Muncie, Indiana is the subject of this American Radio Works program, and accompanying website. The site profiles several sad, sometimes hopeful, and all-too-familiar tales of how people have changed their dreams, or been forced to go a different direction with their lives, because of the economic downturn. In addition to being able to "download" the radio program, "listen" to it online, or "read" the transcript, visitors can look at the other multimedia sources that give context to these people's lives. For example, a link to an article about the move from "manufacturing to service economies" is located directly across from "Gear Shift", a story covering Charlie Saubert's experience after the closing of the BorgWarner plant in Muncie. A link to a slideshow of "Muncie's early industrial life" is across from "Cancel my Reservation", the story of an employed husband and wife saddled with so much student loan and consumer debt that they have decided they can't afford to start a family. The story "Writing a New Chapter," at the bottom of the page, tells about a program in Muncie that helps people get out of poverty, one person at a time.
Comments