NPR--Record Ratings

[yellowwood]

Washington Post reports that NPR had achieved record ratings.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/23/AR2009032302972.html?hpid=topnews.
Audience has grown 47 per cent since 2000.

I take that as good news. Among my friends it's common to hear, "I heard it on NPR."

You may remember that the Administration cut their funding because of right-wing pressure a few years ago. That was when I upped my yearly contribution. If the Administration didn't like it, it had to be doing something right.

It's the only place I can hear good balanced discussion on subjects that other media don't touch.
I especially like Diane Rehm. Terry Gross has some good guests, too.

They are fund-raising in my area this week.

"One strength of NPR, he said, is its original foreign reporting -- something that is now largely unavailable elsewhere on the radio. The organization maintains 18 foreign bureaus, more than any of the major broadcast TV networks."

[geckosfeet]

1. Diane Rehm?! Give me a break. NPR is perhaps near the top of the rubbish heap

of what we hear on the airwaves - but it is still laced with RW references and wingnut commentary.

This I believe?!?!

[Buzz Clik]

3. I'm sorry that NPR won't spoonfeed you leftwing dogma and other liberal comfort food.

Don't listen. It's that simple.

[readmoreoften]

8. Yeah, it's so much better to be spoonfed pseudo-intellectual centrist and rightwing tripe

bullshit artists triangulate every issue until "a reasonable, middle ground" is reached.

CENTRIST: "What? You say your daughter was raped and murdered? Well, the conservatives say she's perfectly fine. There's two-sides to every story, and I like to sound rational and knowledgeable, so I'm going to pronounce my position on this issue as follows: your daughter was raped, but not murdered. To be fair, I won't be able to prove my very reasonable position until you mail me her autopsy."

[Buzz Clik]

12. snore.

Once again, we're hearing from those who believe that there is only one correct point of view.

Blinders much?

[ThomWV]

20. Well put - very well put actually. That is a good analogy to what they do with every story.

Despite the comment above what you point out is pretty easy to spot if, or once, you know more about the story than NPR reports. I find their news worthless to be honest about it.

[hootinholler]

27. But if I don't listen to D.R.

How will I know what the American Enterprise Institute thinks of any given issue?

-Hoot

[Buzz Clik]

30. God forbid that you educate yourself on multiple sides of a given issue.

Just wait for Keith and Rachel to tell you what to think. That's so much easier.

[hootinholler]

41. God forbid she ever have a progressive on to present both sides.

No one tells me what to think, especially you.

-Hoot

[Buzz Clik]

53. She never has a progressive on her show?

Have you ever listened to the show? Ever hear of David Corn?

Here's a list of progressives on her show this week:
Ron Pollack, is Executive Director of Families USA
Juan Cole
David Leonhardt, economics writer for the NY Times


There's more.

I won't attempt to tell you how to think; I'd be please if you simply started thinking.

[yellowwood]

4. I Can't Stand "Cartalk," Either

And,sure, I could do without "Speaking of Faith."
In a perfect world, I could demand that they only program what I like. But there are so many good programs that they outweigh the questionable ones.
I don't know any other medium that suits me better. I'm just glad that they exist.

[rucky]

6. you don't like Car Talk?

everybody likes Car Talk

[rurallib]

17. I hate cartalk.

[ogneopasno]

50. Car Talk was great when it was about cars. Now it's a comedy/relationship show.

[Buzz Clik]

11. Perfectly stated.

:thumbsup:

[ThomWV]

21. Don't confuse NPR with your local Public Radio

[Buzz Clik]

32. Car Talk is NPR...

[geckosfeet]

52. Car talk and This American Life I can listen to. Speaking of Faith actually has

some wide ranging topics but tends towards a very conservative viewpoint. They gag me at times.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

