All Things Considered x 3

Crisis Magazine ^ | Today | Richard Becker

[KierkegaardMAN]

National Public Radio’s afternoon news program, “All Things Considered,” is about big stuff and small stuff, world-shaking events and minute ephemera. In that sense, it does approximate “all things,” indeed, and I’ve been a devoted fan since Terry, my college roomie, clued me in nearly 40 years ago. “What is this anyway?” I asked him one rainy Seattle morning. The radio was on, and the bumper music I’d been enjoying suddenly gave way to some guy (Bob Edwards?) reading the headlines.

“NPR,” he replied flat out—as if I should’ve known better.

He was right. I should’ve known better, but nobody in my circle growing up listened to NPR, least of all my parents (rest in peace). They were rock-solid Republicans of the Goldwater variety, and even if they’d known about NPR (which I suspect they didn’t), they would’ve reviled its left-leaning editorial bias.

And it’s that bias that makes “All Things Considered” a bit of misnomer, for while the show does address “all things” in terms of subject matter, it does so from a pretty narrow perspective—NPR’s claims to the contrary notwithstanding...

[BenLurkin]

Left things Considered is a better name for it.

And if all there is to do on a rainy day in Seattle is listen to NPR, then it’s a miracle people aren’t hanging themselves from the rafters.

[bigbob]

I used to listen to ATC fairly often while driving home from work, and much of the non-political content is pretty well done and interesting. The rest was at least a less annoying presentation of the leftist tilt than you’d hear on MSNBC, and I just considered it as input to validate my own (contrary) opinions.

If they’d lose the bias it would be an excellent program in the same class as GKC and the BBC program.

[Yo-Yo]

All LIBERAL Things Considered.

I listen to NPR on occasion, although much less than I used to. These days my drive time listening is taken up with podcasts from my phone.

[ClearCase_guy]

I used to listen to NPR once in awhile. I found it somewhat stupid and obtuse, but I like to know what the enemy is up to. Anyway, I was an occasional listener up until about 2008. After Obama became president, NPR became unlistenable to me. Awful people with no ability to see two sides of a question. They were right. So shut up.

I haven't listened to the trash in a long, long time.

[Huskrrrr]

As a former Leftist I listened to “All Things Considered” daily. After reporting a story they bring in commentators (or used to). They find some crack-pot representing the right, who says some crazy things that no one could possibly agree with. They then end, always, with the liberal point of view, sounding much more intelligent. They used to have a phone line for comments, mostly liberal viewpoints, with the occasional conservative. I’ve heard they disconnected the phone line, due to “Rush callers.”

[Navy Patriot]

Not impressed with "All Thing Considered", ... for forty years.

I expect truth first, starting with the title.

[Steely Tom]

I used to listen to All Things Considered religiously, back in the late '70s. Their stories had very little political content, and were fascinating. On a couple of occasions, they had me in tears as I drove around in my cheap little Mustang MPG.

During RWR's first term, they mostly took the "if we ignore him, he'll go away" approach.

The big turning point was (by my memory, anyway) in 1985, when the Reagan Administration tried to zero out NPR and PBS funding. At that point, they stopped playing nice and turned their entire mission statement to resisting Reagan by any means necessary, on every program, 24-7.

After that, they got worse and worse.

[ArtDodger]

I tuned in NPR after the Kavanaugh hearing started to go sour on the dems. It was great fun hearing them unabashedly squeal in torment.

Years ago, WAMU in the DC area, had a little bluegrass radio show on Sunday nights, at midnite, I think. Half hour or so. When they crunched the numbers, it was discovered that more than half their donations came from people listening to that bluegrass show. They immediately gave the show more airtime, three hours daily and moved it to prime time weekdays during the rush hour and the money rolled in.
The elites were furious! They wanted Jazz and classical and, God save us, Diane Rheams! But the libs who listened to that stuff didn’t donate money. They would pledge it but they wouldn’t cough it up.

Later, when the lib politicians saw the propaganda value of a far left radio in their corner, federal money flowed in and the station directors could finally flip the bird to the average Joes and Janes who donated heavily for the foot-stompin’ music.
Back in the prime time slots went the Jazz, and the anti-conservative propaganda talk shows. They even put Diane Rheams on twice a day, with a replay of her early show.

Maybe, if the RINOs can be herded into a positive direction, the funding for these socialist broadcasts can be cut and they would again have to rely on regular folk for their bread and butter, forcing the managers to play what people are willing to pay for.

[onedoug]

All Things Considered

...except shilling their wares without tax money.