First Person Singular
NPR: are you listening?

By Austin Showen
Nitro High School

When most people think of National Public Radio, they don’t automatically think of an enjoyable experience. For teens especially, NPR definitely does not strike immediate interest because most of them are listening to the popular music stations with the latest hits from top artists.

The old days of variety radio programming, talk radio and live music shows have gone by the wayside and have fallen to playlists organized by large music corporations. But the listener tired of the same drone of popular music may want to tune the dial to NPR.

National Public Radio was founded in 1970 as a result of President Lyndon Johnson signing the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967 into law. Since then, NPR’s range has grown immensely - it currently has a base of 26 million listeners each week.

Its programming ranges from news, comedy, variety and talk shows to an array of musical series, appealing to the largest range of people possible. Now, with the technology of podcasting, NPR has expanded to reach even more people by using the Internet to distribute its shows.

One of the most popular shows on NPR is the variety music and comedy show, “A Prairie Home Companion,” which is broadcast weekly from its home in St. Paul, Minn. The show, hosted by Garrison Keillor, contains musical guests, a troupe of radio actors performing original, humorous scripts and the beloved weekly monologue about Garrison Keillor’s fictional hometown of Lake Wobegon.

This show was recently immortalized in Robert Altman’s film “A Prairie Home Companion,” which was written by and starred Keillor. “A Prairie Home Companion” is a joy to listen to and gives the listener a chance to be transported into a bygone world of variety radio programming.

Another intriguing show is the news quiz show “Wait, Wait...Don’t Tell Me!,” which has the heart of a game show and the wit of “The Daily Show.” Hosted by the hilarious Peter Sagal, the show features a panel of journalists, commentators, comedians and weekly celebrity guests who answer questions and quiz on-air callers about humorous events in the past week’s news.

Frequent panelists on the show are television personality Mo Rocca and comedienne Paula Poundstone, both of whom provide immense entertainment and humor during the show. This show provides information, tons of laughter and a great hour of fun for people who don’t like their news to be so serious. The free podcast of this show is available on iTunes.

Other, more serious shows on NPR are “All Things Considered” and “Fresh Air,” which are both full of interviews, interesting facts and in-depth information on a variety of news- and arts-related issues. For the more intellectual listener, these shows provide thought-provoking discourse and debate about many subjects.

Representing part of the musical side of NPR is Charleston’s own “Mountain Stage.” It features an eclectic variety of live performances by artists who are both famous and just emerging onto the scene. While all genres of music appear on the show, it is best known for its generous supply of folk and bluegrass artists.

National Public Radio is a great source for everything from music to news, providing a unique experience that’s rare in today’s radio world. It is a dynamic force in the media and gives listeners a fresh perspective not heard anywhere else. Whether one listens from the car or the iPod, NPR is great alternative to the everyday radio station.