Showing results by author "NPR" in All Categories

With generous splashes of popular culture and human interest, the NPR Road Trips series introduces you not only to far-off locations and unusual destinations, but to the people who inhabit them - and seek them out. Each story focuses on real locations, real people, and real history in the thought-provoking, imaginative and entertaining way you’ve come to expect from NPR. Grand Canyon National Park is one of the planet’s Seven Natural Wonders, with 4.4 million visitors each year. Who keeps them safe, fed, and happy?

NPR was created in 1970, three years after Congress passed the Public Broadcasting Act and established the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Signing the act into law, President Lyndon B. Johnson said, "We in America have an appetite for excellence...we want most of all to enrich man's spirit." Today, NPR produces and distributes programming that reaches more than 26 million listeners weekly. More than 900 stations nationwide broadcast NPR programming.

Each week, two million listeners tune into Wait Wait . . . Don’t Tell Me! to test their knowledge of the week’s dumbest news against some of the best and brightest - panelists including author and humorist Roy Blount Jr., author and radio anomaly Tom Bodett, syndicated advice columnist Amy Dickinson ( Ask Amy), Atlantic Monthly journalist P.J. O’Rourke, Washington Post columnist Roxanne Roberts, and other know-it-alls.

What's a "driveway moment"? It's when you're so captivated by a story on NPR that you stay in your car to hear it to the end - even if you're sitting in your own driveway. For years, listeners have written to NPR to describe such moments. Some are serious, some are touching, and some, like the stories included here, are very, very funny.

Are birds monogamous? Why do kookaburras laugh? Is the ivory-billed woodpecker really extinct? These fascinating stories feature the delightful and exotic sounds of birds, plus astute and informative commentary from bird lovers, bird experts, and sometimes birds themselves. Learn how naturalist F. Schuyler Matthews translated bird song into musical notes. Discover how the city of Chicago has drawn purple martins back to Lake Michigan, their historic habitat.

This collection features Shortz and NPR host Liane Hansen in stimulating conversation, guiding listeners through puzzles filled with creative wordplay. Programs include the one before Shortz’s appearance on The Simpsons (with prizes announced by Mr. Burns and Smithers, voiced by Harry Shearer), Hansen’s birthday show (her children read the list of prizes), and two-time Oscar winner Tom Hanks as a mystery guest who sticks around to help the delighted contestant.

This extended session of Laughter Therapy explores the history of all things funny, presenting a cornucopia of comedy from the pioneers of vaudeville and the silent film era, to the wildly creative innovators that transformed television in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, to the modern practitioners that continue to bend the boundaries of comedy today.

If you listen to NPR, you’ve had at least one "driveway moment". You’re sitting in your parked car, hooked by a story, needing to hear it all the way through. NPR celebrates the emotional bonds we share with this audio valentine that will warm hearts all year round. The story of an ex-monk and an ex-nun who form a family, as told by their son.The story of letters that continue to arrive from all over the world, addressed simply to Juliet, Verona, Italy...and many more.

Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me! is NPR's weekly hour-long quiz program. Each week on the radio listeners test their knowledge against a panel of the best and brightest in the news and entertainment world: Adam Felber; Roy Blount, Jr.; Paula Poundstone; Mo Rocca; Roxanne Roberts; Charlie Pierce; and others. This set features highlights from the popular "Not My Job" segment of the show, during which celebrity guest contestants answer questions on topics unrelated to their particular area of expertise.

Looking for an alternative to the seriously reliable, soothing yet informative sound of NPR? Try NPR! Prepare to be surprised by this collection of interviews with some of the funniest personalities on the planet, and by the memorable, unbelievable news that delights NPR listeners on the 1st of April each year.

This eclectic collection gathers all-time "Driveway Moment" favorites, including some suggested by listeners themselves. These literate, intelligent, profoundly touching stories are worth hearing over and over again, and now you don't have to stay in your car. What is a Driveway Moment? Maybe it's happened to you as it has to countless others.... You're driving home, listening to a story on NPR. Suddenly, you find yourself in your driveway (or parking space or parking garage).

Ho ho ho! Here's what to listen to while driving to the mall, wrapping gifts, entertaining friends, or relaxing in front of a crackling holiday fire. In Scott Simon's modern version of the Christmas story, Jesus is born in an abandoned factory near Cleveland and the Three Wise Persons bring Chipotle gift cards. Claudia Sanchez gives a Latin accent to "A Visit from St. Nicholas". Barbara Bradley Hagerty explores what Christmas means for the boy choristers of the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. (Hint: Handel).

Most NPR listeners have experienced at least one "driveway moment": You’re so captivated by a story, interview, or essay you’re hearing on the radio that you sit in your driveway, motor running, to hear it all the way through. Even if the ice cream is melting in the trunk. The latest collection of this best-selling series features memorable tales, bits, and commentary from NPR favorites, regulars, and guests. Smartly chosen, sincerely hilarious, this collection will leave you in stitches.

Presented together for the first time, here are the very first, and very best, definitive listener favorites that came to be known as Driveway Moments: the classic, spellbinding stories that keep getting better with repeated listening, selected from the National Public Radio archives. These tales were first heard on Morning Edition, All Things Considered, and other NPR programs.

What’s a "driveway moment"? It’s when you’re so captivated by a story you’re hearing on NPR that you stay in your car to hear it to the end - even if you’re sitting in your driveway with the motor running. For years, listeners have written to NPR to describe such moments. Now animal lovers especially will want to make sure their tanks are full. Heard on All Things Considered, Morning Edition, Talk of the Nation, and Wait Wait - Don’t Tell Me!, these stories will make you laugh out loud and shed a tear or two.

Famously referred to by US president Woodrow Wilson as "the war to end all wars", the First World War eclipsed all previous wars with its scale of destruction. With over 27 nations involved, the battle-field horrors and political outcomes of the first truly global military conflict had repercussions that are still felt today. NPR presents a vivid portrait of what most experts consider the first modern war, including profiles of America’s flying ace Eddie Rickenbacker, unlikely savior of war-torn Belgium Herbert Hoover, and the last surviving doughboy Frank Buckles.

Dog lovers will delight in this audio celebration of the canine character. From our earliest encounters with Lassie, to the magical moments we share with our own imperfect but thoroughly lovable companions, dogs have become an integral part of our culture and beloved members of our family. NPR proudly presents these tales of unforgettable animals and their devoted human friends.

Each year, listeners tune in to NPR for holiday offerings of all kinds: funny, touching, insightful, and surprising. Now anyone can listen to these evergreen delights while driving to the mall, wrapping gifts, entertaining friends, or relaxing in front of a crackling fire.

Nationally known NPR on-air personalities - including Melissa Block, David Greene, Rachel Martin, Guy Raz, Scott Simon, Susan Stamberg and many more - share the lasting impressions made during interviews with a wide variety of exceptional individuals. Each story is introduced by the NPR host and offers a candid account of how the encounter was particularly meaningful to them.

Stories from the National Public Radio archives honor America's national pastime. Stories so compelling you'll stay in your car to hear them through - even if you're sitting in your own driveway. Peabody-winning Talk of the Nation host Neal Conan presents tales about the big leagues and the little, the fans in the stands, the players, the history, and the lore.