My early exposure to National Public Radio was back in the early 70s. Those were the days of Susan Stamberg, Nina Totenberg, and Bob Edwards. In retrospect it looked at the time like a fledgling organization. Not so today. It’s grown into a journalism force with 24/7 content. Back in the day we waited to hear All Things Considered which came on at 5 pm each weekday afternoon. This was also the time when millions tuned in each night to hear the Carson monologue prior to the splintering of media which came later.
What I notice today is that all kinds of news sources have audio content easily available. This weekend I listened to a Financial Times video on crypto currencies. (I’m not buying any-I just want to better understand why so many folks plunged in.) Frequently, when the hosts transition from one to another they use the same slightly hip (by today’s standards) NPR-ish style i.e. “Hi Audie….”
A quick look at the Pew Research Center website says NPR listenership is down somewhat. That makes some sense to me. There is SO much available from other sources. All the major publications such as The New Yorker, The Atlantic, The Paris Review, etc… have their own podcasts/audio/video content. Everything I’ve heard is well produced and the content is good. Also, one can hear longer form material as well.
The BBC has also expanded into a great amount of on demand content available.
I do appreciate that if one wants to drill down in a particular specialized area, there’s lots from which to choose. I even found some helpful podcasts about hay farming, something I need to understand better as we baled some this summer.
The bottom line-it’s easy to find something of interest that helps me make somewhat productive use of my 45 minute commute each morning and evening.
Hope your week is off to a decent start.