National Public Radio

[foxy]

Since I find most radio broadcasting pretty boring, especially when I'm driving, I've become a big fan of NPR over the past few years. Almost always something interesting to listen to be it commentary or music. If you log onto their web site you can find your local station. Give it a try if you haven't already.

[kjun]

It's absolutely the best! Good honest reporting with some excellent commentary.

 

the Cajun

[ValleyDwellerNorth]

After I heard NPR do a piece on Smucker's Crust-less Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches (I kid you not) that is when I decided NPR was way too ZZzzz for me. I would tune in every once in a while. Some of their "All Things Considered" pieces are ok. However, when they treated this PB and J piece like it was news of galactic importance I was ready to barf. A long story short ... it was about who had patented this REVOLUTIONARY idea of cutting off the crusts and there was a battle over it. I am sure I am not doing this story justice and I don't care as I almost had a rash due to boredom.

 

I also have to agree with Bill O'Reilly that most of NPR's programming is really biased.

 

I think Saturday Night Life did NPR justice with their parody skits on them. Totally funny.

[ValleyDwellerNorth]

Here's the story! And I remember they gave this "issue" about 15 minutes on NPR. My riding companion that day also agreed this was overkill.

-----

Appeals Court Rejects Patent

For Smucker's 'Uncrustables'

 

Associated Press

April 8, 2005 1:51 p.m.

 

WASHINGTON -- There's only so far you can go in trying to patent the ever-popular peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

 

On Friday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit rejected an effort by J.M. Smucker Co. to patent its process for making pocket-size peanut butter and jelly pastries called "Uncrustables."

 

 

Smucker says the sealed edge of Uncrustables is unique, keeping the bread slices 'separately visible about the periphery of the sandwich.'

 

 

Smucker's peanut butter and jelly pockets are enclosed without a crust using a crimping method that the Orrville, Ohio, company says is one of a kind and should be protected from duplication by federal law. Patent examiners at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office disagreed, saying the crimped edges are similar to making ravioli or a pie crust.

 

Smucker already owns a general patent, which it purchased from Len Kretchman and David Geske, two Fargo, N.D., men who came up with the idea in 1995 and had been baking the products for school children. The two cases before the appeals court involved two additional patents that Smucker was seeking to expand its original patent by protecting its method.

 

The company had appealed the initial rejection to the patent office's Board of Trademark Appeals and Interferences, but that body upheld the decision to reject the patents.

( Patent # 6,004,596: Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich )

Smucker then took the case to the appeals court, which entered a judgment Friday, without comment, affirming the patent office's decision.

 

Brigid Quinn, a spokeswoman for the patent office, said the Smucker case is one of several that seek to test the limits of what federal law has determined can be protected by patents. "There's always more than one view on how it can be interpreted," Ms. Quinn said. "They're intellectual judgments that are crossed with scientific knowledge, and it's not black and it's not white. They're judgment calls."

 

The patent office received 376,810 patent applications last year. It usually takes about two and a half years for a patent to be processed and about 65% of all patents submitted are approved, Ms. Quinn said.

 

A spokeswoman from Smucker couldn't immediately be reached for comment Friday. In a statement released earlier, the company said it had purchased "a unique idea for making an everyday item more convenient" and made a significant investment in a "unique manufacturing process" for making the product

[KY_TOP]

I travel by car 2-3 hours to Western KY several times a month. I always listen to NPR which is broadcast by College based radio stations in WKY. I especially like that they give more than a 30 second sound bite to most of the news stories they do and they also broadcast BBC news every evening. Some subjects are very trivial and 15 minutes on them can seem way too long. But, it is better than some shock jock and I am not a big fan of Country Music which dominates radio in that part of the state. So yes count me as a big fan of National Public Radio.

[Guest JohnPela]

As soon as i get up in the morning I turn on NPR radio and Don Imus MSNBC TV and have both on really loud. Depending on where I am at home I can hear both or one or the other. I listen to NPR when driving to and from work. Really good range of interesting national and world stories and subjects more than you get on commercial or cable new channels.

[Doe Be Doe]

NPR is great for the music and odd stories. In most cities the NPR station is the only classical station going.

 

But, it's news perspective is really left wing. So if you are middle of the road or conservative it will drive you nuts.

[J-Man]

That's because they know what their intelligent, educated listeners want. As opposed to say, Bill O'Reilly or Rush Limbaugh. I'd love to see a demographic matchup ...

