The World, 1-Month Subscription

The news presented during each hour is OK, but it is recorded as one long segment, making it hard (impossible while driving) to skip over unwanted stories. Many of the news items are separated by lengthly musical snippets which provide no value and again are hard to skip. Lastly, the inclusion of the sponsor's commercials are annoying to hear in content that I have paid for. Stick with "All things considered".

This is an excellent program, with varied news stories and features. However, the inability to navigate sections (thereby skipping over stories of less interest) is a serious drawback for me, and I will not renew my subscription.

Excellent news, somewhat more objective than american news channels, but nonetheless freely availlable on the web and not consistently delivered at the same time of day.

If you are tired of hearing the same US political news day in and day out, then this is the news show for you. They cover many interesting topics in more depth than you get on the 15s sound bite news you get on TV. I have to give them credit--they try to be balanced although in unguarded moments their liberal tendencies show through.
The only thing to prepare for is the music theme throughout the program. It is all right between pieces as filler, but the longer segment at the end of every show can grate on ones nerves--no offense to the sea pod rattlers and the aboriginal Didjeridu players. To give the benefit of a doubt to the producers--it must be incredibly difficult to come up with a different music type day after day. My question--Why not skip it once in a while?

I love this program. I find that it has an excellent mix - news, world events, arts - and the daily "geo quiz" has me racking my brains each time. (I get immense satisfaction when I get them right!)

I now find that in conversation I'm able to contribute meaningfully about people, places and events. Prior to this show, I would have been blissfully unaware.

Amazed that people think that it has a political bias! What it does do (and very well) is give you insight into events from a local perspective, rather than from the usual "studio in America" perspective. Perhaps interviews with non-english-speaking people - some of them from different political or religious backgrounds - makes it biased? Not in my book.

I listen to this one while I'm exercising - and now love it so much that I consider that my Audible subscription is for this program, plus a "free" book each month!

Give it a try if you're bored with "world" news that barely ventures off the North American land mass.

This is a great way to start the day. I load my iPod before I retire in the evening so I have an interesting "read" during my morning commute. I enjoy the international perspective, and the "human touch" of a radio broadcast. I alternate between this and the NYT audio digest for my morning news. For presentation quality, I prefer "The World". The immediacy of radio is the big sell. The daily geography quiz is one of my favorite features.

Having come from listening to NPR's All Things Considered, I found the Audible version of The World sorely lacking. While Audible cuts out commercials from All Things Considered, it leaves in all the "brought to you by" sponsor plugs for its version of The World. Plus, I had a problem with the format of the program itself. For example, the BBC news segment usually repeats the stories that have just been discussed, adding nothing new. Also, the program runs only 5 days a week. In short, unless you are a die-hard fan of this program, you can get more from simply skimming the world news sections of major US news websites. There at least you get photos and audio clips. As for the liberal nature of the content, this program is no more liberal than any other program produced by NPR.

Having said that, I must add that subjects and events are covered with a brevity that will require the listener to start with an above average understanding of what has led up to what is being reported. Like most headline reporting, one may be left with whiplash from how rapidly a subject is paid attention to and then just as rapidly forgotten.

Typical for those that don't like this gem of a program for their incorrect assumption of liberal bias simply to lob derogatory adjectives. Fitting in fact. This program is balanced to a degree that is extremely hard to find in American, corporate led media outlets, and therefore it's obvious difference in constituency (general public, rather than corporate advertisers) will be mislabeled by those that simply do not know the difference. When you have never heard a balanced view, your opinion will obviously be skewed. This is an indispensable show that allows the listener to form it's own opinion, for once, by allowing lengthy discussion and review which is yet another facet grossly lacking in typical American, fast fed, sensationalistic, ratings grabbing corporate media outlets. Do yourself a favor, and let them let YOU inform yourself for a change.

If you enjoy your news with a heavy dose of political correctness this is the program for you. Ms. Mullins is biased in favor of women, minorities and any country but America. But this is the reason I am finding an alternative to Audible reads. Too many of the programs like "The World" think they have the definitive answers and must inflict their leftist spin on everyone.