The headlines on CNN this morning:

[2banon]

8. Coke Roberts has been doing that on NPR for decades now..

Used to be Coke and Pat Buchanan.

I noticed the changes in Clinton's first term. By the time Clinton was in his second term, I was actually doing radio with a small local NPR station. The small stations have to pay out serious $ to NPR to carry their content, and at the same time they have what's referred to as a "must carry" stipulation. In those days (if memory serves) it was roughly 30% of NPR's "news" content.. which is essentially All Things Considered and Morning Edition .. the rest of the air time grid is optional in terms of programming content.

All that to say that small local NPR stations have no say as regards to content of those "news" programming. What they do have is the power sever ties with NPR and become an independent community broadcasting station, but that requires a new broadcasting licence. Things have changed wrt to application speed and process, but in those days it was long line/time to wait for FCC approval.

NPR/PBS and especially Corporation for Public Broadcasting, has been hijacked by Rethugs/Big Business reps. And that's why these days, you never hear complaints from them wrt to Public Television/Radio funding. And that's why the content is not quite bad, slimy and tacky as Fox...it's sort of a more polite version. Your mileage may vary. That's how I see/hear them.