Podcasts

I'm listening to a fair number of podcasts and talking about them on Twitter & so I not infrequently get questions about what I like/listen to/etc.  Here's the post as of June 2015 with some thoughts about the format & what I'm listening to.

Disclosure - I host a podcast (Cabbages & Kings) for sci-fi/fantasy readers, which I started recently in order to make the podcast I wanted to listen to.  I'll mention where it fits in at the bottom.  I consider myself more a consumer than a producer, however.  There are plenty of SFF podcasts I'd recommend before my own.

Just Give Me Your Favorite Podcasts -

• NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour
• In Our Time
• For Colored Nerds
• Fangirl Happy Hour (if you like science fiction/fantasy)

Outline:

• General notes about podcasts
• Highly Produced Narrative Podcasts
• Semi-Focused Panels
• Journalism
• Interviews
• Science Fiction/Fantasy
• Tech/Apple Geekery
• Odds & Ends

General notes about how I think about podcasts:

Podcast is a stupid term, or at least tries to capture far too big a phenomenon.  Highly produced public radio programs built first for radio sit cheek-by-jowl with three guys in a basement babbling on for as long as they want about whatever they want.  Sponsored shows seeking to maximize listeners and market share are listed next to hobbyists.  Listeners may be cleaning, commuting, working, or doing a host of other activities.  In general, I try to think about a few axes:

• Release Schedule
• Weekly? Daily? Bi-Weekly?  Mostly this just has to do with how much you want to listen to.
• Duration
• Some podcasts are easily over an hour, occasionally 2+, a few come in quick 5 minute bursts.  I tend to group things into: micro-bursts (<10 minutes), the 15-30 minute chunks, "around an hour" and "long".
• Format - There are plenty of podcasts and formats I've never tried (comedy for one), but what I'm familiar with usually falls into some combination of 4 categories
• Interview - one or more hosts interviewing guests & trying to put the focus there.  Obviously a strong interviewer helps, as done a show with enough editorial voice to let you know what to expect.
• Panel- a fairly consistent group of hosts who get together for about the same amount of time and talk.  You're inviting these people into your life for a while.
• Narrative - Think "This American Life" or "Snap Judgement" (or "Serial").  Storytelling, usually with a host, but with the focus on the narrative, and different voices each time.  The compelling aspect seems to be how the story is told (and to a lesser extent what the story is)
• Journalism - I separate this from "Narrative" because while there's probably a host bringing you stories, the emphasis is more on the story being told than how the story is told.  
• Focus
• How clear is the editorial voice, and what is the podcast about? I tend to listen to American journalism, some tech stuff, and sci-fi/fantasy related podcasts
• Also, how much does the podcast stay on topic? Panels are often people hanging out with a few talking points, but who wildly digress.
• Cultural background and voice sometimes fits in here as well.  I listen to BBC Radio programs, Black friends hanging out, NPR programs from deliberately unspecific "America", and with hosts who are predominantly men, women, or a mix.  That always matters, and is sometimes more noticeable (to someone raised on NPR) than others
• Production Value
• Is this an amateur with a microphone and some free audio editing software, someone with audio experience and a bit of mixing, or full-on studio-produced with plenty of post-production editing? Narrative and Journalism podcasts tend (in my experience) to have a higher production value.  There are plenty of interviews and people hanging out who run the gamut

So, to mention a few of my favorite podcasts:

• NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour (hosted by Linda Holmes) is a weekly podcast about 45 minutes long where a fairly consistent panel of three chairs joined by a rotating fourth stay tightly focused  on a pair of pop culture topics (movies, books, music, TV shows, themes in culture) and close with a "what's making us happy" segment.  They've also been experimenting with shorter (~10 minute) "small batch editions" where a pair of people talk about a particular topic.  That's the description.  The pitch is that this is a smart, thoughtful group with a wide array of interests who get along well, are comfortable with uncertainty and ambiguity, and manage to make even the most inane topic relevant and fascinating.  I have learned to trust their judgement about the topics they pick, even though they're usually not my interests, and always find the conversations enlightening.  (I'm bad at pitches.  Go listen to PCHH.  If you don't enjoy it, I begin to wonder whether you have a soul)
• In Our Time (hosted by Melvyn Bragg) is a weekly podcast about an hour long where host Melvyn Bragg Interviews 3 guests with a tight focus (and stern eye on the clock) about a topic drawn from history, literature, or physical sciences.  The pitch is that (again) this is really smart people talking about a topic they know very well.

