I can recall, as a kid in the early ’70s, our family being on a car ride and my father scrolling through the radio dial. As that single vertical line navigated through the numbers, intermittent static interrupted an occasional voice or music. He scrolled further to the left-hand side and finally found a clear signal. The voices unraveled a drama in each of our minds as Master Piece Theater on NPR shortened the time and broadened our minds.
As a young adult, I found a companion with NPR again. By that time, digital frequencies eliminated the static, and Garrison Keillor’s Prairie Home Companion would keep me company from time to time on long interstate drives. Again, his mastery of storytelling and the theater of mind always took me to a different place and time.
Garrison Keillor is a true treasure and talent. Voices and stories like his inspired me from a young age to be a voice on the radio. I even disassembled my little transistor radio when I was eight because I was so curious about the technology. Eventually, I would make a living as a voice on the radio.
Unfortunately, NPR’s radicalization and bias have grown rabid over the years. Reporting from NPR hasn’t been objective in decades, and the thought of my car radio going below 92.1 FM sends shivers down my spine. I refuse to use the scan feature because I know it will always stop in the low 90s or upper 80s. NPR has been too far left on the dial for me for far too long.
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