History Creator / NPR

NPR's style has been famously described by [[WebAnimation/HomestarRunner Strong Bad]] as "smooth and smarmy". It sharply contrasts with the frantic style of commercial all-news stations (traffic every ten minutes!) and [[LargeHamRadio the loudmouths]] of commercial talk radio. The distinctive style of public radio personalities has become known as [[https://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/25/fashion/npr-voice-has-taken-over-the-airwaves.html "NPR voice"]]. Politically, NPR has a reputation for a liberal bend, but that analysis is disputed. Indeed, NPR has been criticized from the left for representing elite viewpoints, alleged conservative framing of issues, relying on conservative think tanks for guests, deference to the national security establishment, alleged pro-Israel and pro-Iraq War coverage, and corporate underwriting.[[note]]The critics often refer to NPR as '''N'''ice '''P'''olite '''R'''epublicans[[/note]] Its most popular programs are the daily morning and evening news shows, ''Morning Edition'' and ''All Things Considered''; many stations fill the intervening time with other news and talk programs of local or regional interest, though some air music. Late nights either universally consist of either a music format or the Creator/{{TheBBC}}'s World Service.

NPR's style has been famously described by [[WebAnimation/HomestarRunner Strong Bad]] as "smooth and smarmy". It sharply contrasts with the frantic style of commercial all-news stations (traffic every ten minutes!) and [[LargeHamRadio the loudmouths]] of commercial talk radio. The distinctive style of public radio personalities has become known as [[https://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/25/fashion/npr-voice-has-taken-over-the-airwaves.html "NPR voice"]]. Politically, NPR has a reputation for a liberal bend, but that analysis is disputed. Indeed, NPR has been criticized from the left for representing elite viewpoints, alleged conservative framing of issues, relying on conservative think tanks for guests, deference to the national security establishment, alleged pro-Israel and pro-Iraq War coverage, and corporate underwriting.[[note]]The critics often refer to NPR as '''N'''ice '''P'''olite '''R'''epublicans[[/note]] Its most popular programs are the daily morning and evening news shows, ''Morning Edition'' and ''All Things Considered''; many stations fill the intervening time with other news and talk programs of local or regional interest, though some air music. Late nights either universally consist of either a music format or the Creator/{{BBC}}'s World Service.

* ''Radio/WaitWaitDontTellMe'' -- The rare American PanelGame, based loosely on the British ''News Quiz'' and hosted by Peter Sagal. Aside from the regular rotating panelists, the show also includes call-in games and, OnceAnEpisode, "Not My Job," in which a celebrity, politician or other newsmaker calls in to the show and has to answer questions that fall well outside his or her area of expertise. (Think Creator/StephenKing on [[TastesLikeDiabetes cute fluffy things]].) Like ''This American Life'', this comes from WBEZ in Chicago.

Music programming on NPR is typically up to the local stations and their staff. While some do regularly play music or have some kind of music programming, others may not have any music on their airwaves at all. When music does show up, it is typically classical, opera, jazz, folk, indie rock, adult alternative, world music or from artists local to the area. Since the late 1990s, the amount of music programming on NPR affiliate stations has markedly decreased, since such stations discovered that news and talk programming brought in higher ratings and more pledge money than classical or jazz. KCRW's ''Morning Becomes Eclectic'' is considered the premier indie music showcase in UsefulNotes/LosAngeles, while in UsefulNotes/{{Milwaukee}}, that city's WUWM goes mainly with folk and indie rock for their evening schedule. Seattle's KEXP is a rarity among NPR affiliates in that it is primarily known for its music programming, especially regularly scheduled live in-studio performances; in recent years, it has garnered significantly higher ratings than its corporate-owned, commercial competition in the alternative rock format. Indiana University-Bloomington's WFIU is another that focuses on music, primarily classical and jazz. A notable exception was WGVU-AM in Grand Rapids, Michigan, owned by Grand Valley State University, which aired rock, pop and soul oldies from the 1950s, '60s and '70s; it sadly went off the air in January 2022, due to lack of funds. Some markets have two or even three NPR stations, often with one station being primarily news and talk and the other(s) focusing on music; Ann Arbor, Michigan, for example, is served by the University of Michigan's news/talker WUOM (which also enjoys a significant listenership in Detroit, despite some of its schedule being duplicated by Wayne State University's WDET) and Eastern Michigan University's jazz/blues outlet WEMU. In other markets, one primary station may be terrestrial, typically a news and information station, while the others are HD Radio subchnannels or internet streams.