Lest you think I only like tightly produced and focused podcasts:

• For Colored Nerds is a weekly podcast a bit over an hour (and I think getting longer) where a panel of two friends (sometimes joined by a guest) have a somewhat wide-ranging discussion about a couple of topics.  Hosts Eric & Brittany are black and their voices and cultural background come through strongly.  The pitch (and here you will start to see a pattern in my listening) is that these two are very thoughtful and opinionated.  They're also good at listening to each other, happy to explore the nuances of their opinions, and comfortable disagreeing.

Below is a list of podcasts, loosely grouped.  I’m bolding those that I always try to fit into my schedule, a highly subjective metric.  

Highly Produced Narrative Podcasts

• I don't actually listen to many of these.  I find that my reaction to narrative podcasts is to feel manipulated rather than enjoying the experience.  I try to keep aware of This American Life because they do produce some stunning journalism.  However these are often very popular, and I've got enough of a passing familiarity to recommend a few.  All of these are highly produced weekly podcasts, most come out of public radio (or Gimlet Media, a for-profit company founded by an ex-public radio producer) and tend to have a strong editorial voice more in the way stories are told than in the kinds of stories you'll hear.  (If there's a Snap Judgement story, I'm not sure I could describe it.  But if you heard a Snap story, you could probably tell pretty quickly)
• This American Life (it's spinoff Serial was the breakout of last year, and is getting a second season) - 3-4 stories focused around a loose theme.  One of the most famous public radio shows and podcasts
• The Moth Radio Hour - people get up and tell stories.  The few episodes I’ve heard are generally really compelling
• Snap Judgement - “Storytelling with a Beat” as host Glynn Washington puts it
• The Mystery Show - Starlee Kine is charming and solves relatively mundane mysteries (the true origins of an ornate belt buckle).  The show seems to be doing really interesting things with the ways that they’re trying to build community and a consistent listening experience
• Startup - Also from Gimlet Media, Startup follows a startup.  Season 1 was Gimlet media itself.  Season 2 is a dating site (I think)
• NPR’s Planet Money also probably fits in this category.  Follow a crazy vaguely money related story
• I’ve only listened to one episode, but I think Anxious Machine fits in here.  As far as I can tell, it’s unique in not being from a major distributor like a public radio institution or Gimlet.

Semi-Focused Panels

• Where the first set of podcasts is about enjoying whatever story is being told, this set is all about enjoying the voices you’re subscribing to.  There’s probably a loose topic list and potential timeframe, but really these friends are hanging out, having fun, and you’re along for the ride.  All of these reward listening long enough to get comfortable with the hosts.
• Another Round - a Buzzfeed podcast hosted by Heben and Tracy that’s usually around a half hour (I think).  These two engaging hosts & a guest talk about black life, pop culture, and lot more. (I’m underselling because I haven’t listened to enough to really have a sense of the voice, but this is a great example of the format.  Episode 12 is a good place to start.
• Accidental Tech Podcast - 3 Apple tech nerds talk about Apple tech stuff.  I listened to previous podcasts from two of the hosts and got used to their styles, so I listen regularly and rely on this to keep me in touch with what’s happening in the technology I use.  Smart & semi-focused, I’m not sure I’d recommend this unless you’re really into Apple products or know of Marco Arment or John Siracusa, in which case you’ve probably decided whether to listen
• The Incomparable - Jason Snell and a rotating set of panelists talk about geeky stuff.
• PostBourgie - A “semi-orderly blog about race and gender and class and politics”
• Fan Bros Show - “The voice of the urban geek”.  Discussion of Comics, Movies, Shows, and plenty of other geeky topics.
• The Two Brandons is a comics-focused discussion between two black comics geeks.

