What happened to alt.NPR?

June 27, 2012 5:43 AM

What happened to alt.NPR? Has anything taken its place?

alt.NPR was a series of podcasts that served as a sort of incubator for innovative talent and ideas that didn't quite fit with the rest of NPR's broadcast schedule. (more detail)

It was discontinued in 2009 - what happened? Has anything replaced it?

I've been thinking about this a lot in light of Ira Glass' comments about junking Car Talk in favor of new and innovative programming. There are lots of programs ready to take over that slot - but what about a step removed from that? Is NPR still investing in innovation the way it did with alt.NPR?

posted by JPDD to Media & Arts (5 answers total)

I think you're looking for Radio Remix. My station group starting broadcasting it 24/7 recently. It also streams online, on XM, itunes, etc.
posted by saffry at 6:01 AM on June 27, 2012 [1 favorite]

I don't know if NPR is incubating new shows to the scale that they did on alt.NPR, but some of the shows that were part of it have found homes at member stations. For example Love and Radio just got picked up by WBEZ. A lot of the innovation these days seems to come from producer's side projects: The Dinner Party, 99% invisible, The Truth and many more
posted by FatRabbit at 6:04 AM on June 27, 2012 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: Thanks! I'm also curious about the history of alt.NPR - why did it shut down?
posted by JPDD at 6:28 AM on June 27, 2012

Public Radio was making all sorts of cuts because of funding shortages during that time. I don't know specifically why alt.NPR got cut but NPR stopped producing other shows that were broadcast, not just podcasts, at that time too.
posted by FatRabbit at 6:43 AM on June 27, 2012

This NY Times article is about a bevy of cheaply produced shows NPR is developing to eventually replace soon-to-be-ending shows like Car Talk... Or, Prairie Home Companion, once it's wrenched from Garrison Keillor's cold, dead hands.
posted by Dalton at 8:26 AM on June 27, 2012