National Public Radio, or NPR, is the main non-commercial radio network in the United States, founded on February 26, 1970, and based in UsefulNotes/WashingtonDC. Technically, NPR only creates some of the programming, and the rest -- such as ''Radio/ThisAmericanLife'' and ''[[Radio/APrairieHomeCompanion Live From Here]]'' -- comes from other organizations like Public Radio International and American Public Media, or is locally produced. Still, most people just call it all NPR regardless since, regardless of the distributor, many of these shows appear often on the same public radio stations due to stations being affiliates of multiple distributors.

National Public Radio, or NPR, is the main non-commercial radio network in the United States, based in UsefulNotes/WashingtonDC. Technically, NPR only creates some of the programming, and the rest -- such as ''Radio/ThisAmericanLife'' and ''[[Radio/APrairieHomeCompanion Live From Here]]'' -- comes from other organizations like Public Radio International and American Public Media, or is locally produced. Still, most people just call it all NPR regardless since, regardless of the distributor, many of these shows appear often on the same public radio stations due to stations being affiliates of multiple distributors.

Music programming on NPR is typically up to the local stations and their staff. While some do regularly play music or have some kind of music programming, others may not have any music on their airwaves at all. When music does show up, it is typically classical, opera, jazz, folk, indie rock, adult alternative, world music or from artists local to the area. Since the late 1990s, the amount of music programming on NPR affiliate stations has markedly decreased, since such stations discovered that news and talk programming brought in higher ratings and more pledge money than classical or jazz. KCRW's ''Morning Becomes Eclectic'' is considered the premier indie music showcase in UsefulNotes/LosAngeles, while in UsefulNotes/{{Milwaukee}}, that city's WUWM goes mainly with folk and indie rock for their evening schedule. Seattle's KEXP is a rarity among NPR affiliates in that it is primarily known for its music programming, especially regularly scheduled live in-studio performances; in recent years, it has garnered significantly higher ratings than its corporate-owned, commercial competition in the alternative rock format. Indiana University-Bloomington's WFIU is another that focuses on music, primarily classical and jazz. A notable exception was WGVU-AM in Grand Rapids, Michigan, owned by Grand Valley State University, which aired rock, pop and soul oldies from the 1950s, '60s and '70s; it sadly went off the air in January 2022, due to lack of funds. Some markets have two or even three NPR stations, often with one station being primarily news and talk and the other(s) focusing on music; Ann Arbor, Michigan, for example, is served by the University of Michigan's news/talker WUOM (which also enjoys a significant listenership in Detroit, despite some of its schedule being duplicated by Wayne State University's WDET) and Eastern Michigan University's jazz/blues outlet WEMU. In other markets, one primary station may be terrestrial, typically a news and information station, while the others are HD radio subchnannels or internet streams.

Music programming on NPR is typically up to the local stations and their staff. While some do regularly play music or have some kind of music programming, others may not have any music on their airwaves at all. When music does show up, it is typically classical, opera, jazz, folk, indie rock, adult alternative, world music or from artists local to the area. Since the late 1990s, the amount of music programming on NPR affiliate stations has markedly decreased, since such stations discovered that news and talk programming brought in higher ratings and more pledge money than classical or jazz. KCRW's ''Morning Becomes Eclectic'' is considered the premier indie music showcase in UsefulNotes/LosAngeles, while in UsefulNotes/{{Milwaukee}}, that city's WUWM goes mainly with folk and indie rock for their evening schedule. Seattle's KEXP is a rarity among NPR affiliates in that it is primarily known for its music programming, especially regularly scheduled live in-studio performances; in recent years, it has garnered significantly higher ratings than its corporate-owned, commercial competition in the alternative rock format. Indiana University-Bloomington's WFIU is another that focuses on music, primarily classical and jazz. A notable exception was WGVU-AM in Grand Rapids, Michigan, owned by Grand Valley State University, which aired rock, pop and soul oldies from the 1950s, '60s and '70s; it sadly went off the air in January 2022, due to lack of funds. Some markets have two or even three NPR stations, often with one station being primarily news and talk and the other(s) focusing on music; Ann Arbor, Michigan, for example, is served by the University of Michigan's news/talker WUOM (which also enjoys a significant listenership in Detroit, despite some of its schedule being duplicated by Wayne State University's WDET) and Eastern Michigan University's jazz/blues outlet WEMU. In other markets, one station may be terrestrial while the others are HD radio subchnannels or internet streams.

