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Socialist Radio Broadcasting
Langly
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
I know that a lot of us listen to it, so I thought it was high time we had a nice boring thread about
Public Radio
National Public Radio was created in 1970, after the 1967 Public Broadcasting Act of 1967. Its first broadcast was airing the Senate hearings on the Vietnam War. Its programs form the base of most public radio stations, including
All Things Considered
The flagship program, and the highest rated public broadcast (according to wikipedia). Hosted by
Robert Siegal
Melissa Block
Michel Norris
All Things Considered covers, well, pretty much all things worth talking about that day and week. They talk about the big political news of the day, as well as human interest stories, and do book and movie reviews as well. The program has been voted as one of america's most trustworthy news source many times over.
The best part about All Things Considered is that you can listen for an hour after work and get information on many different aspects of the news all at once. The hosts do a wonderful job of breaking everything down, to the point where something complicated like the financial crisis seems understandable. They'll send out their reporters on cross country road trips just to interview regular people on big issues like the election or the economic situation.
Most stations play this program from 3:00-6:00 pm.
But what if you want to know what's happening before you get to work? Then
Morning Edition
Is for you. Hosted by Steve Inskeep and Renee Montange
This show is like All Things Considered light. It has in-depth interviews and news stories from many different angles, but it's not as broad as the afternoon program. Morning Edition is great for getting to work informed and talking around the water cooler. I can not count how many times I have said "I heard on NPR this morning that". If you want to sound like you know things ranging from science to the arts to political issues, listen to this on your way to the office.
I don't know about other stations, but Alabama Public Radio caps this show with my favorite daily program
The Writer's Almanac
Hosted by Garrison Keillor, this program is five minutes of intense awesomeness. Keillor lists several writers whose birthday falls on that day, and gives a short bio of them. Then he gives one of the quotes that they are known for, and moves to the next. The program ends with a poem picked and read by Keillor. If you are a fan of literature/poetry at all, you will love this. Every day can be listened to at their website .
Marketplace
Marketplace is amazing if you are dumb at moneys like I am. They break down the stock market, financial news, and legislative changes to the market in ways that even english majors can understand. Best of all, they have a short spot in the mornings and a longer program after the bell, which usually plays during All Things Considered. Hosted by Kai Ryssdal, who has a terrible love of financial puns.
Fresh Air
Is probably the one and only reputable interview program produced today. Terry Gross does not bullshit, and she does not take any, either. She has been doing interviews for over thirty years on this same program. She spends weeks prepping her questions and reading/watching her subjects material. Her show is an hour long, and they are almost always gems. The best part may be that Gross is such a bad ass that it's not always someone you would expect to hear on NPR.
If you want to laugh while you hear prominent news stories, then you might like
Wait Wait Don't Tell Me
This is a game show based around newsworthy events, with a panel of three pundits to answer the questions. That's not the important part, though. Listeners can call or email the show to get on, and if you answer correctly, your prize is the host (Carl Kasell) leaving a voice mail message on your answering machine. Games include:
The program is generally really funny, but also informative.
But Lo! A challenger approacheth!
Public Radio International is a separate company and produces different programing than NPR. They compete for air time at all of the public radio stations, although their programs have a more cultural flair. Their main news programs are
The World
If you give a shit about international events this show will give you the vapors every time it passes by in the street. Hosted by Lisa Mullens, The World focuses on world wide news stories and puts reporters right in the shit to get personal stories to your American ears. Each show ends with a culture quiz that tries to see if you can figure out where the story will be before they do the segment.
A cool part of The World is that they also cover top US stories; it's neat to hear the different perspective that other countries have of us.
Later at night, most stations play
BBC World Service
which is obviously a British news program that goes until the wee hours of the morning. If you're a hippie college student keeping non-job hours, this is a great news program to listen to while you write papers about robert frost or whatever!
This American Life
Is probably my favorite long-running show. Hosted by Ira Glass, each week he follows a loose theme with several segments. 2-5 acts make up the show, which usually come in the form of interviews, first person narratives, or short fictional stories.
For an example, one week the theme was superman, and the acts included a story about a man who dresses up in hand made superman suits every day of his life, and a short story about a chubby guy rebound-dating lois lane.
Last week, Glass held his show live and beamed it to movie theaters everywhere! I was unable to attend, but supposedly it was awesome. To promote the show he also had an interview with Stephen Colbert, which was also great. Basically I have a huge man crush over this guy.
Says You
Is a hilarious quiz show akin to Whose Line is it Anyway. Except that, instead of pretending to be homosexual martians, the contestants are witty professors and intellectuals. This live show runs through word play, ridiculously obtuse definitions, pop culture trivia, and more! Not only that, but you can listen to past shows on their website
Ok, so talk about programs or stories that you've heard and enjoyed. I'll put more shows into the op if people are affronted by a flagrant error.
Car Talk
Is a great show whether you know lots about automobiles or not. They usually have wonderful reviews of models, and are also very funny. They even have/had a PBS Car Toon (get it?)!
