Fergie's Tech Blog

3 May 1971: Happy Birthday, NPR's All Things Considered

All Things Considered, sometimes abbreviated ATC, is a news radio program in the United States, broadcast on the National Public Radio network. It was the first news program on the network. The program combines news, analysis, commentary, interviews, and special features. It airs on weekday evenings from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time, and is re-fed with updates until 10 pm Eastern Time. Early broadcasts were 90 minutes long; now they run for two hours.

The show now airs on over 560 radio stations and reaches an audience of approximately 12 million listeners each weekday, making it the third most listened to radio program after Rush Limbaugh and Morning Edition. The show is co-hosted by Robert Siegel, Michele Norris and Melissa Block.

The first broadcast of All Things Considered was to about 90 radio stations on May 3, 1971. The first story was about Washington, D.C. and the growing anti-Vietnam War protests taking place there. Weekend All Things Considered, or WATC, is a one-hour version of the show that premiered in 1977 and is broadcast on Saturdays and Sundays. Deborah Elliott is the current host of WATC. She replaced Steve Inskeep when he became co-host of Morning Edition in 2004.

posted by Fergie @ 5/02/2006 10:01:00 PM