How NPR Changed My Life

I used to watch UNC TV when I was younger because it was one of the only channels we received on our antenna. We didn't have cable back then and if you wanted to watch something even half way interesting, it was public television on the weekends. I used to watch the BBC shows like Dr. Who, Monty Python and Fawlty Towers. I even watched Are You Being Served?, which was a bit over my head but funny nonetheless. They even showed some of the older shows like Alfred Hitchcock Presents and The Twilight Zone. Every time PBS would do a pledge drive I would call them and pledge money on my parents behalf. This really made my parents mad. It really hurt my feelings that they didn't support PBS and without their continued support the programming I was enjoying might not be possible. As I got older, I still watched PBS but for some reason it never occurred to me to check out its radio equivalent, National Public Radio.

I knew about NPR because some of my snottier better-than-you-intellectual-snob type friends would invariably be talking about some interesting news report they had heard on NPR. And when I would say "Huh? I don't listen to that crap!", they would get all indignant and snobbier and ask with thinly veiled incredulous pomposity "You DON'T listen to NPR?!"

Well, no, I didn't for a long time.

I do listen to NPR now though. I'm an uber-NPR fan. Quite rabid about it actually. I have every NPR station in the Eastern part of North Carolina programmed on my radio in my truck. My radio at home is set on one of the NPR stations I can pick up in Greenville. I don't feel like my day is complete if I haven't at least listened to a couple of hours of NPR a day. I know that sounds like a pretty major addiction. I worry about it sometimes too. I mean, really how did it get this bad???

So I started thinking about it. Trying to dive into the wreck, so to speak. I really needed to understand how this whole NPR thing had taken over my life. I think I have finally pinpointed the source of it. One of my friends is married to this guy and he is another NPR junkie. He is so addicted that, at one time, he not only had every radio preset in both their vehicles tuned to NPR but also every preset on their home stereo was as well. He literally listened to the radio non-stop. She almost divorced him over it. It was a huge issue in their marriage because she couldn't watch TV because he would sit in the living room listening to the radio. She finally put her foot down and they compromised (I think he's a closet NPR listener now).

But what does this personal drama of marital strife have to do with my own addiction? She's one of my best friends and what do best friends do? They complain to each other about their crappy relationships with their significant others. Her favorite thing to say about his habit was: "I like some of the programs. Car Talk is hilarious and informative. But every-freaking-minute of every-freaking-day is just a little ridiculous!!!" Naturally, I was right beside her and felt her indignation and anger over this whole issue. And so, like a teenager being asked to try drugs for the first time, I thought: "What's so special about this NPR crap anyway? I'll listen to it and then I'll know why Jon is such a nerd! Ha ha ha..."

Oh, but pride does fall. It was like crack or heroin. I couldn't NOT listen once I started listening. In my own defense, I will admit I have always been a news junkie and a closet-nerd so listening to programs like Morning Edition just seemed natural to me. I spent a large part of my days back then driving and commercial radio left me unfulfilled. No commercial radio programmed as much news as I wanted and none played music I was interested in and, honestly, there's only so many times you can listen to every Indigo Girls CD before it just loses the magic. It wasn't long before Morning Edition gave way to the Diane Rheem Show. Then The State of Things came on. The teasers for Fresh Air were always so interesting! I just couldn't bear the thought of missing the interviews with artsy forward-thinking people who were actually out there changing the world. Marketplace followed Fresh Air and before I knew it a whole day had gone by and I would be sitting in the driveway listening to one last story on the radio before going into the house. (By the way, this is referred to as a "driveway moment" by other NPR addicts.)

The moment that really sealed my fate was when I discovered the evening music program called The Sound. The Sound is on every weeknight from 7 to 12 and the music is not what you hear on commercial radio. The tease for the program promises contemporary folk, americana and roots rock. I wasn't too sure what these genres of music were all about but when I heard them playing an obscure Indigo Girls track, I was hooked permanently. Not only does The Sound play nationally/internationally known artists, they also showcase local musicians who specialize in folk and bluegrass. There's a little band called Someone's Sister I heard for the first time on The Sound and later saw at a street music festival in Washington NC. I also bought their CD. Just so you know, I put my money on the line as well.

I still listen to NPR with regularity and I still think the spoof of it on Saturday Night Live is very funny. I try not to be too pompous like some others who listen, but I do find myself saying "I heard this really cool report on NPR the other day..." One of my very young co-workers says I'm too young to listen to NPR. I almost take offense at that because I like to believe that NPR listeners can be young and hip, although I am neither one of those things. I'm okay when my friend Julia rolls her eyes at my choice of listening. I like NPR. It has changed my life and I'm happy with it. Check it out, you might get hooked.

I still watch PBS too. It's worth a view and your dollars.

www.npr.org

www.publicradioeast.org