# What's your favorite NPR show? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 18, 2008, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-npr-show/453363 "2008-06-18T17:08:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Savannah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@Savannah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Savannah)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2008, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-npr-show/453363/41 "2008-06-19T01:56:46Z")
I’ve only heard **Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me!** once–I will have to check and see if it’s available on the website. (I haven’t figured out this “podcasting” thing yet.) What I heard, I liked. 1. **Weekend Edition Saturday** (love Bob Simon, love the part with the kids’ books guy). 2. Then I stay tuned for **Car Talk** , though I care not a whit about cars. 3. **All Things Considered** is a staple of my drive home. 4. **Morning Edition? Weekdays**? I try to listen to local CBC in the morning, because it’s, well, local to me, and it’s CBC. But I will switch over to NPR on the drive if I’m not interested in what’s on The Current. I haven’t caught **Weekend Edition Sunday** on the nearest NPR, or maybe I’ve tuned in at the wrong times. Don’t care for Keillor. I’d listen to **Fresh Air** , but I’m already listening to **As It Happens** on CBC. Love me public radio, be it north or south. ---
**Author:** ![freckafree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/freckafree/32/3050_2.png) [@freckafree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freckafree)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2008, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-npr-show/453363/42 "2008-06-19T02:11:45Z")
What y’all have said. We don’t get **Talk of the Nation** , but I download the podcasts of **Science Friday**. I love that show. The one I really like that hasn’t been mentioned so far is\*\* Weekend America \*\*(from American Public Media). On my station, it’s between \*\*Wait, Wait \*\*and **This American Life** , and it’s is the perfect transition. I think it strikes a great balance between really goofy pieces and very touching ones. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2008, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-npr-show/453363/43 "2008-06-19T02:19:55Z")
[QUOTE=Savannah] Love me public radio, be it north or south. [/QUOTE] I thought it was illegal for you guys to listen to USA radio, or is it just satellite television? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2008, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-npr-show/453363/44 "2008-06-19T02:23:38Z")
\*\*\*This American Life \*\*\*…sometimes I plan my Saturday so I’m in front of a radio at noon. _ **Car Talk** _…did you hear the one about two ways to the top of the hill (one steep, one less so), both the same distance? _ **Weekend Edition** _…I love the way it repeats 4 times on Saturday and Sunday mornings on KQED. I can wake up, listen for a while, go back to sleep, wake up again, make coffee, take a shower…and not miss anything! ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2008, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-npr-show/453363/45 "2008-06-19T02:30:16Z")
[QUOTE=blondebear] \*\*\*This American Life \*\*\*…sometimes I plan my Saturday so I’m in front of a radio at noon. [/QUOTE] It’s been said before, and I don’t want to diss any body’s favorite show, but the guy’s voice…it’s like he does the show in his parent’s basement, and his Mother says, “It’s time for dinner. Will your little radio friends be staying?” The haunted house thing I listened to in the car while Mrs. Plant was in some store…a family was seeing and hearing ghosts. It was 1900 and they had unvented gas lighting. A symptom of carbon monoxide poisoning is aural and visual hallucinations. That was cool. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2008, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-npr-show/453363/46 "2008-06-19T02:34:26Z")
> [@](#): > > …it’s like he does the show in his parent’s basement… As young nerds in 7th grade, my friends and I did “radio shows” on a 3 1/4" reel-to-reel tape recorder. I guess that’s one reason I identify with Ira and the TAL gang. ---
**Author:** ![Lisa-go-Blind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Lisa-go-Blind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lisa-go-Blind)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2008, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-npr-show/453363/47 "2008-06-19T02:50:23Z")
I’m an NPR podcast addict. I am subscribed to: -All Songs Considered -Car Talk -Food -In Character -Most Emailed Stories -Movies -Music -On the Media -Playback -Pop Culture -Story of the Day -This American Life But my absolute favorite is _Wait Wait … Don’t Tell Me!_ I love to listen to it while I’m cooking, although I’m sure my roommate wonders why I’m cackling over the saucepan. ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2008, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-npr-show/453363/48 "2008-06-19T03:19:12Z")
