I finally made the switch...
...from NPR to 94.1 KPFA, an independent radio station here in Berkeley.
I've been an NPR junkie for years. Raised on Karl Cassell. And I don't think I'll swear off entirely.
But over the past few years I was spending more and more time annoyed or frustrated with the coverage I was hearing. Most of the voices I was hearing seemed to be American, white, and male. The business stories seemed to lean towards supporting the companies described...who were also sponsors. There was so little coverage of protests and liberal activities...and never, in my experience, an interview with a true left-winger, like Noam Chomsky or Dolores Huerta. And I'm always wondering what stories are not being told due to Republican pressure or corporate funding...
Even Car Talk, my beloved Car Talk...I'm just tired of hearing them quote tired stereotypes of women.
(BTW, FAIR.org has catalogued these phenomena, and more, in their studies of several center-to-right biases on NPR.)
So I'm taking a break and giving my ears, and my pledge money this year, to KPFA. I can get my center-to-right news from so many places, and I get enough of it, by golly! Let's hear what else is going on!
And if you're interested...KPFA's mission statement.