Sonic IDs

Taking good care of the town clock, having a bad day at the flea market, watching thousands of ducks migrate, falling in love, leaving the dairy farm to retire by the sea. During each broadcast day, the public radio station WCAI on Cape Cod, Massachusetts broadcasts community portraits, each lasting 30 or 60 seconds. They fill the gaps between hour-long programs, occupying the intervening time. They sound like mini-documentaries, and taken together, they create an ongoing oral history of place, a sampling of individual lives. In just a few moments, a listener hears a story with a narrative arc, receives a respite from the daily din and gets a chance to recall the shared experience of living together as neighbors.