Journalism

• Reporting.  Public Radio programs and others
• Marketplace - A public media institution focused on the economy.  I clean to this every night.  I also enjoy Marketplace Weekend hosted by Lizzie O’Leary
• Reveal - Hosted by Al Letson, a series of reports based on in-depth investigations.  
• Pro Publica - a weekly podcast that expands on reporting done by the folks at Pro Publica.
• Actuality - a new podcast from Marketplace and Quartz.  This is all I know, but that’s enough for me to try it out.
• (Of course you can always stream NPR or listen to the NPR One App)
• A few outliers that may fit in here:
• Planet Money (discussed above)
• Slate Money - Panelists led by Felix Salmon of Fusion (and his amazing English accent) discuss 3 financial stories each week
• Current’s The Pub - Host Adam Ragusea is a public radio enthusiast making a podcast for public radio staff. This is the wonkiest podcast I listen to, even though I am only an enthusiastic listener.

Interviews

• Interviews tend to stand and fall on the strength of the host. There are a few I listen to at least occasionally:
• In Our Time (mentioned above) - Mevyn Bragg gets great guests (with a good gender balance each week) to go deep on a specific topic (utilitarianism, water, Prester John, and others).
• Fresh Air - Terri Gross is the voice of public radio for many people, including me. I don't listen every week, but whenever I do, I’m reminded how good Terri is at getting interest and engagement out of her guest
• Minorities in Publishing - Host Jenn Baker talks to minorities in publishing.  As you might imagine, she brings in a wealth of extraordinary guests having fantastic conversations
• WTF with Marc Maron - I’ve only listened to Marc interviewing Terri Gross and the president, but he seems like a good interviewer comfortable in his craft.  My sense is that Marc interviewers creators about who they are, rather than what they do.
• MF Galaxy - Host Minister Faust interviews writers on writing, pop culture, progressive politics, and africentric change-makers.  A great interviewer.
• Reading Lives - from BookRiot, an hour-long interview with guests from around the publishing industry talking about their early history with books.

Science Fiction / Fantasy

• I’m an enthusiastic reader of science fiction and fantasy, and listen to a number of podcasts.  These include discussions of the craft, interviews with authors, and readers and critics discussing their books.  A few that I’d highlight
• Fangirl Happy Hour - Every other week, hosts Renay of LadyBusiness and Ana of The Book Smugglers bring a feminist and fannish reading to books, comics, movies and shows.  These two are incredibly enthusiastic about what they love while also bringing a very sophisticated critical lens to their reading.
• Tea and Jeopardy - Host Emma Newman invites authors to her virtual tea lair where “there’s always time for a cup of tea and a spot of mild peril”.  A charming interview wrapped up in a bit of a story.
• Writing Excuses - 15 minutes of writing advice from 4 pro authors/webcartoonists.  A long-running podcast with a strong voice that is structuring this year as a “learn to write a novel” year
• There are two podcasts produced by TorDotCom, one of the larger SFF community sites:
• Midnight in Karachi - Host Mahvesh Murad interviews authors, generally those going a virtual book tour, though not always.  Mahvesh is a good interviewer, and the podcast is generally only around a half-hour long, usually making it the best of this class of podcasts.
• Rocket Talk - Host Justin Landon has people involved in the SFF field on to talk about books and the industry.  (Disclosure, I was on recently doing a reader-reaction episode).  Frustratingly, I still don’t feel that there’s a consistent voice to the choice of guests - sometimes Justin’s shooting the breeze with a few friends, other times it’s a more serious discussion of a hot topic.  The standout episode is an interview with authors Kate Elliott and N. K. Jemisin about reader and publisher bias.
• After this the list that I’ve at least sampled is long
• Meanwhile in the Future is a new podcast from Gizmodo.  Host Rose Eveleth postulates a possible future (a second moon, the end of the internet), and then has on a few experts to discuss it.  Short and an original combination of speculative fiction and reporting.
• The Three Hoarsemen are three fans grounded in older SFF who debate and argue over the new, the old, and what’s in between.  They’re a part of SF Signal, a group blog and group podcast that includes lots of others which seem mostly focused on interviewing authors and/or broadcasting panel discussions.
• The Coode Street Podcast is also a pair of critics with decades of reading experience (and occasionally the associated blinders) who seem to vary between talking amongst themselves and bringing in a guest.  I tend to think that the guestless episodes are stronger.
• Sword and Laser is an SFF reading/discussion group on Goodreads and podcast (and maybe other forms?)
• Skiffy and Fanty, a bit of a variety of SF-related discussions and interviews
• Galactic Suburbia - a panel of three australian authors talk about SFF stuff, usually through a feminist lens.
• Geeks Guide to the Galaxy from Wired has author interviews and other things I think? I’ve only listened to a couple episodes with authors I’m interested in. When they were also on Midnight in Karachi it was better.
• The Adventures of the Yellow Peril and Magical Negro is a panel of two readers who love SFF books, comics, and shows, but also talk about the bias and bigotry within the genre (past and present)
• There are also a number of podcasts that bring short stories to your ears: Podcastle seems to be the big one.  Most of the semi-pro magazines have them (Lightspeed, Clarkesworld, Uncanny, I’m sure of).  I’m missing a few, including Glittership.  If you like audio short fiction, you can probably keep yourself busy for as long as you’d like.
• My own podcast is called Cabbages and Kings.  The plan is to interview readers of science fiction and fantasy, keeping the focus on texts and away from the drama in fandom, always under 30 minutes.  I’m still very much finding my voice, but I’m proud of the two-part discussion of Ancillary Justice (part 1 & 2) as well as my interview with Troy Wiggins.  
• I mentioned The Incomparable above, but it often fits in here as well.