Music programming on NPR is typically up to the local stations and their staff. While some do regularly play music or have some kind of music programming, others may not have any music on their airwaves at all. When music does show up, it is typically classical, opera, jazz, folk, indie rock, adult alternative, world music or from artists local to the area. Since the late 1990s, the amount of music programming on NPR affiliate stations has markedly decreased, since such stations discovered that news and talk programming brought in higher ratings and more pledge money than classical or jazz. KCRW's ''Morning Becomes Eclectic'' is considered the premier indie music showcase in UsefulNotes/LosAngeles, while in UsefulNotes/{{Milwaukee}}, that city's WUWM goes mainly with folk and indie rock for their evening schedule. Seattle's KEXP is a rarity among NPR affiliates in that it is primarily known for its music programming, especially regularly scheduled live in-studio performances; in recent years, it has garnered significantly higher ratings than its corporate-owned, commercial competition in the alternative rock format. Indiana University-Bloomington's WFIU is another that focuses on music, primarily classical and jazz. A notable exception was WGVU-AM in Grand Rapids, Michigan, owned by Grand Valley State University, which aired rock, pop and soul oldies from the 1950s, '60s and '70s; it sadly went off the air in January 2022, due to lack of funds. Some markets have two or even three NPR stations, often with one station being primarily news and talk and the other(s) focusing on music; Ann Arbor, Michigan, for example, is served by the University of Michigan's news/talker WUOM (which also enjoys a significant listenership in Detroit, despite some of its schedule being duplicated by Wayne State University's WDET) and Eastern Michigan University's jazz/blues outlet WEMU.

Music programming on NPR is typically up to the local stations and their staff. While some do regularly play music or have some kind of music programming, others may not have any music on their airwaves at all. When music does show up, it is typically classical, opera, jazz, folk, indie rock, adult alternative, world music or from artists local to the area. KCRW's ''Morning Becomes Eclectic'' is considered the premier indie music showcase in UsefulNotes/LosAngeles, while in UsefulNotes/{{Milwaukee}}, that city's WUWM goes mainly with folk and indie rock for their evening schedule. Seattle's KEXP is a rarity among NPR affiliates in that it is primarily known for its music programming, especially regularly scheduled live in-studio performances; in recent years, it has garnered significantly higher ratings than its corporate-owned, commercial competition in the alternative rock format. Indiana University-Bloomington's WFIU is another that focuses on music, primarily classical and jazz. A notable exception was WGVU-AM in Grand Rapids, Michigan, owned by Grand Valley State University, which aired rock, pop and soul oldies from the 1950s, '60s and '70s; it sadly went off the air in January 2022, due to lack of funds. Some markets have two or even three NPR stations, with varying amounts of programming duplication outside ''Morning Edition'' and ''All Things Considered''; for example, Grand Rapids has three, with the University of Michigan's WVGR and Grand Valley's WGVU-FM airing much of the same programming but WBLV/WBLU (owned by the Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp) being primarily classical and jazz.

Music programming on NPR is typically up to the local stations and their staff. While some do regularly play music or have some kind of music programming, others may not have any music on their airwaves at all. When music does show up, it is typically classical, opera, jazz, folk, indie rock, adult alternative, world music or from artists local to the area. KCRW's ''Morning Becomes Eclectic'' is considered the premier indie music showcase in UsefulNotes/LosAngeles, while in UsefulNotes/{{Milwaukee}}, that city's WUWM goes mainly with folk and indie rock for their evening schedule. Seattle's KEXP is a rarity among NPR affiliates in that it is primarily known for its music programming, especially regularly scheduled live in-studio performances. Indiana University-Bloomington's WFIU is another that focuses on music, primarily classical and jazz. A notable exception was WGVU-AM in Grand Rapids, Michigan, owned by Grand Valley State University, which aired rock, pop and soul oldies from the 1950s, '60s and '70s; it sadly went off the air in January 2022, due to lack of funds. Some markets have more than one NPR member station, often with one of them programming news and talk and the other focusing on music; an example is Ann Arbor, Michigan, with the University of Michigan's WUOM being the news/talk station and Eastern Michigan University's WEMU being a primarily jazz outlet.

