O.K. NPR listeners, how many "April Fools" trick stories did you catch???

[Up2Late]

I heard at least 2, one on "Weekend Edition - Saturday" and one on "Weekend All Things Considered."

For those who don't know, NPR does "April Fools" trick stories every year, and they usually trick a lot of listeners and often get some very angry e-mail from people who "...didn't think it was very funny...." I'm fairly sure these two are said tricks:

From Weekend Edition - Saturday (this one was a bit easier that normal to spot)

A Perilous Encounter with the I-Bod

Listen to this story...(at link above)

Weekend Edition - Saturday, April 1, 2006 · Scott Simon gets a laugh and a little love out of the new i-Bod. The i-Bod is said to help users regulate major body functions: heart, respiration, even cholesterol. But it seems foolish to test it with rat poison.

From WATC:

One Man's Sad Goal? Make Opera Positive

Listen to this story...(at link above)
by Alice Furlaud

All Things Considered, April 1, 2006 · On Cape Cod, an impresario seeks rewrites of the world's great tragic operas. He wants to give them a happy ending for performances by his children's opera company. Some might call it a fool's errand.

<http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5317982>

BTW, my favorite tricks were the "Library of Congress archiving all their audio recordings on old fashion Shellac records," <http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1216161> and the Exploding Maple Trees <http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4571982> from a few years back.

What about your favorites?

[The_Casual_Observer]

1. Jesus, I thought the opera one was real.

:+

[Up2Late]

4. I could be wrong, but I doubt a town on Cape Cod could support any...

...Opera, let alone one that is re-writing tragic Opera's to give them happy endings.

It's amazing how well they do these, I've been fooled several times over the years.

[bbernardini]

2. I read an April Fool's gag in this month's issue of "Electronic Musician".

They had me until they mentioned a scientist with the last name of "Ganglia".

[devilgrrl]

3. Since 2000 I've heard several "April Fools Stories" on NPR...

the only problem is that almost all of the "fake" stories air on days other than April 1st.

[Hekate]

5. I got snookered last year by the Maple Syrup story. Exploding maple trees?

It was quite elaborate and convincing. :eyes:

This year I tuned in for The Capitol Steps April Fool's show and didn't catch anything else.

Maybe I'll hear a rerun -- that's how they got me with the maple tree story a few days after April 1.

Hekate

[Up2Late]

7. I have to say, last year's was the first one in the 4 years I'd been...

...listening to NPR that didn't fool me. I only started listening to NPR in late 2001, after CNN's Headline News "changed everything" and turned it into a non-News "news" show.

I was ready for it after the 2003 and 2004 jokes that caused such a huge uproar, I guess all the RW operatives who were monitoring NPR for "LW bias" didn't like getting fooled.

And if you look at some of the actual news that they reported on those April 1st shows (lots of ridiculous stuff coming out of the Bush WH), no wonder it was hard to tell what was real and what wasn't.

If you want to see and hear elaborate, check out the web pages from 2001, 2002, 2003, and 2004 that go with the audio stories, links below:

Post Office Calls for Portable 'Vanity' Zip Codes <http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1805651> April 1, 2004

April Fools' 2003: Shellac, the Sound of the Future

<http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1216161>

April Fools' 2002: Universal Pet Health Care

<http://www.npr.org/programs/atc/features/2002/apr/pethealthcare/>

April Fools' 2001: Projecting Ads on the Moon <http://www.npr.org/programs/watc/features/2001/010401.lunar.html>

[canichelouis]

6. My most memorable April Fools Day news story

Happened in the early 90's.
Don't remember which program, but it was a late night news program/broadcast.


It was a very elaborate, convincing story about how the Russians had discovered a new automobile fuel source.

BORSCHT.

Ya had to be there.

[Up2Late]

8. It's confirmed, the Opera story yesterday was the April Fools story.

:evilgrin:

[The_Casual_Observer]

9. Alice Furlaud has the most genuine old rich lady voice

that I have ever had the pleasure of listening to. Her reports from Paris years ago were the best.