Tech / Apple Geekery

• I’ve been listening less because I’m currently “off” in my on-again/off-again plan to teach myself to code, but I still enjoy Developing Perspective, a podcast from an apple developer talking about the app ecosystem and his development process.  Debug and Core Intuition seem oriented at independent developers.  Accidental Tech Podcast (mentioned above) would fit here

Odds & Ends

That’s almost everything I listen to.  I think I missed Intelligence Squared, where panels of 2 vs 2 square off against each other in a debate over some hot topic.  As long as there’s not a clear partisan breakdown or discussion of millennials, it’s usually semi-interesting.

I mostly dodged many of the major genres (sports & comedy are both huge I think, and there’s a genre of 5 minute tips & tricks as well), and networks (Gimlet, Slate’s Panoply and 5by5 are the ones that I know of) in this roundup.  It’s not exhaustive.  I should mention 5by5’s Back to Work with Merlin Mann which I listened to religiously for a long time before it finally became somewhat repetitive.  It’s loosely oriented around productivity and your outlook on life, and quite good.

This is what I’ll point people to from now on.  Good luck.

Follow up to my public radio post

"Dear Ira Glass" got a big more of an audience than I expected, and some thoughtful responses to what was not a particularly thoughtful or measured piece.  Linda Holmes of NPR's Monkey See blog, one of the people I most respect on Twitter, managed to both validate some of my frustrations while also calling me on some mistakes (who was at the podcast upfronts) and pointing out that there are people at NPR working every day to meet the audience where they are, people I managed to totally erase in my angry venting.  In retrospect, I'm not sure anyone needs some guy who listens to public radio opining on whether elements of public radio have lost their way, but re-reading the post I feel like there are three areas where I made mistakes that I'd like to correct:

• I wrote an angry post based on manipulative headlines
• I ignored the many ways that people at NPR and in the public radio community are reaching out to their audience
• I brought up race in a hamfisted and inappropriate way

(Disclaimer throughout - Ira Glass and This American Life aren't affiliated with NPR, and the upfronts were a joint project of NPR, WNYC, and WBEZ.  There are plenty of other members of "public radio" including various station affiliates, American Public Media, and at least a few other independent non-NPR and non-regional groups I can't list.  I'm going to try to use NPR when I mean NPR, TAL when I mean This American Life, and public radio when that's what I mean.  This is my layman's understanding)

I wrote an angry post based  on manipulative headlines.  The public radio podcast upfronts attracted attention in some media at least in part because podcasts are having a moment, and Ira Glass (one of the few well-recognized national names) said "public radio is ready for capitalism" and so of course that's what got picked up and written about.  It's like waving a red flag in front of a bull, and I totally went for it.  I have problems with the sentiment, but reading a few headlines, not informing myself of basic information like who was actually at the upfronts, writing a post based on that, and hitting publish before I calmed down is stupid.  Like basic internetting stupid.  I'm sorry for that.

