The Third Coast International Audio Festival (TCIAF or TCF), based in Chicago, curates audio stories from around the world and showcases them in various mediums. It is informally referred to as the "Sundance of Radio".
The festival was affiliated with Chicago Public Radio station WBEZ and from 2004 - 2019 produced the weekly radio show, and later podcast, Re:Sound. Re:Sound was hosted by Gwen Mascai, remixing "audio gems from around the world". Past episode producers have include 99% Invisible's Roman Mars.
Around 200 people attended the first in-person conference in 2001. Its most recent in-person conference in 2019 was attended by 800 people, with a digital iteration - Third Place - happening in 2020 due to the ongoing Covid pandemic. Speakers at TCIAF's annual conference have included Jay Allison, Jad Abumrad, Joe Frank, Ira Glass, Robert Krulwich, the Kitchen Sisters, and Nancy Updike.
The term Third Coast refers to the idea that while the U.S. population tends to be concentrated near the east and west coasts, Chicago, lying on the shores of Lake Michigan, is the country's third largest city.
References
External links The Third Coast International Audio Festival Web Site