WFIU Podcast 'The Ernie Pyle Experiment!' Named Finalist for Audio Award

The Audio Publishers Association announced today that WFIU’s podcast The Ernie Pyle Experiment! is a finalist for an Audie Award in the Audio Drama category.
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The Ernie Pyle Experiment! was released by WFIU last year. Writer, producer, and actor Michael Brainard created the 13-episode podcast series from the archives of the Ernie Pyle collection at the Lilly Library of Indiana University.

Produced by Brainard and co-executive producer Russell McGee, The Ernie Pyle Experiment! chronicles Ernie Pyle’s pre-war work as a traveling columnist for the Scripps-Howard Newspaper syndicate. Ernie and his wife, Jerry, traveled America from 1935–1942, in quest of interesting stories for his column “The Hoosier Vagabond.” The Ernie Pyle Experiment! explores how it was done.

Each episode, through fact and fiction, examines the circumstances surrounding an actual Ernie Pyle column from this pre-WWII era. The podcasts are based on recently discovered wire recordings in the archives of the Smithsonian Institute that give listeners a view into the Pyles’ everyday lives on the road and what led to the creation of the column. Each episode ends with a reading of Pyle’s actual column.

The Audio Publishers Association will announce winners at the 26th annual Audie Awards virtually on March 22, 2021. The red carpet starts at 8:30 p.m. ET and the awards ceremony begins at 9:00 p.m. ET.

The awards will be hosted by actor and author John Leguizamo. Celebrity judges include David Sedaris, Jennifer Egan, Tommy Orange, Melissa de la Cruz, Jerry Craft, and V.E. Schwab.

The Audie Awards are recognized as the most prestigious award in the audiobook industry. The awards honor the authors, narrators, and publishers who have contributed to excellence in audiobook storytelling, performance, and production, as well as the explosive growth of the medium. Learn more about the awards and the Audio Publishers Association at audiopub.org/members/audies. 

All episodes of The Ernie Pyle Experiment! and a complete list of cast and crew bios are available on the podcast’s website: wfiu.org/erniepylepodcast.