Walking and listening in Washington, DC

It's hard to make a good walking tour.

As I try to explain the placecasting concept to people, the easiest example to use is a walking tour.  The audio tells you where to go and then explains some of what you're seeing there.  It uncovers hidden history and makes sense of the current landscape for you.  Maybe more importantly, it connects different locations together.

I've listened to several examples of audio walking tours and Cultural Tourism DC has one of my favorites so far. Sure, finding history in DC is like shooting fish in a barrel, but it's still easy to make history very very boring. A lot of the walking tours I've heard are simply people reading the text of a written walking tour. A lot sound like they're lifted from guide books.  Few have more than one voice in them.  In short, most of what's out there doesn't engage the ear.

That's why part of my thesis is that good placecasting must use the tools of good storytelling.  Assuming the medium is audio, this means crisp, conversational writing, spare and careful use of numbers and dates, and compelling voice or voices. And, because we're talking about narrow-casting, you can use a one-on-one speaking style, too.  

Cultural Tourism DC gets it right, using a first-person writing style, hints of humor, (mostly) unobtrusive sound effects and a great voice talent (NPR newscaster Korva Coleman).  Most importantly, the narrator doesn't sound like she's reading.  She's telling a story, as if she was talking to you in a conversation.  It's hard to write this way, but when it's done right, it unlocks the door to a listener's memory and imagination.

Personally, I would love to hear the voices of some actual experts (obviously historians in this case) revealing the information to us, but that's simply a different style of documentary storytelling.  These podcasts are highly-polished and excellent.  They're available in iTunes and through CTDC's Web site, which offers a LOT more text-based tours of DC, too, though the site a little clunky to navigate.

P.S. -- One other slick feature of the audio walking tours is the downloadable, printable PDF map they somehow make available through iTunes. (I didn't know iTunes could handle documents)  My gut tells me a good physical map is critical to a successful walking tour.  Even though I think the narrator should tell you where to go next, people will easily forget or change course.  It's easier to consult a map than to rewind the tape (so to speak).