From wbez chicago, this American Life. You are listening to radio lab. Today in studio 360 i dont know how to explain this, but something happened about 15 years ago. It might have had to do with hiphop, wordy and performance oriented. Or maybe npr grew to a size that it became sort of part of everybodys i do not know. But i know what we feel, that more and more people were sort of married to it. At different points in their day, in the backseat of the car with their parents, and then they graduated and found things. Here is the weird part. In 1971, a group of people got together and said, lets make serious newsmaking radio. Walter cronkite and dan rather were kings on television. The New York Times had the pentagon papers. If you wanted to be a serious reporter, you would do that stuff. Casey kasem was radio. Linda and ira go, lets be like the New York Times. It was stupid and crazy. Now, you look at people, like linda wertheimer. People in television had a thing. They had a swagger.
May be in pr just grew to a size, i dont know precisely what happened. But i know what you can feel. More and more people were married to it. Just different points in their day, in the back seat of their car with their parents and graduated from other things that they found. Here is the weird part. In 1971 or two, lets make serious newsmaking radio. That is the time Walter Cronkite and dan rather, the new york papersad the pentagon and woodward and bernstein were with the washington post. If you wanted to be a serious reporter, you would do that stuff. Casey kasem the countdown to music, and when Linda Wertheimer and these people walked up, i know, lets be like the new york times. You are stupid and silly and crazy. Now, you look at people, like Linda Wertheimer. People in television had a thing. They had a swagger. You could feel it. The radio people are sort of mousy and quiet and selfeffacing. Now, you walk down to npr no. These are people. It happened, i think, for a combination of
That is part of their selfdefinition, it now feels in the culture, generally, i think like this is the big leagues because what used to be the big in audience terms at an radio and everybody in itnrco sometimes they succeedntrcor sometimes they fail, but theyco are all trying to make stuffnino that they think is great and they think their audience will think is great without any other imperatives getting in the way. A lot of listeners to the American Life have told me like, theres a wave of shows that when they heard them for the first time they didnt realize radio could do the things that we do. You know, like, im told often like, by people the first time they heard this American Life, like, they didnt think a radio story could be good, could have characters and emotion and you stick around because you want to find out you get caught up in it you know that you would get caught up in it because you wanted to know what was going to happen and could deliver all the feelings that drama do
That is part of their selfdefinition, it now feels in the culture, generally, i think like this is the big leagues because what used to be the big in audience terms at an radio and everybody in itnrco sometimes they succeedntrcor sometimes they fail, but theyco are all trying to make stuffnino that they think is great and they think their audience will think is great without any other imperatives getting in the way. A lot of listeners to the American Life have told me like, theres a wave of shows that when they heard them for the first time they didnt realize radio could do the things that we do. You know, like, im told often like, by people the first time they heard this American Life, like, they didnt think a radio story could be good, could have characters and emotion and you stick around because you want to find out you get caught up in it you know that you would get caught up in it because you wanted to know what was going to happen and could deliver all the feelings that drama do
Selfdefinition, it now feels in the culture, generally, i think like this is the big leagues because what used to be the big in audience terms at an radio and everybody in itnrco sometimes they succeedntrcor sometimes they fail, but theyco are all trying to make stuffnino that they think is great and they think their audience will think is great without any other imperatives getting in the way. A lot of listeners to the American Life have told me like, theres a wave of shows that when they heard them for the first time they didnt realize radio could do the things that we do. You know, like, im told often like, by people the first time they heard this American Life, like, they didnt think a radio story could be good, could have characters and emotion and you stick around because you want to find out you get caught up in it you know that you would get caught up in it because you wanted to know what was going to happen and could deliver all the feelings that drama does and be funny and em