Posted on 03/09/2008 4:15:10 AM PDT by kellynla
National Public Radio listeners who tuned in to "Morning Edition" during the last four days of February found some atypical programming around 6:30 a.m. during the broadcasts.
"Conversations with Conservatives" was heard during morning-drive time with host Steve Inskeep and a conservative of the day with much on his mind.
The roster consisted of the Rev. Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission; Grover Norquist, founder of Americans for Tax Reform; talk-radio host Glenn Beck; and David Keene, chairman of the American Conservative Union.
Each man had his own focus — Mr. Land addressed the status of evangelical voters; Mr. Norquist the spectrum of fiscal policies that most appealed to Republican voters; Mr. Beck with ideas about conservative core values; and Mr. Keene on challenges faced by Sen. John McCain, saying the Arizona Republican must prove to the conservative base that he is, indeed, a conservative.
NPR listeners — there are 13 million a week — were not especially pleased in the aftermath of the broadcast segments, which lasted about seven minutes each.
According to NPR ombudsman Alicia Shepard, more than 60 angry e-mails and phone calls arrived at the network, calling the programming "shameful" and a "lovefest with radical, right-wing nuts." There were only a few, she said, that praised the series as "refreshing" and "articulate," among other things.
"Our basic motivation was to get a sense of where the GOP is heading, and where conservatives want to be. You can never get every viewpoint, but we wanted a sampling of opinion," Mr. Inskeep said.
"In the course of it, I learned just how carefully people were watching John McCain," he recalled.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
OMG! Sixty angry emails! Image if they had interviewed a theologian who cast doubt on the divinity of Barack!
I have complained to my public officials for years about NPR. Anybody else remember when that network made a concerted effort to connect “Christians” with anthrax mailings?
They are terrible.
I have repeatedly asked my local station how many NPR on air personalities are Republicans? They laugh.
It is a tax supported radio network by the left for the left. And there’s not a thing the taxpayers can do about it.
Let those sixty, narrow-minded leftists start their own publicly financed radio network.
It seems Air America's audience has identified themselves: they're mad as hell and they are not going to take it anymore...LOL!!!
I just emailed aliciashepard@npr.org and told her the same thing.
The quality of NPR programming is generally far above the commercial media where the listener is typically subjected to shouting matches and human interest BS. I have also noticed that there has been more political balance lately.
I peruse the DU for the comedic value and a few weeks ago there was a thread about PBR going “conservative”..they were PI*SED that conservatives would be allowed on national PUBLIC radio..so in watching this thread, someone made that exact comment..I’ll paraphrase because I don’t remember the exact words..”so, what’s wrong with that? It’s PUBLIC radio and their tax dollars support it to, shouldn’t they have a voice??”..shortly thereafter the poster’s comments were deleted..I’m guessin he/she got tombstoned..
but ask them, they’ll tell you they’re the party of diversity and tolerance..
NPR needs to be axed, with extreme malice!
13 million ? Methinks they’re padding the numbers.
They just need to be defunded. If they want their little Stalinist dog and pony show, let them seek out commercial endorsements like everybody else.
Some NPR Listeners Left Cold by Segments on Right(Lefties’ heads explode!LOL).....
the lib/dems....still defending the 1st their first amendment...everyone can have an opion and say what they want as long as it conforms to the lib/dem talking points...
A perfect reason both NPR and PBS should NOT be tax payer funded!!!!
There, fixed.
Garde la Foi, mes amis! Nous nous sommes les sauveurs de la République! Maintenant et Toujours!
(Keep the Faith, my friends! We are the saviors of the Republic! Now and Forever!)
LonePalm, le Républicain du verre cassé (The Broken Glass Republican)
they don’t lean left. They are the measure of the left.
I remember NPR attempted to add balance to their news reporting and commentary during the first year or two of the Republican led Congress in ‘95-’96. NPR must have been terrified their funding would be slashed. As soon as the storm had passed they were back to their comtemptible selves.
Newark’s own WBGO. I listen to “The Rhythm Revue” on Saturday’s. Best music to get your body movin’. I clean the house to it, and come summer, wash the car to it. I wish I could get into the Jazz programming. I’ll keep trying though.
They probably DO have 13 million listeners, because they have outlets on every college campus in the country! NPR is the largest radio network in the country, by far.
When you press them about using public funding for such biased reporting, they like to say that they only have 20% public funding, but they leave out the fact that the individual stations, which are funded well beyond 50% by the colleges’ general funds. Many if not most of said colleges are funded in turn by their state governments. The stations pay the network for the programming, but THAT’S not “public funding” in NPR’s reckoning.
Start talking to your state legislators about this! Bring it up every chance you get !
“Newark’s own WBGO. I listen to “The Rhythm Revue” on Saturdays.”
Two thumbs up for Felix Hernandez.
:-)
Well it is National Liberal Public Radio.
National Proletarian Radio, Nancy Pelosi Radio, etc.....
Yeah, I can imagine their news blurbs would be pretty laughable.
It really is too bad about their bias because they do do a superb job, on shows like All Things Considered and Morning Edition, of stretching out and spending time on a story. They’ll interview lots of people, get lots of audio, ask lots of questions, etc. They don’t need to cram things in before the next commercial break or keep things short for the limited attention span crowd, so they can be thorough, which is good. I even like the music they play between segments. But that liberal bias is irritating.
The other irrefutible proof that NPR is biased is Daniel Shore. The fact that they’ve got him as their editorial commenter speaks volumes. Every day he delivers a little leftwing sermonette.
It’s too bad NPR is so leftwingy because the production quality is excellent and listening without commercials is great.
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