From the “interesting timing” file, look what arrived in the TVNewser mailbox today: This Is NPR, the first ever visual reference book chronicling National Public Radio’s 40 year existence.
The book tells the story of the reporters and anchors, producers and editors, contributors and analysts who have, over the years, lent their talent and voices to the radio network. There are thoughts from former and current NPR staffers including Cokie Roberts, Nina Totenberg, and the late Daniel Schorr.
But not mentioned in the 270 page book: Juan Williams who was fired last week after 10 years as a news analyst with NPR.
In the final section, about the future of NPR, media correspondent David Folkenflik writes, “The public radio network has never been more highly valued than it is today; supporters prize above all else the breadth and nature of NPR’s news coverage. NPR still provides an intimacy and even a sense of whimsy often lacking in its broadcast competitors, as people are given the chance to speak in their own voices.”