Most NPR stations are found between 87.9 and 91.9 FM on American radio dials in what is known as the "educational band" or "left of the dial" for people who still use radios with analog tuners. Combine that with NPR's aforementioned reputation (along with that of CollegeRadio and community radio, found in the same educational band) as a bastion of liberalism in radio, and a common stereotype is that "left of the dial" also means "left of center" (although many Christian radio stations, decidedly ''not'' liberal in programming philosophy, also occupy that portion of the FM dial). Hence, the joke in ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIV'' about that game's NPR parody PLR being "left of the dial... all the way to the left." Some NPR stations are found on frequencies outside of that range,[[note]]For example, WVGR, Michigan Radio's West Michigan affiliate (it's officially called their Grand Rapids affiliate but it's also the primary NPR broadcaster for other parts of the western region of Michigan's lower peninsula, south to around Battle Creek and Kalamazoo, also north to around Newaygo), broadcasts at 104.1 FM, while WNYC's AM station broadcasts at 93.9 FM.[[/note]] either because the college signed it on the air before the education band was set aside by the FCC, a commercial FM owner decided to donate their station to an educational organization or the public radio network had purchased a repeater station further up the band from another radio company [[note]]an example would be Rhode Island Public Radio, located at 88.7 FM, with a clearer, stronger repeater located all the way up at 102.7 FM.[[/note]]. Some stations are also on AM, though this is rare due to sound quality concerns and a higher cost of operation for an AM signal, and mainly limited to heritage stations which have been on AM for years, such as New York's WNYC (which has both AM and FM signals), WKAR in East Lansing, Michigan (also has an FM station) WILL in Urbana, Illinois (also), and WHA in Madison, Wisconsin, which is one of the oldest radio stations in the world. Some of these AM stations simulcast their programming on FM translators; WKAR, for example, is a daytime-only AM station, but its FM translator, which can broadcast 24 hours, allows its programming to be heard around the clock.

Most NPR stations are found between 87.9 and 91.9 FM on American radio dials in what is known as the "educational band" or "left of the dial" for people who still use radios with analog tuners. Combine that with NPR's aforementioned reputation (along with that of CollegeRadio and community radio, found in the same educational band) as a bastion of liberalism in radio, and a common stereotype is that "left of the dial" also means "left of center". Hence, the joke in ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIV'' about that game's NPR parody PLR being "left of the dial... all the way to the left." Some NPR stations are found on frequencies outside of that range,[[note]]For example, WVGR, Michigan Radio's West Michigan affiliate (it's officially called their Grand Rapids affiliate but it's also the primary NPR broadcaster for other parts of the western region of Michigan's lower peninsula, south to around Battle Creek and Kalamazoo, also north to around Newaygo), broadcasts at 104.1 FM, while WNYC's AM station broadcasts at 93.9 FM.[[/note]] either because the college signed it on the air before the education band was set aside by the FCC, a commercial FM owner decided to donate their station to an educational organization or the public radio network had purchased a repeater station further up the band from another radio company [[note]]an example would be Rhode Island Public Radio, located at 88.7 FM, with a clearer, stronger repeater located all the way up at 102.7 FM.[[/note]]. Some stations are also on AM, though this is rare due to sound quality concerns and a higher cost of operation for an AM signal, and mainly limited to heritage stations which have been on AM for years, such as New York's WNYC (which has both AM and FM signals), WKAR in East Lansing, Michigan (also has an FM station) WILL in Urbana, Illinois (also), and WHA in Madison, Wisconsin, which is one of the oldest radio stations in the world. Some of these AM stations simulcast their programming on FM translators; WKAR, for example, is a daytime-only AM station, but its FM translator, which can broadcast 24 hours, allows its programming to be heard around the clock.

Music programming on NPR is typically up to the local stations and their staff. While some do regularly play music or have some kind of music programming, others may not have any music on their airwaves at all. When music does show up, it is typically classical, opera, jazz, folk, indie rock, adult alternative, world music or from artists local to the area. KCRW's ''Morning Becomes Eclectic'' is considered the premier indie music showcase in UsefulNotes/LosAngeles, while in UsefulNotes/{{Milwaukee}}, that city's WUWM goes mainly with folk and indie rock for their evening schedule. Seattle's KEXP is a rarity among NPR affiliates in that it is primarily known for its music programming, especially regularly scheduled live in-studio performances. Indiana University-Bloomington's WFIU is another that focuses on music, primarily classical and jazz.

