Captive Audiences Experience New Alcatraz Cellhouse Tour Steeped in Oral History and Immersive Storytelling

Revamped Audio Tour Included with Admission for All Visitors, Launched as Part of $3.5 Million Alcatraz Renovation Project

Antenna Audio, the global leader in audio and multimedia interpretation and a division of Discovery Travel Media, is proud to present the new Alcatraz Cellhouse tour, developed jointly with the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy and the National Park Service.  Celebrated as the world's most famous audio tour, more than 20 million visitors have been captivated over the years by the voices of former guards and inmates, the sounds of prisoners shouting, cell doors clanging shut, the elaborate escape attempts and the stories about Machine Gun Kelly, Capone and the Birdman.  Revised for the first time in nearly two decades, the new 42-minute tour provides an even more compelling experience, taking visitors on an alternate route through the prison, presenting additional historical accounts, and preserving for years to come the oral histories of those who lived and worked on Alcatraz.  The tour is now included automatically with admission for all visitors to Alcatraz.

"Alcatraz holds a unique place in America’s popular culture and living history.  Working closely with the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy and the Park Service, we were careful to keep intact all of the elements that made the original tour so successful," said Chris Tellis, founder of Antenna Audio and executive producer of the original tour in 1987.  "Visitors will hear many of the most famous and memorable sequences, such as the dining room riot and solitary confinement, but they will also hear new accounts and interviews, a much improved soundscape, and a more continuous, thematic narrative."

"The new audio tour is a key feature of a multi-million dollar conservation and renovation program to enhance the entire Alcatraz experience," said Greg Moore, Executive Director of the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy.  "By redesigning the tour, we are not only seeking to attract more visitors, but rather we are seeking to provide visitors with a truly engaging and memorable National Parks experience. Further, as Alcatraz has such wide international appeal, the tour will now be offered in eight languages."

The tour, "Doing Time: The Alcatraz Cellhouse Tour", leads visitors into the cellhouse through a new entrance, where they walk along the actual route a prisoner would take on first arriving at The Rock. Visitors begin by walking down “Broadway”, greeted by the hoots and catcalls from the other inmates.  Visitors get a true taste of life on Alcatraz, with its deadly monotony broken by occasional violence or, on a good day, a wistful tune from an inmate’s guitar. The tour narrator is former correctional officer Pat Mahoney, who spent seven years on The Rock.  Mahoney tells visitors of the rules and privileges that could make all the difference between whether a prisoner served “good time” or “bad time” and guides visitors into new areas of the prison never before open to the public, including the officers’ break room and the warden’s office.  Additional highlights of the tour include:

•    An increased focus on the two most famous escape attempts in Alcatraz history. Visitors experience expanded accounts of the 1946 riot, known as "The Battle of Alcatraz,” and the 1962 escape, in which three men made it off the island and were never seen again.

•    Personal accounts from guards, inmates, and Jolene Babyak, who was a child living in family housing on the “Rock”. 

The audio tour, which draws from more than 60 hours of recorded interviews conducted over the years, helps preserve the rich oral histories of The Rock. The narration is completely assembled from the voices of those who either lived, worked, or were imprisoned on the island.  Almost 45 years have passed since Alcatraz was shut down in 1963, and many of the former guards and inmates are no longer living to tell their stories. The audio tour helps preserve their voices for years to come. 

In addition to Antenna Audio's role in creating the new audio tour, Discovery Communications, Inc. recently produced and donated a visitor orientation film to Alcatraz valued at more than $200,000 that plays in the visitor theater. 

The Alcatraz Cellhouse tour is available on Antenna Audio's XP-classic™ device.  The tour is offered in 8 languages:  English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Dutch, and Mandarin, and is included with admission for every visitor to the island.  

About Antenna Audio

Antenna Audio (www.antennaaudio.com) is the world leader in audio and multimedia tours, and is an innovator in mobile and cultural interpretation, expanding into podcasting, cell-phone tours and downloadable walking tours.  Each year, more than 20 million visitors, in 12 languages and across 20 countries, experience Antenna Audio's award-winning productions at 450 of the world's most famous, fascinating, and frequented destinations. Acquired in April 2006 by Discovery Communications, Inc., Antenna Audio is now part of the leading real-world media brand on all platforms.  Joining Discovery Travel Media, the integrated travel media business of Discovery, Antenna Audio now offers its clients unprecedented access to Discovery's expansive archives, marketing channels, and distribution networks.  For more information on Discovery Communications, please visit www.discovery.com.

About Discovery Travel Media

Discovery Travel Media is an integrated travel media business, and is part of Discovery Communications, Inc., the leader in real-world media across all screens.  Discovery Travel Media includes: the Travel Channel television network, available in more than 88 million US cable homes; Antenna Audio, the global market leader in audio and multimedia tours; online assets such as www.travelchannel.com and the broadband site, www.travelchannelbeyond.com; as well as Travel Channel’s video-on-demand (VOD) and mobile platforms.  

About the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy

The Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy is a nonprofit membership organization that works in collaboration with the National Park Service and the Presidio Trust to improve park sites, enlist volunteers in restoration projects, provide services and education programs for visitors and local communities, and build a community dedicated to preserving the national parks at the Golden Gate.