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Media Matters
Oct. 28, 2002
Why Listen to Public Radio? That's a Very Good Question
By Jeffrey A. Dvorkin
Ombudsman
National Public Radio
An ombudsman's job was once described as being akin to that of a pathologist's: We see a lot of disease and rarely get to view the healthy organism in its entirety.
Every once in a while, I get one of those letters that cuts through the daily complaints and gripes and goes straight to the heart of the matter.
Erik Beun is a college student with a project. He wrote to ask the essential question.
Sent: Wednesday, October 23, 2002 6:30 PM
To: ombudsman@npr.org
Subject: Question
To Whom It May Concern:
Greetings, I am a Senior at Malone College in Canton Ohio. I have been
given the assignment to give a persuasive speech in my public speaking
course. And I have chosen to give my persuasive speech on "Why Listen to Public Radio?" My question is could you send me any feedback or specific information or reasons why you at National Public Radio would want college students listening to your shows? Thanks for your time.
Cordially,
Erik Beun
From: Jeffrey Dvorkin
Sent: Thursday, October 24, 2002 3:23 PM
To: Erik Beun
Subject: Re: Question
Dear Mr. Beun,
What a good question. Those of us who work in public radio don't often get asked that by listeners. Sometimes we don't even ask it of ourselves. So let me take a whack at it:
First, in my opinion, most public radio provides a certain reflection and appreciation of the community it serves. It does it better in some places than others, depending on the size of the town or city. It can also act as a pretty good mirror for many of the values of that community.
Second, it provides a level of news and information that does not exist in broadcasting anywhere else. A long report on television is under three minutes on the nightly news. NPR reports average around six minutes. It's important that people on the radio are allowed to think and to speak in paragraphs, not just in sound bites.
Third, it also provides cultural experiences and the exchange of ideas -- intellectual and artistic -- which are essential to our civic well being. It's because public radio considers the listeners to be citizens first and listeners second. Commercial broadcasting can do some things quite well, but I think it sees its listeners as consumers first, listeners second and citizens third. In a market economy, I guess that's just the way it is.
Fourth, it should "delight and surprise," as a former boss once told me. That means it needs to have aspects that are different from other media. It should present alternatives in ideas, voices and programs. It should find people who don't usually command the attention of the mass media in this country -- or in others. It should make people occasionally nervous, upset every once in a while, but mostly, public radio should make people think. Most of the time it does. But some long-time listeners worry that in an effort to broaden our popularity, we are becoming more risk averse... in effect, more mainstream.
Finally, radio is able to provide something else that is unique; radio is both an intellectual and an emotional medium. I think it can be deeply intellectual when it decides to be and profoundly emotional as well. That's because radio, unlike print or television, conveys sounds and word pictures that, when combined with the engaged imagination of the listener, is incredibly powerful. A listener can be engaged by the sounds of the street in Islamabad or the bombs in a market in Jerusalem or the pleasures of an outdoor cafe in Rome. Each time, if we get the craft correct, we transport the listener in his or her mind's eye. For a few minutes or more, the listener feels connected to the world in his or her own unique way. That's why people should listen to public radio because it is capable of doing all that.
Regards,
Jeffrey Dvorkin
NPR Ombudsman
I wanted to answer Mr. Beun without sounding like a pledge drive (not that there's anything wrong with that...). Even though there are many serious issues around NPR's news coverage and serious questions about whether public radio's mission is still about serving its listeners, there is much that I find still deeply moving, astonishing and even thrilling about what goes on the radio. Erik Beun gave me a chance to describe what appeals so deeply about public radio. For that I'm grateful to him.
NPR may not get it right every time (that's where the ombudsman comes in) but overall, I believe it's still a remarkable and a relevant service.
Listeners may contact me at 202-513-3246 or at ombudsman@npr.org.
Jeffrey Dvorkin
NPR Ombudsman
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