NPR - Yes or No?

cowtown · 10-16-2005, 03:53 PM

I know this thread will probably turn into an R vs. D battle (which thread doesn't these days?), but I'm going to ask anyway, and I'm curious if responses break down on party lines:

I'm a right-of-center guy, and I think National Public Radio news and commentators are quite obviously left-biased . So I get some news from them, and some from the WSJ, etc. I think that if NPR were dissolved today, the on-air talent would probably go one of two ways - the personnel who are talented would land on their feet in the commercial stations. Some others would disappear without subsidization from taxpayers. I guess I'm implying here that some of the talen't couldn't make it in the real world.

The thing is, there are a few things about NPR that I really like, even though I don't agree with their editorial slant. I like "Wait Wait, Don't Tell Me," because it's political entertainment with no commercials and is very, very funny. I also like "Car Talk."

If these shows were moved to commercial stations, I think they would be changed: sped up, maybe there'd be a little hip-hop beat in the background, and naturally there would be many ad interruptions. I'm out of the demographic that appreciates these things on commercial radio.

Just because of these two shows, I'm an NPR contributor, even though I'm annoyed by a lot of what NPR does.

What do you think of NPR?

fintstone · fintstone's Garage

It is the "Voice of Socialism"...the liberal answer to the "Voice of Democracy" radio network overseas. Sadly enough, it is funded by US taxpayers.

Nathans_Dad · Nathans_Dad's Garage

I actually like NPR. I listen to it during station breaks on the AM dial on the way in to work. Granted, there is a leftward bias, but it isn't something that I can't live with and they do seem to report things accurately. Every once in a while you'll get a 10 minute feature on native music of lower Mongolia but other than that I tend to like their programming.

billyboy · 10-16-2005, 04:30 PM

I enjoy the classical music since all the other stations play modern stuff only. I don't listen to the news because of the obvious slant, but then again, i don't know any news groups that don't slant one way or the other.

white87911 · white87911's Garage

NPR all the time on my radio. Its the best.

speeder · speeder's Garage

I listen once in a while, just because I try to listen to everything but it's pretty boring compared to right-wing radio and Al Frankin. I actually listen to music mostly on the radio, followed by RW radio.

I will say that at least NPR presents more than one side to a story when I've listened. Never heard Rush do that.

Trivial: I went to HS w/ Michelle Norris, she was fine. Not a "face for radio". She used to be the White House correspondent for ABC News, (TV), in the late 80s/90s.

Nathans_Dad · Nathans_Dad's Garage

I actually wish that we had some liberal talk radio here in San Antonio...I would like to hear the other side of the argument once in a while too...down here in south Texas we have 3 talk radio stations...Conservative, Conservative and Sports.

billyboy · 10-16-2005, 04:42 PM

I do enjoy their imitation of Satuday Night Live though.

pwd72s · 10-16-2005, 05:14 PM

Ahhh yes, NPR...another of those "critical" government services that we're forced to pay for...

HardDrive · 10-16-2005, 05:29 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by fintstone
It is the "Voice of Socialism"...the liberal answer to the "Voice of Democracy" radio network overseas. Sadly enough, it is funded by US taxpayers.

Voice of Socialism?

Yes, I listen. Left slanted? Yes, but not to the degree that some claim. Frankly, I find the lack of commercials one of its strongest aspect. I detest radio commecials.

And Car Talk is down right hilarious sometimes. Even if you hate NPR and hate liberals, you would still prolly like this show.

Mulhollanddose · 10-16-2005, 05:29 PM

Need you aks?...They are the moderate version of their sister stations, KPFK/KPFA (pro-communist/pro-Islamofascist), Cali stations...NPR is agenda driven radio in objectivist clothing.

For liberalism I watch TV, for conservativism I listen to radio.

turbo6bar · 10-16-2005, 05:31 PM

I like listening to NPR. I get a picture of the world that I don't get with other news outlets. The "left-leaning" viewpoint doesn't bother me. I am slightly right of center.

BlueSkyJaunte · 10-16-2005, 05:46 PM

LOL. The far-righties think it's left-leaning. The far-lefties think it's right-leaning.

They're both correct! It just depends on what time of day you're listening. If it pisses you off so much then write the ombudsman and b!tch away. That way you can complain about the waste of your tax dollars (which I hear accounts for 9% of NPR's funding these days).

GettinHeadStuds · 10-16-2005, 06:06 PM

I love NPR.

No commercials.

lendaddy · 10-16-2005, 06:10 PM

Actual dollar amount and /or bias make no difference to me. I simply cannot find the allowance for it in the Constitution. It's the principle of the thing.

jyl · jyl's Garage

I like NPR a lot. Intelligent, detailed presentation. Lots of international news coverage. Entertaining programs like Car Talk etc. My local NPR station also broadcasts other news programs like McNeil Lehrer and BBC, and other programs like Science Friday etc. Definitely the best news and cultural programming to be found on FM. Compared to the other stuff on radio, there's no comparison.

Now, NPR does have a moderately liberal bias, in my opinion. So do I, on many things, but that doesn't mean I just want to automatically swallow whatever NPR says. So I listen with my brain switched on, distinguish facts from opinion, and do further research on whatever topic has caught my ear.

Flatbutt1 · 10-16-2005, 06:16 PM

NPR most all of the time. Car Talk and "Wait Wait don't tell me" are two of my favorites (even though I don't care for Paula Poundstone)/ I listen to two stations WNYC and WNJN. Between the two I get all of the NY/NJ news I need. And I am quite able to make up my own mind about issues.so whether a station is left or right only determines a piece of the puzzle for me.

jyl · jyl's Garage

Quote:

Originally posted by lendaddy
Actual dollar amount and /or bias make no difference to me. I simply cannot find the allowance for it in the Constitution. It's the principle of the thing.

Neither can you find the allowance for the vast majority of what the government does today, in a vastly more complex world than existed 200+ years ago. I think we can safely say the Constitution does not require the federal government to fund NPR, or NASA or the Interstate road system or the FCC for that matter. However, neither does the Constitution prohibit such funding. As the worthy document neither requires nor prohibits NPR's federal funding, I fail to see what the Constitution has to do with it.

M.D. Holloway · 10-16-2005, 07:15 PM

The only radio station I listen to but they do have commercials just not as flashy.

Baxter Black, Cowbot poet, philosopher and retired large animal vet is the best as is Frank De Ford.

Mulhollanddose · 10-16-2005, 08:28 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by lendaddy
Actual dollar amount and /or bias make no difference to me. I simply cannot find the allowance for it in the Constitution. It's the principle of the thing.

The Founding Fathers were right...There is no provision in the Constitution that allows the state to fund propaganda, especially propaganda that argues against our Founding Fathers' ideals.