Radio Lab
Is an amazing show hosted by Robert Krulwich and Jad Abumrad that revolves around interesting scientific topics. However, the shows always cover broad subjects, like Choice, Laughter, Music, Race, etc. As such, it's always very intriguing in a way that does not repel non-sciency people. The format is a lot like This American Life's, with the different segments split up into acts.
Public Radio
National Public Radio was created in 1970, after the 1967 Public Broadcasting Act of 1967. Its first broadcast was airing the Senate hearings on the Vietnam War. Its programs form the base of most public radio stations, including
All Things Considered
The flagship program, and the highest rated public broadcast (according to wikipedia). Hosted by
Robert Siegal
Melissa Block
Michel Norris
All Things Considered covers, well, pretty much all things worth talking about that day and week. They talk about the big political news of the day, as well as human interest stories, and do book and movie reviews as well. The program has been voted as one of america's most trustworthy news source many times over.
The best part about All Things Considered is that you can listen for an hour after work and get information on many different aspects of the news all at once. The hosts do a wonderful job of breaking everything down, to the point where something complicated like the financial crisis seems understandable. They'll send out their reporters on cross country road trips just to interview regular people on big issues like the election or the economic situation.
Most stations play this program from 3:00-6:00 pm.
But what if you want to know what's happening before you get to work? Then
Morning Edition
Is for you. Hosted by Steve Inskeep and Renee Montange
This show is like All Things Considered light. It has in-depth interviews and news stories from many different angles, but it's not as broad as the afternoon program. Morning Edition is great for getting to work informed and talking around the water cooler. I can not count how many times I have said "I heard on NPR this morning that". If you want to sound like you know things ranging from science to the arts to political issues, listen to this on your way to the office.
I don't know about other stations, but Alabama Public Radio caps this show with my favorite daily program
The Writer's Almanac
Marketplace
Marketplace is amazing if you are dumb at moneys like I am. They break down the stock market, financial news, and legislative changes to the market in ways that even english majors can understand. Best of all, they have a short spot in the mornings and a longer program after the bell, which usually plays during All Things Considered. Hosted by Kai Ryssdal, who has a terrible love of financial puns.
Fresh Air
Is probably the one and only reputable interview program produced today. Terry Gross does not bullshit, and she does not take any, either. She has been doing interviews for over thirty years on this same program. She spends weeks prepping her questions and reading/watching her subjects material. Her show is an hour long, and they are almost always gems. The best part may be that Gross is such a bad ass that it's not always someone you would expect to hear on NPR.
If you want to laugh while you hear prominent news stories, then you might like
Wait Wait Don't Tell Me
This is a game show based around newsworthy events, with a panel of three pundits to answer the questions. That's not the important part, though. Listeners can call or email the show to get on, and if you answer correctly, your prize is the host (Carl Kasell) leaving a voice mail message on your answering machine. Games include:
Carlbook
Carl Kasell reads made up Facebook status updates. The listener must then identify who posted the update. Two correct answers out of three constitutes a win. Debuted on March 14, 2009.
Who's Carl This Time?
The contestant must identify the speaker or explain the context of three quotations read by Morning Edition news-reader Carl Kasell. Two correct answers constitutes a win. In a variation of this game, Carl Kasell's Countdown, three popular songs are played and the contestant must identify the related news story. In another variation (debuting on May 18, 2008), Carl Kasell's Answering Machine, Carl Kasell reads three fictitious voice mail messages based on recent events.
Bluff the Listener
The contestant hears three odd but related news stories read by the panelists. Two of the stories are invented by two panelists, with the actual story being read by the remaining panelist. The listener must determine which one is true and not a product of the panelists' imaginations. The show uses a sound bite from the actual story to reveal the answer. (This is one of the few games where the contestant cannot receive any hints at the correct answer or receive partial credit for being "close enough" to the actual answer.)
An Internet Destination Called Carlslist
Carl Kasell reads postings from the fictional Internet site "Carlslist" (a parody of Craigslist) based on recent news events. The contestant must guess the person or event being referred to in the "posting" to score points. Debuted on October 21, 2006.
Listener Limerick Challenge
The contestant must identify the last word or phrase in three news-related limericks read by Carl Kasell. Two correct answers constitutes a win.
Carl Kasell reads made up Facebook status updates. The listener must then identify who posted the update. Two correct answers out of three constitutes a win. Debuted on March 14, 2009.
Who's Carl This Time?
The contestant must identify the speaker or explain the context of three quotations read by Morning Edition news-reader Carl Kasell. Two correct answers constitutes a win. In a variation of this game, Carl Kasell's Countdown, three popular songs are played and the contestant must identify the related news story. In another variation (debuting on May 18, 2008), Carl Kasell's Answering Machine, Carl Kasell reads three fictitious voice mail messages based on recent events.
