Transom has always issued an invitation to everyone to learn the art and craft of telling stories in order to better represent all perspectives in this country. We hope to offer a place for people to get their work, their ideas and their names out there; to recognize the voices and talent we don’t hear often enough in public media.
What We’re Looking For
We’re looking for great audio — things that are less heard, different styles, new voices, new ways of telling, stories that honor the mission of public media and any other good pieces that haven’t found their way to listeners. Transom editors evaluate material more by what it does than what it is. Some questions they’ll consider:
- Would it keep you listening until it’s over?
- Is the maker someone of talent who should be encouraged?
- Does it push the boundary of convention in an exciting way?
Submissions can be stories, essays, sound portraits, intimate interviews, found sound, fiction pieces, audio art, podcast pilots, whatever, as long as it’s good listening. We are a good destination for that one-off labor of love that doesn’t fit anywhere else. That said, we also accept pilots for longer series. Material may be submitted by anyone, anywhere — by citizens with stories to tell, by radio producers trying new styles, by writers and artists wanting to experiment. As long as it hasn’t already aired nationally, we’ll consider it. We advocate for no particular style or “voice.” To get an idea of our range, visit our SHOWS category.
What We’re NOT Looking For
It’s always hard to clearly define what’s a fit and what’s not. And while there are no hard and fast rules, we tend not to feature. . .
- Poorly realized work
- Multiple episodes of podcasts
- Chat shows
- Basic news stories
- Opinion
- Very conventional features
The Submission Process
If you would like to send Transom your work for consideration, please read the following agreement and use our instructions for submission.
Transom.org Submission Agreement
You are submitting your work for consideration by the Massachusetts-based non-profit organization Atlantic Public Media, Inc. for placement on the Transom.org site and other uses as specified in the “Acceptance Agreement“. Transom.org warrants that no use will be made of your material without prior agreement from you and subject to the terms of our “Acceptance Agreement.”
You agree that you have the right to submit this work for uses as described in the “Acceptance Agreement” and that your submission does not infringe on any copyright or other proprietary right or right of publicity or privacy. You acknowledge that Transom.org receives many audio materials and ideas, some of which may coincidentally be similar to yours and that Transom.org does not have any duty or liability with respect to infringement of your copyright.
1. Read our simple Submission Agreement.
You need to agree to its terms. We can’t accept submissions unless you do.
2. Send Your Work.
In the form below, send us a link where we can audition your piece (Soundcloud, online portfolio, personal website, etc).
Don’t have your work online? You can also submit an MP3.
3. We Review Your Work.
We receive your submission and our editorial team listens to it. They decide what work gets on the site. Simple.
4. What Happens If Your Work Is Not Accepted?
First, we’re sorry. We know what rejection is like. To prove it, you can listen to a radio piece about rejection. We hope this site will offer other benefits besides the acceptance of your work by providing you with tools and techniques of radio production. We try to respond to every submission within a reasonable amount of time. We’re a tiny staff and we get a large number of submissions. Please consider a lack of timely response to be a respectful pass.
5. What Happens If Your Work *IS* Accepted?
This happens in one of two ways:
Your piece is finished and we take it as is to place on the Transom website. The piece may also broadcast on a local radio show for Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard, and Nantucket on public radio stations WCAI and WNAN. We might also acquire the work for the Transom Radio Specials, with an additional payment to you. You retain all other rights to the work. Any further use of the work on other national programs will be between you and those programs, but as the initial publisher, we require credit/attribution. Please discuss piece placement in other markets with us first. For more details, take a look at our acceptance agreement. Our goal is to be fair to artists while also helping Transom.org succeed.
OR
Your piece seems full of promise, but is not yet ready for public scrutiny. In cases like this, we may offer to help in various ways. This is rare, though, because we don’t have the resources — human or financial — to do this often. If we are able to help, the finished project will likely become a “co-production.” In this case, the acceptance agreement will be modified to fairly recognize the collaboration. We’ll talk.
A Life After Transom
Programs like All Things Considered, Weekend Edition, Snap Judgement, and This American Life sometimes adapt material from Transom.org that they think would sound good on their programs. They have agreed to mention Transom.org when they do. We can sometimes help facilitate. We also encourage producers to put their work on PRX.
A Note to Acquirers
If you’re a visitor from a radio show, website, magazine or some other place that’s interested in acquiring work you find on Transom.org, that’s great! We can put you directly in touch with the producer of the work. Please note that our agreement with producers requires that Transom.org be mentioned wherever the piece goes from here.
Submit Your Work
Submit Online
Other Options
Send an MP3 to info [at] transom [dot] org along with your name and a short paragraph about your piece.