I was a captive listener the other morning

[FredLeonard]

How does it feel being in that demo?

You tell me. You're the Dittohead, always quoting right-wing talk.

 

[Avid Listener]

You tell me. You're the Dittohead, always quoting right-wing talk.

You throw that accusation around willy-nilly, often against people who never, ever listen to right-wing talk radio.

 

[Albert19X]

I was not criticizing the story content but was criticizing the timing. No one I know would have considered this story "news" yet it took significant time in what was otherwise a morning drive-time news program.

This segment would not have answered your interest. It explained the difference between an art auction and an art fair (yes, there is actually a difference) but it would be of interest only to the fraction of the 1% of people who could afford to buy art in the first place. I submit none of the listeners that morning were members of that 1% or they would not be getting up that early.

Participation in the art auctions and fairs discussed in the piece would be practically limited to that fraction of a percent like the guest said but interest in the meta story about those auctions and fairs is not. I'm probably in the fraction of a percent at the opposite end of the income spectrum yet I got a peek at the world of high end art collecting because of the story. Chandelier bidding is about as useless a bit of information to my practical life as is string theory but I enjoyed learning something I did not know at the beginning of the story.

When I want just headlines and frequent traffic updates I turn to my local news station. When I want in depth reporting on current events and trends, interviews with news makers, scientists, authors and entertainers, topical debates or short story readings I tune to NPR. Public radio is the only OTA outlet in my area where I can hear news about places that aren't America. When I spend hours in my car it makes the day go a little faster.