[whipped guy]

>NPR is great for the music and odd stories. In most cities

>the NPR station is the only classical station going.

 

>But, it's news perspective is really left wing. So if you are

>middle of the road or conservative it will drive you nuts.

 

 

The heck with O’Reilly, Rush or even Hillary Clinton… Anyone to the right of Joseph Stalin will find NPR as left wing biased…

 

Now the guys that really crack me up are the two auto repair gurus that try to make being a mechanic (excuse me automobile technician) somehow appealing, sophisticated, and refined… and not make it all sound beneath their overly intelligent elitist listeners. Shoot! They can make repairing a fuel pump sound as if it were the mechanical equivalent of a Bach fugue… It all sounds somewhat insipid to me!

 

And speaking of classical music… it may be the only show in town, but it certainly has gotten to be the cultured person’s equivalent of a top 40 type radio format.

[twinkboylover28]

>That's because they know what their intelligent, educated

>listeners want. As opposed to say, Bill O'Reilly or Rush

>Limbaugh. I'd love to see a demographic matchup ...

 

 

HAHA! I knew it would only be a matter of time before ValleyDwellerNorth's point of view would be attacked for outing NPR as the snooze-fest that it is.

 

ValleyDwellerNorth never bashed the educational level of NPR listeners. Why are you claiming that listeners of Bill O'Reilly are less educated than those of NPR?

 

 

 

>>I'd love to see a demographic matchup?>>

 

 

HAHA!!! No you wouldn't.

 

Liberal radio in general, such as NPR and Liberal Al Franken's "Air America," are struggling for listeners.

 

Air America can barely even call themself a "network." They have resorted to "PBS style tactics" of begging their listeners for money, despite the fact they have received millions from far-left George Soros.

 

You'd like to see a dempographic matchup? HAHA!! Maybee if trees counted as people, THEN we could attempt to see if NPR had JUST 1% of the share of listeners Bill O'Reilly attracts on a nightly basis.

 

I can't beleive my taxes go towards supporting such a blatantly obvious, left-leaning venture. The fact that NPR and Terry Gross had to apologize to Bill O'Reilly for their liberal shananigans a few years ago speaks for itself.

 

I think that says everyhting anyone needs to know about NPR, and we'll let the readers decide.

 

I submit Bill O'Reilly's demographic is one of the LARGEST, most educated, diverse, intelligent, open-minded, fair and balanced audiences out there.

 

Bill O'Reilly is one of the most successful, highest-rated broadcasters in history. He has a worldwide audience.

[+ deej]

>I'd love to see a demographic matchup ...

 

One of the software projects I worked on many years ago was for AC Nielsen, the ratings people. It was a software package they sold to radio stations for analyzing demographics to figure out what they could charge (or justify charging) for advertising.

 

We used NPR stations as comparisons against the major players in their markets to see how the software was performing.

 

Believe it or not, NPR's demographics are more diverse than any commercial station. No station could ever completely own a time slot, age group, economic group, gender group, or other group because NPR always held fast with their small percentage in any market/demographic group.

 

It seems a lot of people just like listening to NPR. (I'm one of them, but there are reception issues in my area -- and a good commercial classical station.)

[Trixie]

I like MPR because they're so often doing articles about trendy things which is good fodder for me when i am associating with some of my more shi-shi friends and they say something like "i went and saw so-and-so last weekend" and i can say "oh yes so-and-

so why she's breathing new life into the tradition of portuguese fado she's utterly amazing" and everyone nods knowingly and i really have no idea who so-and-so is but i heard a blip about her on MPR so i can drop a sound byte and keep up with the in-crowd.

 

Who's Bill O'Reilly?

 

Trix

[FrancoDiSantisxxx]

The Great Unwashed

 

>is one of the most successful, highest-rated

>broadcasters in history. He has a worldwide audience.

 

I got into the habit of listening to NPR when I had to drive for longer than a 15 or 20 period. There is only so much listening to music you can do, particularly given that so much radio (popularly, successful, highly rated radio) simply sounds similar or, in fact, repeats the same songs over and over again. One advantage of NPR is that the re-broadcast BBC. Another excellent advantage is the reporting on local issues is done by the local reporters from a public radio station in that market. So, for example, stories on Wilma and Katrina were reported from the Florida and Louisiana by local reporters familiar with the people, players, etc. This is different from cable news (either Fox or CNN) sending their national, big name reporters into the area to cover the story.

