| You're driving in your car late at night, trying to find | | | | in 1950, it is claimed to be the longest-running radio |
| something interesting on your radio to keep you | | | | drama in history. It incorporates professional actors, |
| awake. As you skip past songs you've heard too | | | | original music, creative sound effects and other |
| many times already, and past the grating talk-show | | | | elements to re-create the style of shows from |
| ranters, something catches your ear: an old-style | | | | radio's golden age. It is good enough to have won |
| radio drama. The story line, acting and sound effects | | | | several awards over the years."Unshackled!" is |
| engage you, and only after some time do you realize | | | | currently broadcast on 1,550 radio stations. Just |
| you're listening to a religious program.The show is | | | | search for "Unshackled!" or for "Pacific Garden |
| "Unshackled!", a dramatic program with the flavor of | | | | Mission" to find a list of stations and a broadcast |
| radio from long ago, and with production values | | | | schedule. Also, many of the shows have been |
| calculated to draw in even those listeners who are | | | | archived for listening via the program's own Web |
| not particularly religious."Unshackled!" presents what it | | | | site.Stefan Smith is a radio junkie who writes on |
| says are real-life stories, based on real people. The | | | | entertainment and related subjects for the Solid Gold |
| plots vary widely from one show to the next, but | | | | Info Writers Consortium. Recently, he has written an |
| most revolve around some gut-wrenching personal | | | | extensive review of amazing new software anyone |
| crisis that is resolved only when the central character | | | | can use to capture music audio streams from |
| becomes a Christian. If that does not sound like | | | | Internet radio broadcasts and break them up into |
| particularly compelling radio, then you've probably | | | | individual mp3 song files--a legal way to download |
| never heard an "Unshackled!" broadcast.The show is | | | | virtually free music. |
| produced by Pacific Garden Mission in Chicago. Begun | | | | |