Editing Radio drama (section)

=== 2000–present: radio drama's "new media" revival ===
Radio drama remains popular in much of the world, though most material is now available through Internet download rather than heard over terrestrial or satellite radio.<ref name="guardian">{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/theatreblog/2007/apr/24/thepodcaststhethingtorevi|title=The podcast's the thing to revive radio drama|newspaper=The Guardian|date=24 April 2007| location=London| first=Toby| last=Lichtig| access-date=2010-04-12}}</ref> Stations producing radio drama often commission a large number of scripts. The relatively low cost of producing a radio play enables them to take chances with works by unknown writers. Radio can be a good training ground for beginning drama writers as the words written form a much greater part of the finished product; bad lines cannot be obscured with stagecraft.

The BBC's sole surviving radio soap is ''[[The Archers]]'' on [[BBC Radio 4]]: it is, with over 18,700 episodes to date,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/5xGwGj4NgfGRJ1B2mFqg6QM/frequently-asked-questions|title=The Archers – Frequently Asked Questions – BBC Radio 4|website=BBC}}</ref> the world's longest-running such programme. Other radio soaps ("ongoing serials") produced by the BBC but no longer on air include:
* ''[[Mrs Dale's Diary]]'' (1948–69)
* ''[[Westway (soap opera)|Westway]]'' on the [[BBC World Service|World Service]] (1997–2005)<ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/4379888.stm | work=BBC News | title=Eight years of Westway end | date=2005-10-28 | access-date=2010-04-12}}</ref>
* ''[[Silver Street]]'' (2004–10) on the [[BBC Asian Network|Asian Network]]

In September, 2010 [[Radio New Zealand]] began airing its first ongoing soap opera, ''[[You Me Now]]'', which won the Best New Drama Award in the 2011 [[New Zealand Radio Awards]].

On [[KDVS]] radio in [[Davis, California]] there are two radio theatre shows, ''Evening Shadows'', a horror/fantasy show paying tribute to classic old-time radio horror, and ''KDVS Radio Theater'' which commonly features dramas about social and political themes.

The audio drama format exists side by side with [[books on the radio|books presented on radio]], read by actors or by the author. In Britain and other countries there is also quite a bit of radio comedy (both stand-up and sitcom). Together, these programs provide entertainment where television is either not wanted or would be distracting (such as while driving or operating machinery). ''[[Selected Shorts]]'', a long-running NPR program broadcast in front of a live audience at [[Symphony Space]] in New York, originated the ''driveway moment'' for over 300,000 people listeners each week during readings of contemporary and classic short stories by well-known professional actors.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.selectedshorts.org/onair/|title=Listen – Selected Shorts|website=selectedshorts.org}}</ref>

The lack of visuals also enable fantastical settings and effects to be used in radio plays where the cost would be prohibitive for movies or television. ''[[The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (radio series)|The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy]]'' was first produced as radio drama, and was not adapted for television until much later, when its popularity would ensure an appropriate return for the high cost of the futuristic setting.

On occasion television series can be revived as radio series. For example, a long-running but no longer popular television series can be continued as a radio series because the reduced production costs make it cost-effective with a much smaller audience. When an organisation owns both television and radio channels, such as the BBC, the fact that no royalties have to be paid makes this even more attractive. Radio revivals can also use actors reprising their television roles even after decades as they still sound roughly the same. Series that have had this treatment include ''[[Doctor Who]]'', ''[[Dad's Army]]'', ''[[Thunderbirds (TV series)|Thunderbirds]]''{{Dubious|date=October 2009}} and ''[[The Tomorrow People]]''. In 2013 BBC Radio 4 released a radio adaptation of ''[[Neverwhere (radio play)|Neverwhere]]'' by [[Neil Gaiman]], featuring a cast of well known television and film actors.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.denofgeek.com/tv/neverwhere/24721/neil-gaimans-neverwhere-bbc-radio-4-launch-report|title=Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere BBC Radio 4 launch report|publisher=Den of Geek|date=6 March 2013| location=London| first=Louise| last=Mellor| access-date=2013-06-18}}</ref> Neil Gaiman has said he was excited about the radio drama adaptation as it allowed the work to be presented with a greater deal of special effects than was possible on television.<ref>{{cite news| last=Hatfull|url=http://www.scifinow.co.uk/news/37427/neil-gaimans-neverwhere-radio-4-premiere-launch-report/ |title=Neil Gaiman, Natalie Dormer and More Talk Neverwhere|publisher=SciFiNow|date=4 March 2013| location=London| first=Jonathan}}</ref> In the United States, an adaptation of ''[[The Twilight Zone (radio series)|The Twilight Zone]]'' aired to modest success in the 2000s (decade) as a syndicated program.

