NPR (National Public Radio)

[Divinus Arma]

In my quest to remain somewhat objective, I regularly turn to NPR to hear an "alternative" point of view on politics. Despite my groaning at the obvious bias of their editorials and choice of stories to report, I still force myself to listen. I am able to do this mostly because they are pretty commercial free, and listening to violent leftist ideology is slightly more appealing than hearing another advetisement urging me to refinance yet again.

I'm curious how many of my fellow backroom Orgahs listen to NPR, and especially curious as to the reasoning why.

[KukriKhan]

I do. Since 9-11. I hadn't listened to radio for years; on that day, I bought a radio (with shortwave) hoping to find out what the heck was going on. I found Neal Conan (of NPR's "Talk of the Nation" show) broadcasting all day from DC on reports coming in.

I appreciated that. And the lack of adverts.

I don't give them money (they already get tax dollars). But I still listen as often as I can, especially "The World", a show that coincides with my lunch period. That show usually discusses topics we see in the backroom also, not just the mainstream-media "who declared for president today" US-centric coverage.

[Beren Son Of Barahi]

I can't comment on what i guess is an American national radio network,
but in Australia we have quite a few national radio stations, being young i listen to the national youth radio network (tripleJ). i find that the lack of ads and the non-repetitious music makes me a lot happier, although most of the bias if any is slightly left, most young people are slightly left of centre i would say.

plus i work for them as well... ;)

[Crazed Rabbit]

Ironically, it's the only radio station I listen to on my alarm clock/radio - purely because they were playing classical when I tuned it in at night.

One morning I put the alarm on radio instead of buzzer and actually listened for 10 minutes or so because Eugene Volokh was on when my alarm went off.

Most of the time I can't stand it - not because of their liberal bias, but because some of the programs they do are soooooooooooooo darn boring! They're not political at all - just mind numbingly unimportant, not to mention long winded.

CR

[Lemur]

IThey're not political at all - just mind numbingly unimportant, not to mention long winded.

What, you didn't like their nine-part series on proper yarn usage?

Radio in my neck of the woods is dismal. I listened to NPR for a little while, but feared I would fall asleep at the wheel. Since then I've rigged up the Lemurmobile for iPod listening, so I can geek out to This Week In Tech when I'm driving.

[HoreTore]

I'm quite skeptical when americans calls something "liberal" and "leftist", as I usually find that it is conservative and centre-right.....

[Don Corleone]

I listen to it and even contribute. Sure there's an agenda there, but there's an agenda everywhere. The Wall Street Journal has an agenda. To me it's a question of how well the news organization presents news in spite of that agenda. With the exception of allowing Daniel Shore to be on a 6 year rampage (since Bush has been elected, Daniel Shore has not given a single editorial that didn't bash Bush, and any American that didn't agree that he was the single worst president elected.... and these started in January of 2001!!!). I contribute, because, Tito-san's comment aside, they get less than 1/3 of their funding from government spending.

[Pindar]

Hi Divinus,

I listen to NPR regularly. The study of delusion is always interesting even when the delusion is sincere or spoken in soft tones.

What, you didn't like their nine-part series on proper yarn usage?

The proper use of yarn is important information.

[ShadeHonestus]

The proper use of yarn is important information.

I lost a great great cousin 4 times removed, on my wife's side, to a nasty yarn incident.

[KafirChobee]

NPR was a life saver here during the hurricanes (Francis, Jeanne, and Wilma) - very informative and at night concerts and plays ("The Odd Couple" - Funniest play ever written) - they did a Neal Simon week which was very entertaining and a terrific diversion from sitting in the dark. I still catch their news hour, and personally I don't find them slanted but an even handed reporting of events.

Face it, giving a possitive slant to Bush and cohorts antics takes the skills of a true believer - and then it is no longer news, but propaganda.

On the other hand, I on occasion listen to Rush and the likes - they are always worth a laugh or three. Not for their views, but for how they twist the truth to fit their (Bush's) ideolog. It always amazes me that people actually buy into such bs. Still, as my Mom always said, "If one doesn't listen to the enemy they won't understand how they and their chorus think".

[Tribesman]

I don't give them money (they already get tax dollars).

damn I could have sworn that there was this poster in the olympics topic who said that unlike the Brits he could sit back and watch TV without having to pay any tax for it , but here we are with tax for what is broadcast on radios just like them Brits have!!!!!!!
Blimey next thing is you are going to have something like a Corporation of Public Broadcasting over there that is going to take his tax for what is broadcast on TV . where will he be then ? obviously not sitting back watching tax free eh

[Adrian II]

I lost a great great cousin 4 times removed, on my wife's side, to a nasty yarn incident.

I lost a girlfriend to wool knitting when I was 16 years old. And she was Catholic as well, damn I got sooo close...

*BBC World Service as usual*

[Nelson]

I listen to NPR on almost every workday during my commute.

[Major Robert Dump]

It's the news on the classic station, which i listen to because soft music makes me want to road rage people less. not going to bother turning it just because it may have something i dont want to hear. too many british accents.

