Can Welcome to Night Vale resurrect radio drama?

Welcome to Night Vale has been described as NPR from the Twilight Zone. (Commonplace Books)

Welcome to Night Vale has been described as NPR from the Twilight Zone. (Commonplace Books)

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The surprise-hit indie podcast Welcome to Night Vale borrows a community radio show aesthetic to serve the residents of Night Vale, a desert town where strange happenings are both creepy and quotidian.

Actor Cecil Baldwin, who plays a fictional radio announcer named Cecil Baldwin, keeps townspeople up to date on everything from the faceless old women lurking in local homes to the mysterious glowing cloud that moved in from the west.





Baldwin and show writer Jeffrey Cranor join Jian to discuss how the show ascended to the top of the iTunes charts, the expectations of their growing fan club and whether, in an age where broadcasters like the CBC and BBC are slashing radio dramas, other radio dramas might make a comeback.

Visions of Night Vale


What's a geeky cultural gem without a little fan art? Night Vale listeners are particularly talented, so we thought we'd share some of our favourite visual tributes to the spine-tingling show. Please see the watermarks on the images for artist sites.


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