What’s a Sonic ID?
Sonic IDs are short pieces of audio – a vignette or a distinctive sound -- gathered from across northern Colorado.
The one above with the boy passionately describing catching his first fish is one of my favorites. All of us are there with him, in that moment, experiencing his unbridled joy.
Here is another one I’ll hold onto forever, as Wendy Koenig describes driving to Estes Park:
KUNC is building a library of Sonics and sprinkling them onto the airwaves. The 30-second pieces of audio allow us to capture the voices, stories and sounds of our communities in northern Colorado.
How Do I Hear Them?
Sonic IDs are really built for radio. When done best, they may compel you to look at your speaker, enraptured or surprised by what's coming from there. They can make you smile, chuckle or even emit some audible sound of empathy. They are at their best when they surprise you.
For the next few months, we will introduce a new Sonic ID each weekday on 91.5 KUNC, probably once every few hours. After we have aired the full library, we will begin randomly adding them to our programming. Meanwhile, we will keep gathering and producing more.
We are also bringing some of our Sonic IDs into our social media. Illustrator Peter Moore is working with Digital Managing Editor Jennifer Coombes to create reels, stories and videos that work well online – sound on or off.
Now, how about this Fort Collins street musician talking about building his banjo out of kitchen parts:
The History of the Sonic
Jay Allison is one of public radio’s most prominent producers and storytellers. He invented the Sonic ID, when he launched a public radio station in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. They help give WCAI a sense of identity, while also reflecting the seaside communities it serves.
Nearly 25 years later, WCAI-FM has thousands of Sonics in its library – voices and stories preserved for posterity. Here’s my favorite, probably because I produced it when I worked as a reporter and editor at WCAI several years ago:
Many of WCAI’s Sonic IDs are edited and produced by Jay’s trusted producer, Viki Merrick. Viki also listened to and provided guidance for many of KUNC’s sonics.
Where Do KUNC’s Sonics Come From?
We literally send reporters into communities across northern Colorado to “gather Sonics,” and it is always an amazing time. It turns out people really enjoy talking to reporters when it is just to tell a story about where they live or what they are up to.
Some sonics also come from archived interviews, oftentimes from tape that never even aired. We also make appointments with people that we know are good storytellers or have something to share.
If you know someone who might have a good Sonic ID to share, please drop me an email with your recommendation: sean.corcoran@KUNC.org. Thank you for listening!
