What is Black Mountain Radio?
Black Mountain Radio is an artist-driven, community-focused audio project broadcast from Las Vegas to the world, created by the Beverly Rogers, Carol C. Black Mountain Institute (BMI), home of The Believer.
Black Mountain Radio showcases oral histories from Southern Nevada, intimate conversations, and original performances—all with guest appearances from editors of and contributors to The Believer. Big stories. Big questions. From under the big desert sky. Listen to the first season complete with transcripts here.
What are we looking for?
We will review each submission we receive. Please note, though, that we can’t guarantee a personal response. The current deadline for pitches is midnight PST on Sunday, August 1, 2021.
We're open to many varieties of work:
- one-on-one conversations
- original reportage
- voice-driven audio essays
- interviews
- criticism
- collage
- stories that aren’t easy to classify
While we are telling stories from Las Vegas, Southern Nevada, and beyond, we're not looking for local stories in the traditional sense; we are looking for unique perspectives. We like stories that are voicey, that don’t have tidy conclusions, highlight underrepresented voices, and that question old hierarchies and widely-held beliefs. To get a good sense of the kind of stories we like, we recommend listening to our first season.
What should be in my pitch?
Give us the hook upfront; tell us the story as succinctly as possible. Then give us the context: what's the history here and what is at stake? Tell us who is narrating the story, so to speak—what point(s) of view will we be hearing from in this story?
When pitching your story, imagine the final product and think about how the story would sound on the radio. What would make it unique? It's okay if you have no experience in this field, just give it some thought!
Send in your pitch before midnight PST on Sunday, August 1, 2021.
---
This program is made possible by The Rogers Foundation and the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.