13. I don't listen to NPR quite as much as I used to

but there is still some worthwhile programming on there, the Diane Rehm show in particular. People actually have civilized discussions about important issues on the show and it seems IMHO to be the most balanced political radio show that anybody is probably going to be able to find anywhere on the dial, at least here in Indiana- where "liberal/progressive" radio shows are little more than a myth. I think that the only other closest thing we have to liberal/progressive radio shows is Alan Colmes' FOX radio show but that comes on late at night. Rehm often asks tough questions of her guests as well. I certainly don't remember a lot of "softball" interviews on her show. Her interview with Ken Tomlinson, Bush's former head of the CPB, about his allegations of "liberal bias" on NPR was particularly well done and she did not let him off the hook but rather challenged him to provide evidence- which he wasn't able to do. I'll be he probably wished he hadn't done that interview with her because he seemed like a blubbering mess by the end of the interview. Fresh Air is also another good show and Terry Gross has done some fascinating interviews over the years and anybody who is willing to go toe-to-toe with O'Reilly is o.k. in my book.

[bushmeister0]

34. Hmmm . . . I don't know.

Doesn't Diane still have the Reverend Moon's homunculus Tony Blankley on for "balance" every Friday?

I remember many "softballs" she's thrown. I seem to recall the infamous interview she did with Grover Norquist back in 2001 when she let him go on and on and on about how Ronnie Raygun deserved a monument in the national Mall. It was only after the half hour break that she really started to question any of the outrageous assertions he was making, and that was only because the angry emails and phone calls off-air were so overwhelming she had to say something.

And whenever Herr Kissinger is on, he always gets a free ride.

I love Terry Gross, but even she has some blind spots. Politics is really not her strong suit. I've heard her get bamboozled by right wingers in the past. But, then again, she isn't reporting the "news," like TOTN (which is a neocon/AEI mouthpiece) and ATC.

[Buzz Clik]

2. This won't be good news for those who think the R in NPR stands for Republican.

The results speak for themselves, and I'm glad to hear it. I love NPR, and I never miss an opportunity to listen.

[proud2BlibKansan]

5. You're kidding

I USED TO love NPR but think it sucks now. I find this news very depressing. Shows how manipulated the American people are.

[sufrommich]

7. NPR is the only interesting station on talk radio. It's got a

little bit of everything. I wish all talk radio followed suit.

[Enthusiast]

9. It has become a very misleading

source of information. It is very effective for the Reich Wing because it was 'pure' for so long.

I listened to a NPR right wing propaganda piece this past late Summer. The guest went on and on about Obama's involvement in a group called ACORN. He explained that ACORN was under indictment in several states for voter fraud. He also stated that the presidential election would again be decided in the courts due to ACORN's corrupting influence. The host did not challenge a word he said and it was a complete hatchet job on Obama and the Democrats. This is only one example of how NPR has rolled over for the Republicans.

[G_j]

16. agreed,

I don't consider it balanced, and going into the Iraq war, they completely failed.
Lately they have been giving R's a whole lot of air.

[realitythink]

10. NPR used to be worth listening to

Not so much anymore.

[TreasonousBastard]

14. Didn't take long for the peanut gallery to chime in..

with how NPR sucks. That always makes me wonder just how they get their news.

Out here we have two Connecticut NPR stations, a couple of college stations that run some NPR and PRI shows, and the NYC station that can barely be heard on a good day. There's not much reason to listen to anything else.

(With NPR, PBS, the NY Times, Newsday, local TV news, and several magazines as my main news sources, I am sorely misinformed by my corporate masters according to the wise sages of DU.)

[rurallib]

19. I surely wouldn't rely on NPR for the news.

[Mike Daniels]

29. Criticism about NPR from people who would gladly kiss Keith Olbermann's ass

given half a chance is pretty rich.

When Keith actually presents an opposing point of view on an issue he can claim to be something more than the left-wing answer to Bill O'Reilly and Sean Hannity.

[a kennedy]

15. I love my local radio WPR station......not the national NPR

I listen to Talk of the Nation, getting my fix of news instead of some music station or another type of talk radio, but I just yell at Neal Conan on a regular basis. He's got this tone I don't like, kind of ridiculing what some of the guests are talking about and he's very smug too.

[rurallib]

18. Well for about 95% of America, it is the ONLY alternative to RW radio

It is almost like a captive audience. I listen to NPR only after once again proving to myself that there is absolutely nothing else on the radio.
At home I almost always stream left wing radio. If I liked NPR so much, I would stream that.
I can go up and down the dial and all I get is music, RW radio, Christy fundies and NPR. Given those choices, I guess it is NPR.

