Npr: The Trials And Triumphs Of National Public Radio
by Michael McCauley /
2005 / English / PDF
3.9 MB Download
The people who shaped America's public broadcasting system
thought it should be "a civilized voice in a civilized community"
-- a clear alternative to commercial broadcasting. This book
tells the story of how NPR has tried to embody this idea. Michael
P. McCauley describes NPR's evolution from virtual obscurity in
the early 1970s, when it was riddled with difficulties --
political battles, unseasoned leadership, funding problems -- to
a first-rate broadcast organization.
The people who shaped America's public broadcasting system
thought it should be "a civilized voice in a civilized community"
-- a clear alternative to commercial broadcasting. This book
tells the story of how NPR has tried to embody this idea. Michael
P. McCauley describes NPR's evolution from virtual obscurity in
the early 1970s, when it was riddled with difficulties --
political battles, unseasoned leadership, funding problems -- to
a first-rate broadcast organization.
The book draws on a wealth of primary evidence, including
fifty-seven interviews with people who have been central to the
NPR story, and it places the network within the historical
context of the wider U.S. radio industry. Since the late 1970s,
NPR has worked hard to understand the characteristics of its
audience. Because of this, its content is now targeted toward its
most loyal listeners -- highly educated baby-boomers, for the
most part -- who help support their local stations through
pledges and fund drives.
The book draws on a wealth of primary evidence, including
fifty-seven interviews with people who have been central to the
NPR story, and it places the network within the historical
context of the wider U.S. radio industry. Since the late 1970s,
NPR has worked hard to understand the characteristics of its
audience. Because of this, its content is now targeted toward its
most loyal listeners -- highly educated baby-boomers, for the
most part -- who help support their local stations through
pledges and fund drives.