Most NPR stations are found between 87.9 and 91.9 FM on American radio dials in what is known as the "educational band" or "left of the dial" for people who still use radios with analog tuners. Combine that with NPR's aforementioned reputation (along with that of CollegeRadio and community radio, found in the same educational band) as a bastion of liberalism in radio, and a common stereotype is that "left of the dial" also means "left of center". Hence, the joke in ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIV'' about that game's NPR parody PLR being "left of the dial... all the way to the left." Some NPR stations are found on frequencies outside of that range,[[note]]For example, WVGR, Michigan Radio's West Michigan affiliate (it's officially called their Grand Rapids affiliate but it's also the primary NPR broadcaster for other parts of the western region of Michigan's lower peninsula, south to around Battle Creek and Kalamazoo, also north to around Newaygo), broadcasts at 104.1 FM, while WNYC's AM station broadcasts at 93.9 FM.[[/note]] either because the college signed it on the air before the education band was set aside by the FCC, a commercial FM owner decided to donate their station to an educational organization or the public radio network had purchased a repeater station further up the band from another radio company [[note]]an example would be Rhode Island Public Radio, located at 88.7 FM, with a clearer, stronger repeater located all the way up at 102.7 FM.[[/note]]. Some stations are also on AM, though this is rare due to sound quality concerns and a higher cost of operation for an AM signal, and mainly limited to heritage stations which have been on AM for years, such as New York's WNYC (which has both AM and FM signals), WILL in Urbana, Illinois (also), and WHA in Madison, Wisconsin, which is one of the oldest radio stations in the world.

* ''All Things Considered'' -- Arguably the signature program and began on May 3, 1971, about a month after NPR itself went on the air. Often provides a more in-depth analysis of stories presented in ''Morning Edition''. This 2.5-hour news-discussion program is well known for closing with a segment devoted to arts and culture, often featuring foreign and independent artists.

* ''On Point'' -- Another WBUR creation, originally as special coverage of the September 11, 2001 attacks, this is a two-hour show with interviews and discussion of current events and entertainment/cultural items, with call-in/email discussion from listeners. It was hosted by Tom Ashbrook until [[https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2018/02/14/tom-ashbrook-on-point-wbur unpleasant allegations against him]] led to his dismissal and Meghna Chakrabarti and David Folkenflik took over.

* ''Radio/SaysYou'', a quiz show created and hosted by Richard Sher until [[AuthorExistenceFailure his death]] in 2015. From WGBH in Boston, it's more "intellectual" than ''Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me'' or ''Ask Me Another'', but that doesn't stop the puns from flying fast.

* ''World Cafe'' -- Like ''Morning Becomes Eclectic'', this is one of the few all-music shows to be syndicated nationwide by NPR. The program originates from WXPN (which, while technically a member of NPR, doesn't carry any of its news programs in favor of a all-eclectic music format). It mostly skews toward performances and interviews by popular indie rock bands, but just as often has live performances by various world musicians.

NPR isn't directly affiliated with Creator/{{PBS}}, but both are partly funded by the quasi-governmental Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and make up the remainder of funds by selling end-of-show sponsor tags, offering merchandise, and annoying their audiences with pledge drives every few months. Also, many NPR stations are co-owned with local PBS stations, and can have the same callsigns. Indeed, the bottom of PBS' [[https://www.pbs.org/ official website]] lists NPR as "our partners in broadcasting."

NPR's style has been famously described by [[WebAnimation/HomestarRunner Strong Bad]] as "smooth and smarmy". It sharply contrasts with the frantic style of commercial all-news stations (traffic every ten minutes!) and [[LargeHamRadio the loudmouths]] of commercial talk radio. The distinctive style of public radio personalities has become known as [[https://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/25/fashion/npr-voice-has-taken-over-the-airwaves.html "NPR voice"]]. Politically, NPR has a reputation for a liberal bend, but that analysis is disputed. Indeed, NPR has been criticized from the left for representing elite viewpoints, alleged conservative framing of issues, relying on conservative think tanks for guests, deference to the national security establishment, alleged pro-Israel and pro-Iraq War coverage, and corporate underwriting. Its most popular programs are the daily morning and evening news shows, ''Morning Edition'' and ''All Things Considered''; many stations fill the intervening time with other news and talk programs of local or regional interest, though some air music. Late nights either universally consist of either a music format or the Creator/{{BBC}}'s World Service.