[Enthusiast]

33. But it has become RW radio. nt

[last_texas_dem]

39. Great point

In terms of talk radio, about the only choices I have are a sports station and a couple of insanely right-wing stations (Rush, Hannity, Dr. Laura, Michael Reagan, etc.)... and NPR. Closest liberal station is a Pacifica station out of Houston with a very weak signal that doesn't reach my area.

If I feel like listening to political talk radio, I'm going to take what I can get. And no, I wouldn't call NPR liberal, but to equate them with the type of insanity on right-wing radio is ridiculous.

[rurallib]

47. bit of trivia. DId you know that that station in Houston is the only radio

station in the US to be blown up? And it has been blown up twice.
Some may call this a terr-ist attack.

[ShortnFiery]

22. If they'd give Juan Williams his pink slip, I'd contribute also.

:shrug:

[mucifer]

23. Chicago NPR's local programming is much more liberal than their national news.

[Strelnikov_]

24. 'Shape of earth . . opinions differ" n/t

[bushmeister0]

25. Nice Polite Republicans.

From a Fair study a few years back:

"That NPR harbors a liberal bias is an article of faith among many conservatives . . .

Despite the commonness of such claims, little evidence has ever been presented for a left bias at NPR , and FAIR’s latest study gives it no support. Looking at partisan sources—including government officials, party officials, campaign workers and consultants—Republicans outnumbered Democrats by more than 3 to 2 (61 percent to 38 percent). A majority of Republican sources when the GOP controls the White House and Congress may not be surprising, but Republicans held a similar though slightly smaller edge (57 percent to 42 percent) in 1993, when Clinton was president and Democrats controlled both houses of Congress. And a lively race for the Democratic presidential nomination was beginning to heat up at the time of the 2003 study.

Republicans not only had a substantial partisan edge, individual Republicans were NPR ’s most popular sources overall, taking the top seven spots in frequency of appearance.

http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=1180

And don't forget the neocons, who are always called on whenever "balance" is required: Norman Podhoritz, Michael Continenti, William Kristal, John Fund, Ken Adelman, are all names I've heard on npr in the past few months.

And get this: NPR is ending all it's newspaper subscriptions, except for one, which they apparently can't do with out:

From: Ellen McDonnell
To: ME list; Davar Ardalan;

"As of April 1 NPR is cancelling all newspaper subscriptions. We are making some arrangments to get the Wall Street Journal either on line or hard copy."

[yellowwood]

31. Neocons

I certainly hear more neocons than I want to on NPR. I would like to see them in a cage somewhere. However, I think that, in many cases, they reveal themselves to be the hawkish, cold, biased people that they are. Most of the time there is a competent person opposing them. The neocons' arguments don't hold up.
It may be that, like the proverbial blind man and the elephant, it depends on which part you touch. Diane Rehm show features issues that I never hear anywhere else.

[bushmeister0]

37. This time, at least, there was no competent person opposing.

The WSJ's John Fund accusing Obama of colluding with ACORN to steal the election:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=94282256

Neal Conan never challenges him, no mention of the fired prosecutors, no mention of Diebold machines, and the few people who managed to get on to call this guy out were hung up on instantaneously and he was allowed to filibuster for as long as he wished. A real tour de force for AEI radio!

Then there was the TOTN segment on whether the US should be the policeman of the world with Douglas Feith. (This was the guy who cooked up the phony intel that got us into Iraq, so obviously he's very much in demand as an expert on foreign affairs.)

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=99737331&ft=1&f=1012

In that case, there was no competent opposition, either. Unless, you consider Jendayi Frazer a liberal.

Or this piece:

"Why is it so hard to poke fun at Obama?"

" . . So far, most pen-and-inksters do not seem to be skewering President Barack Obama in the wicked ways they skewered former President George W. Bush.

Why is that? According to some masters of the trade, newbie-in-office Obama presents special challenges. It's not that he's hard to draw or that he's uninteresting. The problem, they say, is that he has not revealed any flamboyant character flaws. And they want to give him a chance to succeed."

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=100241124

Now, that's a news story!

