Flutterby™! : NPR and the local affiliates do not have a common interest

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NPR and the local affiliates do not have a common interest

2011-03-09 18:17:54.868252+00 by Dan Lyke 5 comments

Scott Rosenberg: Sting culture and NPR’s capitulation to falsehood asks why the press is still reporting on James O'Keefe (and why we keep eating it up), but also points to Jeff Jarvis: NPR's inevitable conflict, which points out why NPR is becoming toothless:

Bottom line: The stations’ interests and NPR’s interests are no longer aligned. That has been the case for some years. It is the elephant in the studio. Schiller tried hard to find ways to improve the stations’ lot. That’s why she created new content initiatives in their backyards, to have them create more value. But in the end, the stations will fear a stronger NPR.

In a world where we listen to NPR in podcast form, what's the function of the local radio station again?

[ related topics: Invention and Design Sociology Law Mathematics California Culture ]

comments in descending chronological order (reverse):

#Comment Re: made: 2011-03-10 05:21:06.10464+00 by: ebradway

I listen to NPR and BBC regularly when I'm driving. I also tend to just tune my Sansa into the NPR station rather than trying to download the MP3s.

One benefit is that I get news and stories that I wouldn't have self-selected.

#Comment Re: made: 2011-03-10 00:00:27.56112+00 by: Dan Lyke

dexev, point well taken. I have two shows remaining in my podcast feed that are NPR, one is "...and Chicago Public Radio". The other is Planet Money, which goes to Meuon's point about journalism.

But, yeah, for local news I hope affiliates are realizing that the transmitters will soon be a liability and are working to do better. Unfortunately, nobody seems really interested in local news...

#Comment Re: made: 2011-03-09 23:25:22.557432+00 by: meuon

The one "centralized" function I would like to see is more funding of real investigative journalism, and that is not necessarily their focus.

#Comment Re: made: 2011-03-09 21:48:14.360133+00 by: dexev

Dan, I think you're asking the question backwards:

In a world where we listen to [public broadcasting content] in podcast form, what's the function of the centralized bureaucracy of NPR?

#Comment Re: made: 2011-03-09 19:21:09.218207+00 by: meuon

I get it 10-13 minutes a day in the car.. sometimes.