Twenty Thousand Hertz

The Acoustic Worlds of Radiolab Creator Jad Abumrad


Published: 20 April 2026 at 11:00 Europe/London

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Episode notes

Before Radiolab became a cultural phenomenon, it was an experiment… one that Jad Abumrad built voice by voice, sound by sound. In this episode, Jad walks Dallas through his journey with the show, from its scrappy beginning in a New York basement, to leading a massive team, and ultimately stepping away. Along the way, he breaks down his signature sound design and storytelling techniques, and how he’s carried those into newer projects like Dolly Parton’s America and Fela Kuti: Fear No Man.


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