 

Additionally, unlike 24 hour cable news channels, NPR does not beat a dead horse hour after hour, show after show. From the teenager who shot the attorney's wife to whether Patrick Fitzgerald will indict.

 

Rather than think of those 15 minute reports as excessive, I think NPR should be viewed as an oral version of The New Yorker. Some people may find the obscure but lengthy small stories interesting and appealing and others will believe it excessive. On the other hand, they can also do lengthy and thorough coverage on an issue which might appeal to you and not others.

 

Finally, from the Macarena to Baywatch - worldwide popularity, high ratings or high sales, may be a measurement of success in terms of monetary rewards or transitory impact. However, fifty or hundred years from now, will more people still watch Lucille Ball and Charlie Chaplin for enjoyment than David Hasselhoff or listen to Mozart than any of the worldwide top ten hits of the last ten years?

[Luv2play]

As a Canadian I think NPR is a US national treasure and I listen to it whenever I can. It is the thinking person's radio, as far as I am concerned.

 

Of course they can get into subjects that may not be of interest to everyone and sometimes do an exhaustive review but that is what thinking people look for, IMO. As I have an inquisitive mind, even a piece such as the Smuckers patent case would interest me, even though I did not hear that particular item.

 

As far as being "left-wing", we get the same criticisms of the CBC radio (Canadian Broadcasting). But what people forget is that the CBC carries no advertising is is free to discuss any subject without the fear of self-censorship less they offend any "corporate" interest. They also are at "arms-length" from government interference. I know that NPR does carry advertisements in the form of "sponsorships" but I have never heard of them being unwilling to take on a story because of opposition from private interests. We need this more than ever when private corporations have become so large and can adversely affect the public interest without the public being aware unless there is a "neutral" watchdog, which IMO includes NPR and National Public Television, which is also a gem.

[twinkboylover28]

>>One of the software projects I worked on many years ago was

>for AC Nielsen, the ratings people. It was a software package

>they sold to radio stations for analyzing demographics to

>figure out what they could charge (or justify charging) for

>advertising.

 

 

 

I've been in the professional commercial radio broadcasting industry since I was 16 years old. Commercial radio stations use Nielsen to break down stats such as cume, age, race, etc for stations in rated markets. Regional and public radio stations are not rated on a quarterly basis.

 

 

 

 

>We used NPR stations as comparisons against the major players

>in their markets to see how the software was performing.

 

 

 

NPR isn't a commercial station and has little use for Nielsen.

 

 

 

 

>Believe it or not, NPR's demographics are more diverse than

>any commercial station.

 

 

 

 

No offense, but that's bullshit.

 

 

 

>No station could ever completely own a

>time slot, age group, economic group, gender group, or other

>group because NPR always held fast with their small percentage

>in any market/demographic group.

 

 

 

Obviously it's impossible for any program to have 100% off all the people watching at a certain time slot. Duh. It doesn't mean you don't own the time slot.

 

Your comment "NPR always held fast to their small percentage i nany demographic group" has absolutely no bearing on that. It's simply impossible for any one entity to have 100% at any time, EVER.

 

Even the Superbowl will still have people watching Sesame Street.

 

 

It is a proven fact that Bill O'Reilly has owned the 8pm time slot for cable news for several years (CNN, MSNBC, and CNBC combined).

 

 

 

 

>It seems a lot of people just like listening to NPR.

 

 

 

Again, that's simply bullshit. The statistics don't support your claim.

[twinkboylover28]

Luv2Play..

 

You gotta be kidding me if you're categorizing NPR and CBC as "NEAUTRAL."

 

I guess the New York Times is also "NEAUTRAL"?

 

 

NPR as the "thinking mans radio?" Ha!

 

Some people dont need 30 minutes on peanut butter n jelly.

 

NPR maybe "free" to cover anything they like; however, they chose to have a clear and blatant record of covering and slanting to the LEFT.

 

If NPR is a gem,then it's likely to be a cubic zarkonian (sp?)

[whipped guy]

>Who's Bill O'Reilly?

 

Bill O'Reilly has a syndicated radio program every afternoon and also has a TV program called "The O'Reilly Factor" that airs at 8:00 PM EST on Fox News Channel. His claim to fame - the terms "No Spin Zone", "The spin stops here" and "No Blowviating." A somewhat slightly to the right middle of the road guy that get guff from both liberals and conservatives...

 

Now that baseball is over and there is not much to watch on TV check him out if you can... He can be interesting and entertaining.