[lars573]

I'm quite skeptical when americans calls something "liberal" and "leftist", as I usually find that it is conservative and centre-right.....

That's pretty simple really.

Yank liberal/leftist=Euro center right/moderate
Yank conservative=Euro far far far right

[ajaxfetish]

I don't listen to the radio much at all personally, but NPR's the main station that plays back at my parents' house. It's mostly the classical music and programs like Car Talk or Prairie Home Companion that have my family tuning in, though the news programs will often be playing as well.

On a sidenote, it's good to see some oldtimers like you and Gawain dropping by lately, DA. Welcome back.


Ajax

[Devastatin Dave]

I listen to it everyday. The funny thing is the BBC World News. It has nothing nothing but Brits btching about US's policies on anything possible. It gives me a Woodrow Wilson on the drive back home from work.

[BDC]

I listen to it everyday. The funny thing is the BBC World News. It has nothing nothing but Brits btching about US's policies on anything possible. It gives me a Woodrow Wilson on the drive back home from work.

You should enjoy people complaining. It's a sign your government is sticking the boot in in places it shouldn't be, and making a mess of it. The power your vote wields!

The BBC is good in other ways. Tends to have reporters in places no one else has. Palestine (until he was kidnapped...), Baghdad (not in the Green Zone), so on.

When I was in America the news coverage horrified me. It was all terrible, without exception...

[Devastatin Dave]

Tends to have reporters in places no one else has. Palestine ...

I definitely don't disagree with that. They sure love them some Palestinians. I'm actually shocked that the reporters at the end of the story don't strap on a bombers jacket them self and exclaim, "Allah Akbar!!!!... **softer tone** this is the BBC" and whipe out a few Jews themselves.

[KukriKhan]

Easy, Dave. With BBC Gaza correspondent Alan Johnston still missing, their Israel/Palestine coverage is bound to be a pretty sensitive issue.

[Devastatin Dave]

Easy, Dave. With BBC Gaza correspondent Alan Johnston still missing, their Israel/Palestine coverage is bound to be a pretty sensitive issue.

Doubt it. If he's released, he'll basically talk about the plight and the desperation his kidnappers are going through. If he gets the orange jumpsuit shave, then the BBC will blame it on Israel and the US's policy towards terrorist, um excuse me, freedom fighters. I hope they find the guy breathing and with his head still attatched, but regardless of the outcome, its not going to change the BBC's view on Middle East events.

[Tachikaze]

What the conservatives in the US think is left bias is in the middle for most of the world. They sit there on an isolated mountain, out of touch with the world and judge everything to the left of them to be biased. They have no accurate compass to know where the balance is. Reporting equally good and bad things about Bush is not balanced.

NPR is wonderful. I have been listening to it every day since about 1990. What some of you see as boring may be just that you're used to standard commercial media that treats listeners/watchers as children. NPR is low-key, without the sensationalism so rampant in broadcasts that depend soley on advertizing money.

My local PBS station, KPBS, plays BBC news in the early evening. It's nice to get real news about the outside world (Eurasia, Africa, the Pacific, etc.) for a change. The US is so isolated and inwardly-concentrated.

Car Talk is the best!

[Crazed Rabbit]

What the pro-abortionists in the US think is pro-life bias is in the middle for most of the world. They sit there on an isolated mountain, out of touch with the world and judge everything at all pro-life to be biased. They have no accurate compass to know where the balance is.

Tee-hee!

Seriously - I remember reading an article by that BBC guy published a year ago about how the Palestinian kidnappers were basically all decent guys just trying to make a living.

What some of you see as boring may be just that you're used to standard commercial media that treats listeners/watchers as children.

What I see as boring is when they do a long story on some woman who rented out her house to some guy who later killed himself in it, and now writes poems about it. They were spending 15 minutes or more on it. That's not news - it is not relevant to world affairs or anything that affects anything anywhere. It's not even a decent human interest story - because it isn't interesting.

Easy, Dave. With BBC Gaza correspondent Alan Johnston still missing, their Israel/Palestine coverage is bound to be a pretty sensitive issue.

Luckily, bending over backwards to be sympathetic to terrorists won't look like they're giving in to terrorist demands or trying to appease them, since they wouldn't be changing anything.

Crazed Rabbit

[doc_bean]

Tee-hee!

Seriously - I remember reading an article by that BBC guy published a year ago about how the Palestinian kidnappers were basically all decent guys just trying to make a living.

Well, what other jobs are available in Palestine ? The kids gotta eat...

EDIT: seriously though, why are you dragging emotional arguments in again ?

[Tachikaze]

What I see as boring is when they do a long story on some woman who rented out her house to some guy who later killed himself in it, and now writes poems about it. They were spending 15 minutes or more on it. That's not news - it is not relevant to world affairs or anything that affects anything anywhere. It's not even a decent human interest story - because it isn't interesting.

I agree, that story sounds pretty bad. But the one about throwing televisions with a trebuchet was worthwhile.