* ''[[Radio/APrairieHomeCompanion Live From Here]]'' -- Originally known as ''A Prairie Home Companion'', Garrison Keillor's AffectionateParody of old-time RadioDrama and {{Variety Show}}s (he cited the GrandOleOpry as a direct inspiration), produced by Minnesota Public Radio/American Public Media. Featured musical performances, private eye spoof ''Guy Noir'', plugs for fake sponsors, and Keillor's monologues about his fictitious hometown of Lake Wobegon, Minnesota. Based in [[UsefulNotes/TwinCities St. Paul, Minnesota]], they also did a few road shows a year. [[Film/APrairieHomeCompanion A film adaptation]] was released in 2006; it was Creator/RobertAltman's final film before his death. Hosted in a more musical-focused format by [[Music/NickelCreek Chris Thile]] since Keillor's retirement in 2016, and retitled ''Live From Here'' in November 2017 after Keillor was fired by MPR after sexual misconduct allegations.

NPR's style has been famously described by [[WebAnimation/HomestarRunner Strong Bad]] as "smooth and smarmy". It sharply contrasts with the frantic style of commercial all-news stations (traffic every ten minutes!) and [[LargeHamRadio the loudmouths]] of commercial talk radio. The distinctive style of public radio personalities has become known as [[https://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/25/fashion/npr-voice-has-taken-over-the-airwaves.html "NPR voice"]]. Politically, NPR has a reputation for a liberal bend, but that analysis is disputed. Indeed, NPR has been criticized from the left for representing elite viewpoints, relying on conservative think tanks for guests, deference to the national security establishment, alleged pro-Israel and pro-Iraq War coverage, and corporate underwriting. Its most popular programs are the daily morning and evening news shows, ''Morning Edition'' and ''All Things Considered''; many stations fill the intervening time with other news and talk programs of local or regional interest, though some air music. Late nights either universally consist of either a music format or the Creator/{{BBC}}'s World Service.

Music programming on NPR is typically up to the local stations and their staff. While some do regularly play music or have some kind of music programming, others may not have any music on their airwaves at all. When music does show up, it is typically classical, opera, jazz, folk, indie rock, adult alternative, world music or from artists local to the area. KCRW's ''Morning Becomes Eclectic'' is considered the premier indie music showcase in UsefulNotes/LosAngeles, while in UsefulNotes/{{Milwaukee}}, that city's WUWM goes mainly with folk and indie rock for their evening schedule. Seattle's KEXP is a rarity among NPR affiliates in that it is primarily known for its music programming, especially regularly scheduled live in-studio performances.

Music programming on NPR is typically up to the local stations and their staff. While some do regularly play music or have some kind of music programming, others may not have any music on their airwaves at all. When music does show up, it is typically classical, opera, jazz, folk, indie rock, adult alternative, world music or from artists local to the area. KCRW's ''Weekend Becomes Eclectic'' is considered the premier indie music showcase in UsefulNotes/LosAngeles, while in UsefulNotes/{{Milwaukee}}, that city's WUWM goes mainly with folk and indie rock for their evening schedule. Seattle's KEXP is a rarity among NPR affiliates in that it is primarily known for its music programming, especially regularly scheduled live in-studio performances.

NPR's style has been famously described by [[WebAnimation/HomestarRunner Strong Bad]] as "smooth and smarmy". It sharply contrasts with the frantic style of commercial all-news stations (traffic every ten minutes!) and [[LargeHamRadio the loudmouths]] of commercial talk radio. The distinctive style of public radio personalities has become known as [[https://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/25/fashion/npr-voice-has-taken-over-the-airwaves.html "NPR voice"]]. Politically, NPR has a reputation for a liberal bend, but that analysis is disputed. Indeed, NPR has been criticized from the left for representing elite viewpoints, relying on conservative think tanks for guests, alleged pro-Israel and pro-Iraq War coverage, and corporate underwriting. Its most popular programs are the daily morning and evening news shows, ''Morning Edition'' and ''All Things Considered''; many stations fill the intervening time with other news and talk programs of local or regional interest, though some air music. Late nights either universally consist of either a music format or the Creator/{{BBC}}'s World Service.

