41–50 of 143 posts
NPR is such a national treasure. Here in Minnesota, Minnesota Public Radio is one of the few places that does detailed stories on rural area outside the cities.
That's MPR, not NPR. NPR is basically just a content provider, much like when you read a national AP story in your local paper.
Listening to NPR with my dad on the weekends growing up in Tulsa was my favorite thing on the planet and basically the reason I wanted to become a journalist. But like everything else in digital disruption that seeks to “make the world a better place,” there are unintended consequences. NPR’s immense success with podcasting could come at the expense of local public radio affiliates around the country. They pay great…
I think IPR used to maybe be several different stations that conglomerated a decade or so ago. Not sure.
this pleases me in so many ways. as a former public radio listener, who grew increasingly tired of finding something else to listen to during the all-too-regular fund drives, i very much appreciate the ability to skip forward on podcasts. i'm also happier paying for good audio content than i am willing to pay for a dozen different news site subscriptions. my regular day is full of visual-attention-required tasks, and…
They've experimented with "silent" fund drives lately in Iowa, where if they raise a target amount then the full fund drive is skipped. I like that a lot, as well as the fact that their programs are all podcasted.
"We're just going to keep this silent drive going until we get the money!" ... A month later "Come on people, going to have to do a real pledge drive since no one is paying up..."
If you want a contrary take on NPR and particularly how their political coverage is awful, Erik Loomis, a professor of union labor history and about as far left as you can get, has a number of articles on how NPR fails the national discussion http://www.lawyersgunsmoneyblog.com/2019/07/our-worthless-me...
I give them major props just for attempting. It's obvious on many of their interviews with more right wing guests that the reporters are more or less gritting their teeth to get through it, but they do attempt to let both sides make their voices heard.
I love NPR. I'm glad they're doing well, and hope they will continue to make quality programs. But one of the major advantages which has set them apart for me is that they aren't as advertising dependent as so many of their alternatives. Avoiding ads makes it easier for them to be independent, and able to report without fear of corporations withdrawing their support. It's also just much more pleasant to listen to. I…
> I try to avoid advertising as much as possible, and it's sad that they are one more place it's invading. It's unfortunate that internet people have been falsely conditioned to believe the people who create the media we consume shouldn't be paid. Oh, but you will gladly pay for quality, ad-free content, you say? Unfortunately, based on the numbers I've seen at media companies I've freelanced for, this only works out…
Don’t get paid, not shouldn’t. The issue isn’t the reader’s lack of willingness to pay here lol.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
This wasn't the case as recently as a few years ago. I used to listen to the podcast version of Wait Wait Don't Tell Me exclusively, and remember musical interludes that immediately went right back to the show. One time I was driving in the car at just the right time and heard Wait Wait Don't Tell Me on the radio for the first time (as opposed to in podcast form) and was startled that there were ads. Now of course th…
As someone who thinks Wait Wait Don't Tell Me is the absolute worst pile of garbage NPR has ever produced, what do people see in that show? Honest question. Found this review [1] a few years ago and was glad to find I wasn't the only one who couldn't stand that apparently much beloved show. [1] http://www.imnotlaughing.com/index.php/radio/46-wait-waitI
Big thumbs up to production staff of "How I Built This". Huge thumbs down on Guy "exaggerated incredulity" Raz.
Also on the shit list: moth radio hour and ted radio hour (damn you Guy Raz!)
And a resounding meh to that most sacred of NPR institutions: car talk. Neither funny nor helpful.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
That's MPR, not NPR. NPR is basically just a content provider, much like when you read a national AP story in your local paper.
Isn't that like saying that CBS is a content provider? Obviously the big parent company is the one providing content for the local stations.
I love NPR. I'm glad they're doing well, and hope they will continue to make quality programs. But one of the major advantages which has set them apart for me is that they aren't as advertising dependent as so many of their alternatives. Avoiding ads makes it easier for them to be independent, and able to report without fear of corporations withdrawing their support. It's also just much more pleasant to listen to. I…
> I try to avoid advertising as much as possible, and it's sad that they are one more place it's invading. It's unfortunate that internet people have been falsely conditioned to believe the people who create the media we consume shouldn't be paid. Oh, but you will gladly pay for quality, ad-free content, you say? Unfortunately, based on the numbers I've seen at media companies I've freelanced for, this only works out…
You say (when linking to the blog post)
> When people say they will pay in surveys, most of them are flat out lying. Here's a recent example:
What the blog post says is that actually, the pre-launch survey closely aligned with the outcome:
> The really comical part is that I should have known, and I could have known. Actually, one could argue that I did know.
> Pre-launch polling on social media almost perfectly predicted the outcome. Here’s the tweet I used to test the waters, which had nearly 18,000 respondents. The results were:
> 72% – No, I wouldn’t donate.
> 24% – I would give $5 per month.
> 4% – I would give $10 or more per month.
> The comments on this post are really worth reading. The feedback was almost entirely positive towards ads and almost entirely “meh” about fan-supported. In other words, the answer to my question was clear from the outset: 99% of my listeners are totally OK with ads, and many of them look forward to finding new products and services through my sponsor reads.
The blog post's conclusion very much appears to be that—in hindsight—people were honest from the outset!
Earlier quoted context omitted.
That's MPR, not NPR. NPR is basically just a content provider, much like when you read a national AP story in your local paper.
Isn't that like saying that CBS is a content provider? Obviously the big parent company is the one providing content for the local stations.
Suffice it to say, NPR doesn't own any of these companies or stations.