NPR More Funniest Driveway Moments by National Public Radio

But do you have to deal with life and death to make a compelling radio story? I mean, that story was inherently dramatic. HANSEN: Listen to her voice and listen to the voices of the people there. Fu(ph) just called out her son's name, Kwong(ph), and said, mom is coming for you, as this excavator works it's way through this pile of debris that is just devastating to look at. FU (Earthquake Survivor): (Chinese language spoken) Melissa was there after the earthquake, and she found a way to connect with people so that they felt that she was talking directly to them, just the way she would if she got on the phone and called them up and said, here's what I'm seeing.

And the one that comes to mind was Melissa Block's report when she was in Chengdu, China. But if I had to name one thing, I would say it is the ability of the reporter to connect with listeners in some intimate way. And a lot of people have a hand in making them. KERN: Driveway moments are not born, they're created. Is there one thing that turns a report into a driveway moment, or a lot of things? So let's start with this driveway moment. And I know we're at the risk of doing a bit of naval gazing here, but a lot of listeners, when I go out, come to me and want to know, you know, how things are done. HANSEN: You interviewed more than 100 NPR staff members for this book, including me, I should say. NPR editor and trainer Jonathan Kern is the author, and he's in the studio.

A new book, 'Sound Reporting,' examines the art and craft of audio journalism and production, and it describes some of the things that go into creating those driveway moments. If you're a longtime NPR listener, then you've no doubt heard the phrase 'driveway moment.' It's our way of describing a story that somehow is so compelling it keeps you in your car listening to the radio.

NPR More Funniest Driveway Moments by National Public Radio