Sound Beat is in the air
Spring into the history of recorded sound!
Sound Beat is a daily, 90-second public radio show that showcases recordings from Syracuse University Libraries’ Belfer Audio Archive, one of the nation’s largest sound archives.
Episodes feature a wide range of recordings from all musical genres, film scores, and great thinkers and political figures such as Albert Einstein and Teddy Roosevelt, and more. Listeners will hear fascinating rare gems, old favorites, and some never heard before recordings.
For more information about Sound Beat, check out our Program Listing
Will AI Make Work Obsolete?
AI systems are now writing code, diagnosing diseases, designing buildings, and even generating art. Tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Google DeepMind, and autonomous robots are reshaping industries once thought immune to automation. Goldman Sachs has estimated that approximately 25% of the global labor market could be lost to AI, sparking fears of a job apocalypse.
Will AI usher in a new era of prosperity and leisure or a future of unemployment and inequality?
Some of those concerned foresee a future where AI becomes so efficient and productive that nearly every job with human laborers will be at risk, generating fears of mass unemployment. Other people see a tool that is transformative and can augment human labor. Even though there may be disruptions to segments of the job market, history has shown that even in the wake of large-scale shifts—such as the industrial and information revolutions—the individual drive to work remained powerful.
As AI is being implemented into our daily lives, we debate the question: Will AI Make Work Obsolete?
This debate was produced in partnership with Johns Hopkins University.
This debate was recorded on Wednesday, February 25, 2026, at 6:45 PM at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Center, 555 Pennsylvania Ave NW, in Washington, DC.
No Regrets: The Music & Spirit of Billie Holiday
From Savage Content/Miami, Kent Savage, Executive Producer; New Media Productions/Boston, Steve Robinson, producer; and Willard Jenkins, Writer, Jazz Historian, and NEA Jazz Master
An in-depth series exploring Holiday’s musical genius and legacy.
Hosted by legendary jazz broadcaster Rhonda Hamilton.
Presented in 13 hour-long episodes, No Regrets examines the musician’s early life, her move to Harlem, and first recordings with Benny Goodman, her rise to stardom, the evolution of her singing style, how her haunting rendition of “Strange Fruit” played a vital role in the birth of the Civil Rights movement, the many challenges she faced throughout her life and final years culminating with the beautiful and poignant recording “Lady in Satin.”
The focus throughout is Holiday’s singular musical artistry, her independent spirit, how her unique approach to her music became one of the strongest influences in the evolution of Jazz, and how she continues to influence performers today.
The series includes interviews with musicians and scholars including: Karrin Allyson, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Angela Davis, Lara Downes, Dr. Farah Jasmine Griffin, Corky Hale, Alan Harris, Rene Marie, Professor Robert O’Meally, Dan Morgenstern, Fred Plotkin, Adam Clayton Powell III, Beth Roars, Dianne Reeves, Phil Schaap, Andromeda Turre and Casandra Wilson. The program also includes archived interviews collected by Linda Kuehl including Count Basie, Teddy Wilson, Silvia Syms, Jo Jones, Milt Gabler, John Hammond, Billie Taylor, Mal Waldron, Bobby Tucker and others.
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
A Family Event for your listeners – Otherworld Media Productions presents “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” a four-part audio dramatization of L. Frank Baum’s timeless tale with an all-star cast
AVAILABLE on PRX
It’s been over the rainbow for 25 years, but the star-studded Centennial Audio Production in 2000 of THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ is reissued for limited-time release. Available to air until June 1, 2026.
The only complete audio dramatization of of Dorothy’s whirlwind voyage to the land of OZ comes alive with an irreplaceable cast.
- HARRY ANDERSON as The Wizard
- ANNETTE BENING as Glinda the Good
- PHYLLIS DILLER as The Wicked Witch
- JOHN GOODMAN as Guardian of the Gate
- MARK HAMILL as Munch the Munchkin
- RENE AUBERJONOIS as The Scarecrow
- ROBERT GUILLAUME as The Cowardly Lion
- NESTOR SERRANO as The Tin Woodman
- MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG as Dorothy Gale
Adapted by David Ossman, this award-winning production has joyfully sought to create a movie-for-your-mind, wherein Baum’s tale of a strong-willed young girl, a new-made scarecrow, a lonely Tin Man and an un-crowned Lion can live anew.
Most people know the story through the classic motion picture with Judy Garland, released in 1938, fewer have actually read the book the film is based on. Realizing this, Ossman made sure that the songs in this audio production will remind listeners of the movie, while staying true to the turn-of-the-century original.
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz was produced in cooperation with the Children’s Museum of Los Angeles in 2000 for the Centennial Celebration of the book.Judith Walcutt produced and directed. David Ossman, wrote this chapter-by-chapter telling, brilliantly produced by Warren Dewey, with a score supervised by Scott Nagatani that includes tunes by Baum himself and music from the original stage production of the Wizard of Oz in 1902.
The Best of Broadway and Hollywood
Footlight Parade: Sounds of the American Musical
Public Radio’s Most Popular and Longest Running Broadway and Hollywood Musical Program
Since 1998, Footlight Parade: Sounds of the American Musical has been presenting the best of Broadway and Hollywood, from the early 20th century to current hits: from Gershwin, Berlin and Rodgers & Hammerstein to Lin-Manuel Miranda.
The best of Broadway and Hollywood music including rarely heard recordings.
“Bill Rudman brings musical theater history to life with charm, wit, insight, warmth, convivial chat and a wealth of knowledge”.
Entertaining and insightful backstage stories, anecdotes, and historical perspectives from Host and Producer Bill Rudman, a nationally recognized authority on musical theatre.
“I don’t know which I prefer: the music or your informative and entertaining commentary. BOTH are excellent!”
Exclusive archival interviews with, and in-depth interviews with of such acclaimed artists as lyricist Sheldon Harnick (Fiddler on the Roof and She Loves Me), composer John Kander (Cabaret and Chicago) and singers Mandy Patinkin and the late Barbara Cook, and many more!
“Bill’s in-depth interviews with all manner of artists provide a permanent, irreplaceable archive.”
Cost: FREE
Length: 56:50
Available: PRX Automated Delivery, Downloads