[Iwillnevergiveup]

26. IMHO

NPR does not stack up against Thom Hartman or Ron Reagan or Mike Malloy. Those 3 do not dance around the issues.

[Iris]

46. yes. I like apples better than oranges. How about you? n/t

[KharmaTrain]

28. My Money Goes To Specific NPR Affiliates...

NPR is not like other networks as all of its affiliates are locally owned and operated (a rareity in today's radio)...thus there is a lot of local input into programming and news coverage. For example, I listen regularly to Wisconsin Public Radio...their local programs are superior to anything else on the dial...thus I am a member...as is the case with Chicago Public Radio and several smaller non-profit college and community stations.

It's a whole different world public stations operate in than commercial broadcasting and in many ways could be the medium's salvation. While many rely on corporate donors, the majority of stations depend on listener support and remain a lot more solvent and viable than what's offered down the dial. If anything, I plan to double my donations this year...money well spent!

[Peacetrain]

35. Love NPR, Love Garrison Keillor, Love Science Friday, Love my jazz and pop

There are not a lot of radio choices out there for "word" listeners.

[roody]

36. Since my life is not driven by the stock market,

NPR "news" magazines have little to say to me.

[MinM]

38. NPR had 3 worthwhile shows: Day to Day, Here & Now, and On the Media

Now there are 2:

Making The Perfect Exit

Day to Day, March 20, 2009 · Madeleine Brand consults writers and thinkers to come up with the perfect ending for Day to Day.

http://www.npr.org/templates/rundowns/rundown.php?prgId=17&prgDate=3-20-2009

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/MinM/166

[aikoaiko]

40. I like NPR, Truly the most balanced new sourse out there.

[Romulox]

42. NPR = mouthpiece of the upper middle class. I stopped listening years ago. nt

[Kalyke]

43. In the South, it's the only radio station that's not blatently slanted right.

Therefore, anyone left of a Nazi would listen to it because it's the only choice (other than satellite radio).

[Blue_Tires]

44. i usually listen in the mornings and on the drive home

if i can catch it, i also like prarie home...

not like i got a lot of other options here...the other news stations are far right (we had Rush on the radio even before he became famous), music stations are repetitive and sports talk has become even shittier...So overall NPR is ok -- but they do have some Cato stooge on a little more often than i'd like....

[Toucano]

45. We are cut from the same cloth.

Diane Rehm and Terry Gross are the best in broadcasting. Bar none.

[Burma Jones]

48. NPR is OK.....I try to read the news and get any commentary from Stewart and Colbert.....

I figure if I'm going to get opinion, and editing the news for broadcast is a form of opinion, I may as well get opinions from self-described comedians rather than self-described oracles.

[Fireweed247]

49. oh bullshit

They have been promoting the war on terror, promoting the war in Iraq, promoting respect of Bush...if their numbers are up(which I seriously doubt) it is because republicans for propaganda are tuning in.

I agree with this DUer...

NPR watch: "Is It Time To Move Past Outrage At AIG?"
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x5274728

The topic today at NPR's Talk Of The Nation. Neal "I never met a neocon I didn't like" Conan just had Columbia professor Charles W. Calomiris on to discuss why it would be bad to blame the crooks at AIG and actually they should get their bonuses.

According to his bio at the American Enterprise Institute web site he's the: "Codirector of AEI's Financial Deregulation Project," so you can see why he thinks less government in this situation is better.

Before this very insightful discussion, they had Tomas Friedman on to assure everyone that the free market model was alive and well.

Can anyone explain to me why we should be subsidizing NPR if they're just going to present one side of the argument that always seems to hew to the neocon way of thinking about things?

[Enthusiast]

54. Nice post, Fireweed. nt

[ogneopasno]

51. I like "On the Media," "This American Life" and "WWDTM." But I really started hating on NPR when

they decided, about six or seven years ago, that a story wasn't complete unless it talked to someone on both sides and gave each opinion equal weight, AND when they decided that the best way to go about reporting things was to ask what "everyday people" thought about things. If I want to know what my neighbors think, I'll ask them!

ETA: Some of their international reporting is outstanding, and I like Nina Totenberg's coverage of the Supreme Court.