Welcome to the Quiet Zone

Instagram, Facebook, X, email, cat memes, and a slice of the internet are all connected to us, sitting in our pockets, bags, homes, cars, and workplaces. With the rise of 5G, refined software development, and ever more powerful mobile devices, we take our connectivity for granted. Just as we demand water, gas, and electricity as essential utilities, we now demand internet connectivity.

During my assignments to remote locations around the world, I’ve often found mobile reception poor, frustratingly slow, or expensive. But with persistence, my devices are able to connect to the world beyond. We can’t escape our sharing and update culture.

This joint BBC Radio 4 and photographic series explores a rare land where mobile connectivity is outlawed. It delves into the science of radio astronomy, pushing the boundaries of deep time and space, and uncovers the NSA’s dark arts. Discover a diverse community of residents living and working around Pocahontas County. Explore mind-boggling statistics about the world’s largest movable land object, beating at the heart of a land immersed in the sounds of bluegrass, cryogenic cooling, and natural radio ‘silence’.

Originally envisioned as a personal photographic project, I couldn’t shake the feeling that my investigations into the National Radio Quiet Zone could come alive on radio. These thoughts led me to contact one of the BBC’s most experienced Senior Radio Producers, Sara Jane Hall. Our meeting quickly turned into a full BBC Radio 4 commission. Sara Jane and I embarked on a journey to West Virginia, bravely entering the ‘Zone’.

Listen on BBC Sounds
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b05v7td5

Read in Huck Magazine
https://www.huckmag.com/article/quiet-zone-photographer-emile-holbas-adventure-playlist