 

Oh,Yeah! ... and I forgot to add 'right on Trix!' I like your style!

[bigguyinpasadena]

twinkboylover wrote"I can't beleive my taxes go towards supporting such a blatantly obvious, left-leaning venture. The fact that NPR and Terry Gross had to apologize to Bill O'Reilly for their liberal shananigans a few years ago speaks for itself."

Please find a souurce other than O'liely which states that Terry Gross "had"to apologize.

[Luv2play]

For those on the right, media outlets such as NPR and CBC may appear to be "liberal" (which in my view is NOT a derogatory term) or "left-wing". This appears to me to just reflect the bias of the observer and nothing else. (and the word denoting lack of bias is spelled "neutral")

[Bilbo]

I love NPR, too. Surprise, surprise. What is odd is that even though Click and Clack, the Moriartzy brothers, got mentioned, no one mentioned the other enjoyable Saturday morning shows. These quiz shows are great partly because they take their time with the answers, and everyone stays in a non-stressed mood since the prizes are only token. My only complaint about our local NPR station, which is the only classical station in town, is that they go increasingly towards talk radio and play less and less music. Oh, and that they took off one of my favorite shows because the host, and usually the only voice, Karl Haas, died. After all, it had been in repeats for three years. It could have done repeats til the cows come home and I still would have listened happily. I do like the replacement show, but not quite as much - yet.

[+ deej]

>I've been in the professional commercial radio broadcasting

>industry since I was 16 years old. Commercial radio stations

>use Nielsen to break down stats such as cume, age, race, etc

>for stations in rated markets. Regional and public radio

>stations are not rated on a quarterly basis.

 

The advertising people always did say nobody at the station had any clue what they were doing. ;-)

 

This data was published monthly. Perhaps that's changed in the last 20 years, but it's difficult for me to believe the flow of information would have slowed when the trend across all other industries has been to increase. Then again, last I heard the product itself was struggling and may well have been discontinued.

 

>NPR isn't a commercial station and has little use for

>Nielsen.

 

I didn't say Nielsen ratings. I said demographics provided by Nielsen. (They have more products than TV boob toob ratings, y'know.) NPR stations, while not target customers, were most certainly present in the data. There was talk of removing them due to space constraints on those newfangled CD-ROM thingies.

[+ Charlie]

The only news I listen to regularly is on NPR, because it's the only medium that doesn't concentrate its coverage on Laci Peterson/O.J. Simpson/Runaway Bride kind of "news". Yes, there are some tedious pieces on subjects that don't interest me, and their attempt to cater to all kinds of audiences leads them to give equal weight to the interests of a tiny few. Nevertheless, I have frequently found myself intrigued by exposure to people and topics I would never have encountered otherwise. My biggest problem is that now I am living in a place that doesn't have a local station, so I have to depend on a feed from a larger market (Los Angeles) which doesn't carry news about my locale. I was spoiled by many years of listening to WHYY in Philadelphia, Terry Gross's home station. Terry is at least honest about her personal biases, and does not pretend to a connection to God; she listens respectfully to her interviewees, no matter where they are on the political/cultural spectrum, and does not contradict or insult them as happens so frequently from commentators on both left and right on the commercial stations.

[twinkboylover28]

>Please find a souurce other than O'liely which states that

>Terry Gross "had"to apologize.

>

 

 

It was on NPR's website! It went to NPR's "ombudsman" and National Progressive Radio issued a public apology to Bill O'Reilly on the NPR website when the incident occured. Terry Gross was made out to be a fool.

[twinkboylover28]

>For those on the right, media outlets such as NPR and CBC may

>appear to be "liberal" (which in my view is NOT a derogatory

>term) or "left-wing". This appears to me to just reflect the

>bias of the observer and nothing else. (and the word denoting

>lack of bias is spelled "neutral")

>

>

 

 

Luv2Play...

 

If you cant see that NPR and CBC are liberal, then you're living in the land of oz. I've never laughed so hard when you claim NPR and CBC are "neutral". Even most flaming liberals are honest enough to admit the fact that NPR and CBC slant to the LEFT!

 

When you cant win your argument, point out spelling errors. Nice.

 

I guess we know where you stand on being an NPR LIBERAL when you authored todays recent post in the "POLITICS FORUM" entitled "Republicans Under Seige".

[Yeswell]

The CBC is liberal. I listen to NPR when I'm in the States. It's not bad, but it's only liberal by American standards. You forget how rightwing America is.