Public Radio:
I remember the first time I heard the news on public radio. I was shocked. I was accustomed to AM news radio stations with their 30 second sound bite news stories. On public radio, the news stories were in-depth and covered many different regions of the world and a diverse set of topics.

These observations were from quite a few years ago. Today, the topics don't seem as diverse or in-depth as they did when I first started listening. It still represents a big improvement over the AM commercial news stations.

Public radio does have a snobbish sound to it. Radio being radio, there are some very interesting voices and behind those voices a set of diverse opinions that are refreshing to hear. However, I can do without the aristocratic snobbish voice of many of the commentators. Unlike Plankton in the Sponge Bob Movie, I did get it when Squidward said in a snobbish, arrogant voice, "I listen to public radio."

My number one pet peeve is their tendency to interview each other about news events. This is obviously a lot easier than going out and interviewing people involved in the story, and I don't mind them sharing their own opinions ("analysis") on the stories of the day. What I do resent is the portrayal of the interview as if it is from someone personally involved in the story.

All in all, public radio is an excellent alternative to commercial AM news stations. They do have their faults, but their in-depth coverage and diverse commentaries make up for their few faults.

Magobrillo