Bluff the Listener
The contestant hears three odd but related news stories read by the panelists. Two of the stories are invented by two panelists, with the actual story being read by the remaining panelist. The listener must determine which one is true and not a product of the panelists' imaginations. The show uses a sound bite from the actual story to reveal the answer. (This is one of the few games where the contestant cannot receive any hints at the correct answer or receive partial credit for being "close enough" to the actual answer.)
An Internet Destination Called Carlslist
Carl Kasell reads postings from the fictional Internet site "Carlslist" (a parody of Craigslist) based on recent news events. The contestant must guess the person or event being referred to in the "posting" to score points. Debuted on October 21, 2006.
Listener Limerick Challenge
The contestant must identify the last word or phrase in three news-related limericks read by Carl Kasell. Two correct answers constitutes a win.
The program is generally really funny, but also informative.
But Lo! A challenger approacheth!
Public Radio International is a separate company and produces different programing than NPR. They compete for air time at all of the public radio stations, although their programs have a more cultural flair. Their main news programs are
The World
A cool part of The World is that they also cover top US stories; it's neat to hear the different perspective that other countries have of us.
Later at night, most stations play
BBC World Service
which is obviously a British news program that goes until the wee hours of the morning. If you're a hippie college student keeping non-job hours, this is a great news program to listen to while you write papers about robert frost or whatever!
This American Life
Is probably my favorite long-running show. Hosted by Ira Glass, each week he follows a loose theme with several segments. 2-5 acts make up the show, which usually come in the form of interviews, first person narratives, or short fictional stories.
For an example, one week the theme was superman, and the acts included a story about a man who dresses up in hand made superman suits every day of his life, and a short story about a chubby guy rebound-dating lois lane.
Last week, Glass held his show live and beamed it to movie theaters everywhere! I was unable to attend, but supposedly it was awesome. To promote the show he also had an interview with Stephen Colbert, which was also great. Basically I have a huge man crush over this guy.
Says You
Is a hilarious quiz show akin to Whose Line is it Anyway. Except that, instead of pretending to be homosexual martians, the contestants are witty professors and intellectuals. This live show runs through word play, ridiculously obtuse definitions, pop culture trivia, and more! Not only that, but you can listen to past shows on their website
Ok, so talk about programs or stories that you've heard and enjoyed. I'll put more shows into the op if people are affronted by a flagrant error.
Car Talk
Is a great show whether you know lots about automobiles or not. They usually have wonderful reviews of models, and are also very funny. They even have/had a PBS Car Toon (get it?)!
Radio Lab
Is an amazing show hosted by Robert Krulwich and Jad Abumrad that revolves around interesting scientific topics. However, the shows always cover broad subjects, like Choice, Laughter, Music, Race, etc. As such, it's always very intriguing in a way that does not repel non-sciency people. The format is a lot like This American Life's, with the different segments split up into acts.
Langly on
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Posts
Seriously though, nice OP
WBUR (Boston's affiliate) has some great local content. I love Radio Boston. Talk of the Nation and Science Friday also are pretty great.
Fresh Air is really hit or miss depending on guests.
Oh, and I like On Point, but I'm not sure if that's local or national or syndicated or anything
I went to the This American Life: Live! thing in Atlanta last Thursday. There were quite a few more people there than I expected, to be honest.
I hate money, but I enjoy Market Place.
blog facebook steam twitter
i hate you for posting her picture in the op and ruining my fantasies
damn i love market place shiiiii
Car Talk is freakin' awesome.
edit: brilliant minds Geek, brilliant minds
I loved Ira Glass on Colbert last week, Colbert saying his voice "sounded like he had completely given up on life." was spot-on.
Hi...i'm Ira Glass. This week...dogs
The Current
As the name implies, this is a current-events show that is on during my morning commute.
The other one I catch as often as I can is Q.
A fair number of people are familiar with it because it's the show where Billy Bob Thornton lost his poop:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJWS6qyy7bw
I'm kinda sad I missed that.
on some day I can't remember!
www.thisamericanlife.org
edit: next Friday!
So if you want it to be a surprise, don't listen this week!
They do interviews, special reports, go around to a bunch of different festivals and the like, and have a bunch of really quality podcasts.
They also have a video segment too!
R3TV
heavens they're tasty
and expeditious
be honest
is there a series of newsletters?
...
it's a running joke from Prairie Home Companion
Professional
Organization
English
Majors
Sunday mornings and Saturday evenings, I rarely think about the radio (somehow I still manage to catch TAL most Fridays)
(is PHC available online?)
I forgot the best part about the Boston NPR affiliate
every weekend night, after 12, there's this show called Con Salsa, narrated by a crazed latino man of some sort, every song is like a gooooooooal for him
it is awesome, especially in snowy boston winters because it's so wacky
it teaches me the most interesting things, like how fighter pilots have out of body experiences because their brains essentially stop getting input from the five senses and start making things up to compensate
that.
rules.
unanimous vote to lie
"the prairie home companion, coming to you from beautiful miami on a bright sunny day"
but ive been listening to the local college radio station more lately for the not-top-40 songs
SE++ Map Steam
nova and frontline are both incredible shows