Professional Submission Guidelines

Living on Earth is an independent media program and relies entirely on contributions from listeners and institutions supporting public service. Please donate now to preserve an independent environmental voice.

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No animal has such a vast array of habitats as humans, and no animal has such a broad impact on its own habitat, and the habitat of other creatures. Living on Earth is a chronicle of our relationship with those habitats--the natural and human environments.

LOE is produced for Public Radio International by the World Media Foundation in Somerville, Massachusetts. We air on over 275 public radio stations, plus on satellite radio, and via podcast. Our features, interviews, documentaries and commentaries examine the social, economic, political and technological forces behind environmental change. We also assess the impact of environmental change on our communities, our economies, our health and the natural world. In essence, our approach is an ecological one: we see discrete topics as part of a larger whole, in the same way that individual organisms influence--and in turn are influenced by--their larger ecosystem.

Our weekly, one hour program includes everything from short news reports, audio postcards, and commentaries, to full-length documentaries. Most features fall into the 5-7 minute range. The bottom line, with all material, is quality, creativity, integrity and authority.

The journalists we work with demonstrate broad familiarity with their subject and an understanding of how it fits into a broader context and why it's important to a national, and sometimes international, audience. They think creatively about reporting and presentation; they are fair and impartial in their presentation but are not afraid to make judgments based on thorough exploration of an issue; they write effectively and record and produce the highest-quality audio elements possible. Attention to detail is vital--in reporting, writing, delivery and production.

How to Pitch: Define your story idea as clearly as possible before you pitch. Specific issues, news value, voices, sound, production elements, structure and length should all be part of your proposal. We are interested in both cutting edge and apparently mundane issues, addressing both unique phenomena and examples of larger trends. Ask yourself these questions: Has the story been told before in the national media? If not, why is it of interest to a national audience? If so, how can you advance it?

Please note: All initial inquiries should be accompanied by links or cd samples of your work. As a rule, we will not accept a pitch from someone whose work we have not heard.

The broadcast cycle for Living On Earth is one week. All pieces must be able to hold up for at least seven days after each Friday's posting to stations. Keep this in mind when honing and timing your pitch.

Production: LOE's engineer mixes most reporter pieces. Reporters are welcome to mix their own work but we require that all elements are sent to us along with the mix. Living on Earth reserves the right to judge the acceptability of all elements and mixes.

Unless given prior approval by your editor, all tape must be recorded live and on location. Tape-syncs can be arranged through LOE when the reporter is unable to interview a guest in person due to time or distance. Phone sound is acceptable only with prior approval of your editor. When recording in the field -- be it a press conference, an office or a forest--reporters should gather at least two minutes of ambient sound at each site. Please note: Reporters and producers are responsible for delivering high-quality tape. Since most of our pieces are edited over the phone, we are not always able to judge the quality of elements during the editing process. It is the reporter's responsibility to alert the editor to any possible problems with tape quality. Living on Earth reserves the right to reject a story or require that new tape be gathered or new tracks be recorded if tape is deemed unacceptable upon arrival.

Only professional recorders and microphones should be used. When recording, subjects should be close-miked and the reporter/recordist should listen carefully to ensure a quality recording. Tape sync engineers should pay special attention to make sure the interviewer's questions are not bleeding from the telephone onto the recording.

Recordists should do everything possible to minimize ambient noise, including closing doors and windows, shutting down heating, air conditioning units, and computers, turning off humming lights. If necessary and practical, move the interview to another room. All reporters and tape sync engineers should gather at least 2 minutes of ambience at each location, regardless of how quiet the location.

How to file: All elements must be recorded -- and delivered -- digitally. Also, be sure to include a clean version of your final script and a list of the contents of the elements as they appear on digital source. We prefer that actualities appear first; followed by narrator's tracks, followed by ambient and other sound effects. When dubbing, cutting or transferring sound, please leave a few seconds of raw tape before and after the ins- and outcues of your elements.

If you have any technical questions, please direct them to Living on Earth's Technical Director Jeff Turton at 617-629-3649, or jturton@loe.org.

Acceptance criteria: Stories are considered "accepted" when your editor approves a final version of the script, contingent upon review and approval of the air-worthiness of all elements. If news developments or scheduling changes require additional work after acceptance, additional payments beyond the per-minute, or contracted rate, will be negotiated.

Deadline: Specific deadlines for each piece will be established by your editor.

Payment: Our basic rate is $100/minute for all pieces, rounded to the nearest 1/4 minute. Higher rates may be negotiated, based on the producer's experience and the complexity of the piece. Payment is made upon airing or 30 days after receipt of air-quality elements, whichever comes first.

We pay $100 for field tape syncs of up to an hour in length. Longer tape syncs costs to be negotiated. We will reimburse for travel expenses only outside of a local or metropolitan area.

Expenses: We reimburse driving expenses at $.50/mile (the federal rate), plus tolls and parking, public transportation (i.e. train, bus, boat, camel). Receipts are required. All expenses must be approved before commencing travel. Expenses other than transportation are covered only with prior agreement with your editor. Rates outside US/Canada by arrangement.

To get in touch with us: Reporters based in the western U.S., Asia or the Pacific, contact West Coast Bureau Chief, Ingrid Lobet at 310-930-6738 or ilobet@loe.org. Reporters based in the eastern U.S. and elsewhere contact Senior Editor Eileen Bolinsky 617-629-3629, bolinsky@loe.org.

If you are interested in submitting material to Living On Earth, please send a resume and links to sample pieces to: Eileen Bolinsky, bolinsky@loe.org. Or mail to Living on Earth, 20 Holland Street, Suite 408, Somerville, MA 02144.

All resumes will be kept on file.