The website for people in public media is
which includes "The Pub", a radio program/podcast about all kinds of radio program and techy topics.
One edition of The Pub had an extremely interesting discussion of "why NPR sounds so good," all about the microphones and mic techniques used by NPR.
Public radio sounds so good because they have money. Lots and lots of money. Even if they'll never admit it. We have a local public station (Not an NPR station). They are a 100,000 watt FM just like the commercial station I work for. Neat thing -- they have to make their financial report public each year. Most regular people don't know that, and most of the stations work pretty hard at hiding it.
Interesting that they receive funding from three sources: Membership, sales of "underwriting" (which is basically commercials with VERY FEW differences than those run on commercial stations) and TAX DOLLARS! Turns out, at the few stations I've looked it up for, that it works to about 1/3 from each source give or take a few percent. Imagine, I'm forced by law to pay taxes, a portion of which is used to fund direct competition to the businesses I work for! What a concept! How well would it be recived if tax dollars were used to operate a resturant or a car dealership? Now, I know the idea is they're presenting entertainment or information that's not "available" through normal outlets. So, why isn't there a government funded Toyota dealership in my town? We have Ford, GM and Chrysler, but NO other makes. It's just not fair. Public Dealerships should be installed funded 1/3 by tax dollars, so the local guys are funding competition against themselves, and giving the locals a chance to buy, say, a Subaru. Interesting concept, eh? And is it just me or do Subaru's come from the dealer with NPR stickers on them?
In addition "public radio" is chock full of volunteers. The local station boasts a volunteer crew of over 100 people! God, we're running two stations with about 12 people that we have to PAY, but they get a hundred volunteers! AND they have paid staff too! It's quite the concept.
I've toured public stations with stacks of new state of the art equipment sitting around in boxes waiting for someone to install it. When they need a new transmitter they have a "fund drive" on the air.
Now, I'm sure there are public stations that just squeak by. But by and large they do quite well. Oh, and the paid staff has salaries about double that of the comparable employees at commercial stations in the market.
Not a fan of the business of public radio. Although our local station has some wonderful staff members and great programs including a lot of great locally produced shows. I have no beef with their programming, at least locally. But the financial aspect is a bit of a smokescreen.
Tim in Bovey
When I lived in Lansing I remember WKAR, which could be picked up all the way past Toledo, OH quite clearly might I add. It went further than all the commercial Lansing stations did and in Lansing you only got Toledo, OH stations during a temperature inversion and that was even on a Car Radio imagine that.
Not sure if it's on tonight's Blare OnAir Show (9 PM CDT KDX) or last week, but I did a little rant about "NPR" which I call "Radio for the gentry" with androgynous announcers that pass for men and women all in one, you can't tell for sure.
On my show I said that if I had a National network for regular people I'd call it NRR, National Riff Raff Radio, and audition my announcers from sports bars. I'd want men who talked like out-of-work lumberjacks and women who sounded like life-long biker-chicks, sort of like Hillary Clinton.
Hey now that would sound really good on Radio. Gotta have a little guts on air lol.