Yes… Soundings is back

From 1980 to 1997, the National Humanities Center produced the popular weekly radio show Soundings.

Soundings featured interviews with scholars and writers in the humanities. 862 half-hour episodes aired on more than 350 radio stations throughout the country and were broadcast internationally on the stations of the Armed Forces Radio Network.

Among those interviewed by Soundings host Wayne Pond were university professors in the humanities and sciences, journalists, poets, novelists, documentary film makers, musicians, state governors, members of congress, parliamentary members of European nations, and leaders of technological innovation. The microphone captured the voices of world-class scholars and others speaking passionately about their work in the arts, classics, education, ethics, Southern literature, religion, world histories, politics, music, philosophy, and more.

As a collection, the Soundings episodes comprise a rich document of intellectual history of the latter half of the 20th century.

Off the air since 1997, Soundings remains one of the most innovative, insightful, and scholarly radio shows ever produced.

Now, through a partnership with the libraries at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the Renaissance Computing Institute, the National Humanities Center is once again able to share Soundings with the public.