NPR's style has been famously described by [[WebAnimation/HomestarRunner Strong Bad]] as "smooth and smarmy". It sharply contrasts with the frantic style of commercial all-news stations (traffic every ten minutes!) and [[LargeHamRadio the loudmouths]] of commercial talk radio. The distinctive style of public radio personalities has become known as [[https://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/25/fashion/npr-voice-has-taken-over-the-airwaves.html "NPR voice"]]. Politically, NPR has a reputation for a liberal bend, but that analysis is disputed. Indeed, NPR has been criticized from the left for representing elite viewpoints, relying on conservative think tanks for guests,
alleged pro-Israel and pro-Iraq War coverage, and corporate underwriting. Its most popular programs are the daily morning and evening news shows, ''Morning Edition'' and ''All Things Considered''; many stations fill the intervening time with other news and talk programs of local or regional interest, though some air music. Late nights either universally consist of either a music format or the Creator/{{BBC}}'s World Service.

** ''q'', a music and culture show featuring interviews and live performances hosted by Canadian rapper Shad.

NPR's style has been famously described by [[WebAnimation/HomestarRunner Strong Bad]] as "smooth and smarmy". It sharply contrasts with the frantic style of commercial all-news stations (traffic every ten minutes!) and [[LargeHamRadio the loudmouths]] of commercial talk radio. The distinctive style of public radio personalities has become known as [[https://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/25/fashion/npr-voice-has-taken-over-the-airwaves.html "NPR voice"]]. Politically, NPR has a reputation for a liberal bend, but that analysis is disputed. Indeed, NPR has been accused from the left of representing elite viewpoints, relying on conservative think tanks for guests,

NPR's style has been famously described by [[WebAnimation/HomestarRunner Strong Bad]] as "smooth and smarmy". It sharply contrasts with the frantic style of commercial all-news stations (traffic every ten minutes!) and [[LargeHamRadio the loudmouths]] of commercial talk radio. The distinctive style of public radio personalities has become known as [[https://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/25/fashion/npr-voice-has-taken-over-the-airwaves.html "NPR voice"]]. Politically, NPR has a reputation for a liberal bend, but that analysis is disputed. Indeed, NPR has been accused from the left of representing elite viewpoints, relying on conservative think tanks for guests, as well as alleged pro-Israel and pro-Iraq War coverage. Its most popular programs are the daily morning and evening news shows, ''Morning Edition'' and ''All Things Considered''; many stations fill the intervening time with other news and talk programs of local or regional interest, though some air music. Late nights either universally consist of either a music format or the Creator/{{BBC}}'s World Service.

** ''Charlie Gillett's World of Music'', hosted by legendary DJ and music historian Charlie Gillett, who was famous for popularizing the "world music" genre. Ended after Gillett died in 2010.

Music programming on NPR is typically up to the local stations and their staff. While some do regularly play music or have some kind of music programming, others may not have any music on their airwaves at all. When music does show up, it is typically in classical, opera, jazz, folk, indie rock, adult alternative, world music or from artists local to the area. KCRW's ''Weekend Becomes Eclectic'' is considered the premier indie music showcase in UsefulNotes/LosAngeles, while in UsefulNotes/{{Milwaukee}}, that city's WUWM goes mainly with folk and indie rock for their evening schedule. Seattle's KEXP is a rarity among NPR affiliates in that it is primarily known for its music programming, especially regularly scheduled live in-studio performances.

Music programming on NPR is typically up to the local stations and their staff. Some play music and have music programming, while others mostly stick to news and talk. When music does show up, it is typically in classical, opera, jazz, folk, indie rock, adult alternative, world music or from artists local to the area. KCRW's ''Weekend Becomes Eclectic'' is considered the premier indie music showcase in UsefulNotes/LosAngeles, while in UsefulNotes/{{Milwaukee}}, that city's WUWM goes mainly with folk and indie rock for their evening schedule. Seattle's KEXP is a rarity among NPR affiliates in that it is primarily known for its music programming, especially regularly scheduled live in-studio performances.