Regular broadcasts of radio drama in English can be heard on the BBC's [[BBC Radio 3|Radio 3]], [[BBC Radio 4|Radio 4]] and [[BBC Radio 4 Extra|Radio 4 Extra]] (formerly Radio 7), on [[RTÉ Radio 1]] in Ireland, and [[RNZ National]] in New Zealand. The [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation]] produced notable radio plays in Calgary and Toronto in the postwar decades, from which many actors and directors proceeded to international careers, but abolished its radio drama department in the 1970s and finally ceased production of radio dramas in 2012.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/2012/11/09/legendary_cbc_radio_drama_studio_to_close.html|title = Legendary CBC radio drama studio to close|newspaper = The Toronto Star|date = 9 November 2012|last1 = White|first1 = Nancy J.}}</ref> BBC Radio 4 in today noted for its radio drama, broadcasting hundreds of new, one-off plays each year in such strands as ''[[Afternoon Play|The Afternoon Play]]'', as well as serials and soap operas. Radio 4 Extra broadcasts a variety of radio plays from the BBC's vast archives and a few extended versions of Radio 4 programmes. The British commercial station [[Oneword]], though broadcasting mostly book readings, also transmitted a number of radio plays in instalments before it closed in 2008.

In the United States, contemporary radio drama can be found on broadcasters including ACB radio, produced by the [[American Council of the Blind]]; on the [[Sirius XM Book Radio]] channel from [[Sirius XM Satellite Radio]] (previously ''Sonic Theater'' on XM); and occasionally in syndication, as with [[Jim French (radio host)|Jim French]]'s production ''[[Imagination Theater]]''. Several community radio stations carry weekly radio drama programs including [[KBOO]], [[KFAI]], [[WMPG]], WLPP and [[WFHB]].

A growing number of religious radio stations air daily or weekly programs usually geared to younger audiences, such as [[Focus on the Family]]'s ''[[Adventures in Odyssey]]'' (1,700+ syndicated stations), or [[Pacific Garden Mission]]'s ''[[Unshackled!]]'' (1,800 syndicated stations – a long-running radio drama), which is geared to adults. The networks sometime sell transcripts of their shows on cassette tapes or CDs or make the shows available for listening or downloading over the Internet. Transcription recordings of many pre-television shows have been preserved. They are collected, re-recorded onto audio CDs and/or MP3 files and traded by hobbyists today as old-time radio programmes. Meanwhile, veterans such as the late [[Yuri Rasovsky]] ([[The National Radio Theater of Chicago]]) and [[Thomas Lopez]] ([[ZBS Foundation]]) have gained new listeners on cassettes, CDs and downloads. In the mid-1980s, the nonprofit [[L.A. Theatre Works]] launched its radio series recorded before live audiences. Productions have been broadcast via public radio, while also being marketed on compact discs and via download.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Maughan|first1=Shannon|title=L.A. Theatre Works at 40|url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/audio-books/article/66222-l-a-theatre-works-at-40.html|website=Publishers Weekly|access-date=6 February 2018}}</ref> [[Carl Amari]]'s nationally syndicated radio series ''Hollywood 360'' features four old-time radio shows during his four-hour weekly broadcasts. Amari also broadcasts old-time radio shows on ''The WGN Radio Theatre'' heard every Saturday night beginning at 22:00 on 720-WGN in Chicago.

In addition to traditional radio broadcasters, modern radio drama (also known as audio theatre, or audio drama), has experienced a revival, with a growing number of independent producers who are able to build an audience through Internet distribution.<ref name="wsj" /> While there are few academic programs in the United States that offer training in radio drama production, organisations such as the [[National Audio Theatre Festival]] teach the craft to new producers.

The digital age has also resulted in recording styles that differ from the studio recordings of radio drama's Golden Age. ''[[Not from Space]]'' (2003) on XM Satellite Radio was the first national radio play recorded exclusively through the Internet in which the voice actors were all in separate locations. Other producers use portable recording equipment to record actors on location rather than in studios.<ref name="wsj" />

Podcasts are a growing distribution format for independent radio drama producers. Podcasts provides an alternative to mainstream television and radio which does not necessarily require a pitching process to be made and distributed (as these aspects of production can be learned by the creator) and which have no restrictions regarding programme length or content.<ref name="guardian" />