Since a couple of people have brought it up, I wanted to point out that the point of my thread was to list your favorite shows that you listen to on an NPR station. So while I appreciate the clarification about some of the shows not being produced by NPR, that shouldn’t keep people from listing them in this thread. ---
**Author:** ![neutron\_star](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2008, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-npr-show/453363/49 "2008-06-19T03:26:47Z")
It’s not getting much love in this thread, but the World Cafe is always a treat. ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2008, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-npr-show/453363/50 "2008-06-19T03:30:49Z")
Doesn’t anyone else get _It’s Only a Game_? I don’t follow, or even play, any sports, and I love that show. ---
**Author:** ![DoctorJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctorj/32/2904_2.png) [@DoctorJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DoctorJ)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2008, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-npr-show/453363/51 "2008-06-19T03:35:55Z")
Every week I download (and religiously listen to): Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me! This American Life Sound Opinions The Splendid Table Car Talk Hard to say which one is my favorite; they’re all great for different reasons. ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2008, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-npr-show/453363/52 "2008-06-19T04:00:34Z")
[QUOTE=Skammer] I would probably like _Wait, wait…_, as I said in another thread, but it’s on when I’m in church. I’ll have to find it online or something. [/QUOTE] If no one has posted it yet: [http://www.npr.org/rss/podcast.php?id=35](http://www.npr.org/rss/podcast.php?id=35) ---
**Author:** ![misshannah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3e96dc/32.png) [@misshannah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/misshannah)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2008, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-npr-show/453363/53 "2008-06-19T04:01:34Z")
I download and listen to: Wait Wait Marketplace On The Media All Songs Considered This American Life The Splendid Table This I Believe Storycorps Studio 360 Non “national”: Radio Lab The Ethicist Sheesh I am a public radio GEEK! ---
**Author:** ![Mycroft\_H](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/898d66/32.png) [@Mycroft\_H](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mycroft_H)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2008, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-npr-show/453363/54 "2008-06-19T04:23:34Z")
[QUOTE=Savannah] I try to listen to local CBC in the morning, because it’s, well, local to me, and it’s CBC. But I will switch over to NPR on the drive if I’m not interested in what’s on The Current. I haven’t caught **Weekend Edition Sunday** on the nearest NPR, or maybe I’ve tuned in at the wrong times. Don’t care for Keillor. I’d listen to **Fresh Air** , but I’m already listening to **As It Happens** on CBC. [/QUOTE] The Current, is that a CBC programme, or is it the station from Minnesota Public Radio? If it is from Minnesota, great! I love the station but I didn’t know that it was broadcast out your way. I also love _As It Happens_. It is broadcast here from 10 - 11 and I listen when I can. **Robot Arm** , thanks. I’ll have to try that. The program sounds well worth the effort. ---
**Author:** ![jellyblue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e480ec/32.png) [@jellyblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jellyblue)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2008, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-npr-show/453363/55 "2008-06-19T07:02:37Z")
1. This American Life 2. Fresh Air 3. Wait Wait 4. Car Talk 5. Day to Day 6. Marketplace I couldn’t tell you one song in the top 100. I just listen to public radio. I am officially old. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Subway\_Prophet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecb155/32.png) [@Subway\_Prophet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Subway_Prophet)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2008, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-npr-show/453363/56 "2008-06-19T15:46:58Z")
