stick in his head forever. (Tissues recommended.)
Chosen by: Ma’ayan Plaut, RadioPublic Podcast Librarian
Bodies: Meat, The Heart
Radiotopia
Our list of outstanding audio doesn’t look to name “the best” because with so many good stories, who can choose just one? But if I were naming a favorite of my own this year, it would be Meat. I was entranced not only by the melodic, foreign-to-me voice of Jonathan Zenti, but by his transparency and his audaciousness. I will never forget what I heard.
Chosen by: Ashley Lusk, Editor, Bello Collective
Are You Up?, Terrible, Thanks for Asking
APM
Terrible, Thanks for Asking is my regular dose of feelings/tears, but something about this episode has echoed in my mind for months. It’s the perfect balance of tasteful editing of a collage of voices, Nora’s poignant narration, and an exemplary use of listener-contributed audio.
Chosen by: Ma’ayan Plaut, RadioPublic Podcast Librarian
What if you spent 15 hours on the edge of sanity?, This is Actually Happening
Independent
This show put me right into the protagonist’s world. From the opening “most awkward car ride” to the meaningfulness of new friends and the impossible limits of the human will, this is a wild ride that takes one twist after another.
Chosen by: Andrew Geary, Bello Collective member
We Grew Up Here, Millennial
Radiotopia
The loss of Millennial is one of the great travesties of 2017. All of Megan’s emotional journey episodes are a sort of gut-punch to my millennial soul, and this one about what it means to leave your childhood home for the last time is narrated beautifully.
Chosen by: Ma’ayan Plaut, RadioPublic Podcast Librarian
No: Advance, The Heart
Radiotopia
In this year of clear-cut transgressions, #metoo, and powerful men in media, politics, and beyond finally falling from their perches, The Heart takes an intimate look at the murkier, everyday trespasses of girlhood.
Chosen by: Galen Beebe, Editor, Bello Collective
My First & Last BASE Jump, First Time Last Time
Independent
First Time Last Time hones in on pivotal moments, that, upon reflection, make for incredible stories about the decisions we make. This episode focuses on rock climber Chris MacNamara as he makes his first BASE Jump, and what would prompt his last one.
Chosen by: Ma’ayan Plaut, RadioPublic Podcast Librarian
Hesham’s Diary, A New Normal
SE15 Productions
Hesham had to leave all his mementos behind when he fled Syria — including pictures of his father, who died, and his brother, who is missing. He settled in Germany, a land whose language he doesn’t speak and whose people he doesn’t know. It’s only via the internet that Hesham can stay in touch with his mother and siblings while he struggles to make a home in this foreign place.
Chosen by: Galen Beebe, Editor, Bello Collective
Woman to Will-Be Women, Hope Chest
Independent
The audio essays of Stacia Brown (you may recognize her from Baltimore: The Rise of Charm City) are, in a word, beautiful. This episode is a meditation on motherhood and Black womanhood; I listened one day while on a walk (though I ended up standing still to hear it more closely). I then listened to it twice through again.
Chosen by: Ma’ayan Plaut, RadioPublic Podcast Librarian
Sweet Like Snap Peas, Here Be Monsters
KCRW
The sound of shoes shuffling through the grass. The sharp snap and crunch of the stalk. It’s intimate, surprising, and just a little creepy. A perfect piece of audio.
Chosen by: Ashley Lusk, Editor, Bello Collective
Reunion, Love+Radio
Radiotopia
I am consistently amazed by this show, and this episode will challenge how you view and judge familial relationships, and relationships period.
Chosen by: Andrew Geary, Bello Collective member
We are Powerless, Pregnant Pause
Independent
An up-close and personal look at the decision-making process of having a kid. While this is a serialized show, and you should definitely start at the beginning, the penultimate episode is stunningly emotional.
Chosen by: Ma’ayan Plaut, RadioPublic Podcast Librarian
I Had No Idea, Nancy
WNYC
I could have chosen any number of episodes from Nancy, but this episode showcases the two kinds of OMG moments I often have with this show: “OMG my feelings” and “OMG I have never heard anything like this on a podcast before.” Come for the awkward love poetry, stay for the revealing original musical numbers.
Chosen by: Ma’ayan Plaut, RadioPublic Podcast Librarian
Reclaiming Power, Sincerely, X
TED and Audible
This is one of the most powerful podcasts I have heard all year. A woman who was sexually assaulted speaks up and takes back that which was taken from her by force. Powerful and relevant.
Chosen by: Calen Cross, Bello Collective contributor
The Friendliest Way, Out There
Independent
I’m terrified to bike in cities, so I went into this episode about cycling in NYC with dread…which quite quickly turned into delight in this cleverly told tale about being safe and friendly while touring on two wheels.
Chosen by: Ma’ayan Plaut, RadioPublic Podcast Librarian
Tough Love, Short Cuts
Falling Tree Productions, BBC Radio 4
This podcast can surprise and delight. Part of its charm is its unpredictability, as it canvasses theme-based stories in diverse styles made by producers from all over, most of whom are sound-first people — they treasure and reveal the power of audio itself. A refreshing change from all the gabfest podcasts.
Chosen by: Siobhan McHugh, Founding Editor, RadioDoc Review
Dust, Kismet
Independent
Occasionally at parties, I’ll look around the room and think about how I came to be in the same place as the various people there (and how others might retell the same moments). Kismet documents meeting stories individually, then weaves them together into one journey. Romantic stories are scattered within their episodes, of course, but I think Dust captures one of the most incredible connections to date.
Chosen by: Ma’ayan Plaut, RadioPublic Podcast Librarian
Special thanks to everyone who contributed to this list, including Bello Collective writers & editors Galen Beebe, Dana Gerber-Margie, Ashley Lusk, Calen Cross, Erik Jones, and Brittany Jezouit; Andrew Geary, Arielle Nissenblat, Siobhan A McHugh, Ben Cannon, Ma'ayan Plaut, Sara Weber, Berry, Martina Castro, and the team behind The Audit.
Want to see how this all went on behind the scenes? We wrote about it.
The Bello Collective is a publication + newsletter about podcasts and the audio industry. Our goal is to bring together writers, journalists, and other voices who share a passion for the world of audio storytelling.
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