Oh, definitely _This American Life_ and the daily news shows. I also dig _Fair Game with Faith Salie_… but her show seems to have lost some of its spark since the beginning of the year. (And is it me, or does she look a lot like Ann Coulter? A face made for radio.) I don’t understand the appeal of _Radio Lab_. They need to cut out 80% of the sound effects and incidental music - it’s like the show is edited by crack-addicted ADHD-afflicted pre-grad media school monkeys who just discovered a mixing board and the “1000 AWESOME SOUNDS” CD in the $1 bin at the corner gas station. And the less I complain about the self-congratulatory nails-on-chalkboard um-um-um-listen-to-me-i-am-more-interesting-than-the-um-um-um-guest quality in Terry Gross’ voice that makes my stomach quiver with anticipation (“I think this show ends soon! I hope this show ends soon!”), the less people will have to put up with me complaining about it. And the more time I’d have in pointing out that she is the queen of the pointless rerun. OTOH, I really like Diane Rehm. Go figure. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2008, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-npr-show/453363/57 "2008-06-19T16:56:44Z")
[QUOTE=Subway Prophet] And the less I complain about the self-congratulatory nails-on-chalkboard um-um-um-listen-to-me-i-am-more-interesting-than-the-um-um-um-guest quality in Terry Gross’ voice [/QUOTE] Wow. I like her. She seems actually interested in her guests, and doesn’t seem to work from a prepared question and answer set. Besides, Bill O’Reilly walked out on her. Such a host must be cool. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2008, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-npr-show/453363/58 "2008-06-19T17:06:56Z")
I love _Wait, Wait…_ Car Talk is great, too, and I don’t even give a shit about cars (the best part is the end when they go through the credits). What’s the name of the show (that comes on here right after _Wait, Wait…_) hosted by the Canadian guy? Damned if I can remember it, but it’s basically him talking to his friends on the phone. They’re completely neurotic, and it’s funny as hell. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2008, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-npr-show/453363/59 "2008-06-19T17:31:33Z")
[QUOTE=carnivorousplant] Wait, Wait and Fresh Air. First, the news. [/QUOTE] For some reason I find the way she says that very sexy. For my choices 1. Wait, wait. We went to see them when they were in Monterey, and it is even funnier live. 2. Marketplace - more consistent, very good opinion pieces, and it is on during my drive home. 3. Fresh Air. When she has someone good on. Though these days Terri is doing a Johnny Carson and hardly ever showing up. But she has interviews with practically everyone. Best interview I ever heard - with Firesign Theatre, who hijacked the show. 4. Car Talk My brother who used to be a mechanic rented some space in their garage a long time ago. Plus, Ray officially graduated a year before me, not that I remember ever seeing him. 5. Prairie Home Companion. My wife also hates, hates, hates the voice of Ira Glass. ---
**Author:** ![Student\_Driver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3da27b/32.png) [@Student\_Driver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Student_Driver)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2008, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-npr-show/453363/60 "2008-06-19T18:02:54Z")
Sticking with the OP’s request for top three: 1. [A Way with Words](http://www.waywordradio.org/about/). Not sure which public-radio distributor handles this one, but it’s on my local NPR station. An hour-long show all about words! Word history, usage, grammar, slang… it’s great fun, and there are often interesting calls about regional usage. 2. Wait, Wait… Don’t Tell Me! Yeah, I’m another fan. 3. BBC World Service Overnight. Almost here by default; since I work third shift, this is what I listen to the most. Honorable mentions to Morning/Weekend Edition, Marketplace (/Money), the Diane Rehm Show, Whad’ya Know. Tell Me More can be good, too, though sometimes I think they focus too narrowly on racial aspects of current news events that have a much broader import. I seem to be an odd one out here for not really caring for Car Talk or A Prairie Home Companion. (Car Talk is just meh, mainly because I find their advice is pretty lame, but APHC is like fingernails on a chalkboard to me. They occasionally have good musical guests, but I HATE the skits and voice actors/actresses.) I also can’t stand Parent’s Journal (which sounds like one of those thinly-disguised “community good” shows that commercial stations receive free of charge from consumer products companies to air at 3 am on Sunday to fulfill FCC obligations) or Speaking of Faith with Krista Tippett (IIRC, a poster here snarked on the show, saying Ms. Tippett never met a faith that she didn’t like). I’ve never really listened to All Things Considered or This American Life-- they seem to be the “prime time” shows for NPR that everyone knows and loves, but my work schedule has kept me from becoming familiar with them. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-npr-show/453363.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-npr-show/453363.md?page=4)