I ignored the many ways that people at NPR and in the public radio community are reaching out to their audience I used to listen to public radio on the radio a lot.  I rarely listen to the radio anymore.  I spend my day on twitter & listening to podcasts.  Despite that, I still consider myself connected to the public radio community because it's moved to meet me where I am.  I follow shows and individuals on twitter.  I listen to (a few) podcasts, and to NPR One.  I'm still most likely to go to NPR when looking for information about a story.  I support my member station because (as I understand it from MANY pledge drives), this is how I support those other initiatives.

Ignoring the Code Switch blog, the twitter chats that Gene Demby and Michel Martin have hosted, Pop Culture Happy Hour (my favorite friday podcast), Current's "The Pub", Mark Memmot's Memmos, and the many other ways that NPR has worked to be more transparent and meet me at my preferred watering hole was a mistake.  I'm deeply grateful for all the ways public radio is more than radio, and that didn't come through at all.

I brought up race in a hamfisted and inappropriate way.  

"I love you Ira, but right now I'm a lot more interested in you using the giant megaphone you've got to amplify black and brown voices and continue a discussion about #PubRadioVoice (which is a lot bigger than vocal fry) than I am in you defending your commitment to public radio by dismissing the fears that an institution that's actively cutting minority programming while promoting white shows might be losing it's way just a bit."
I'm cringing as I read that.  The last thing the internet needs is a white guy telling another white guy how to behave regarding race.  Especially since I'd earlier advanced an incorrect and whitewashed presentation of the upfronts that started all of this.  And especially since one thing that came through in discussions of the public radio voice this year is that many factors besides race play into the voices that we expect, or don't on our public radio station.
So I'm sorry for bringing race into a situation that wasn't and shouldn't have been about race, and I'm sorry that in so doing I erased the voices of people of color in public radio.  Again, I failed at basic internetting.

I'm still really not comfortable with the notion that public radio is ready for capitalism, and a lot of that does have to do with concerns about stable leadership at the top.  (It seems clear that if you're not at NPR for the mission, there are plenty of places to go that'll give more money, so I have great faith in the employees of NPR at every level).  I'm also worried that many of the podcasts getting pushed & held up as successes or models seem very similar.  The point of reaching out to a diverse audience is that not every podcast is going to appeal to everyone - it's good that there are some I don't like! But each one seems to rub me wrong in very similar ways (I see the "big" public podcasts that are getting pushed as: TED Radio Hour, Invisibilia, Snap Judgment, TAL, and Serial.  I may be mistaken.  I've sampled all of them, but not listened to any in a while, so it's possible their voices have changed since I stopped).

I wish I'd paused on hitting publish, and written something more clear. I wish I'd started by acknowledging and thanking the many people in public radio who are doing all sorts of fascinating and interesting things to support their mission.  Then clarified my particular concerns with the Ira Glass voice and how so many other popular public radio programs seem to be mirroring it.  And I wish I'd been able to say "I love the many things that NPR, and the broader public radio community are doing, but this particular notion of embracing capitalism raises in my the spectre of trying to hit the iTunes chart with similar-sounding programs, and Ira's statements to the contrary, I find it really worrisome."  I think once I'd written that, I would've realized that what Ira Glass says about public radio isn't all that relevant to me - there are lots of other people in public radio speaking to me.  Diverse audiences ftw!  Once I'd written all of that, I might've avoided hitting publish altogether.

Dear Ira Glass

** 5/18/2015 - I wrote this quickly last Friday & hit publish while angry.  (never a good idea).  There's a follow up post here where I talk about why writing angrily, ignoring all the ways that NPR and broader public radio community are meeting me, and bringing up race as I did were all probably mistakes.  If you read this one, please also read that one (linked again at the bottom).  Or maybe go listen to a good public radio piece instead?  I'm making one additional edit to this piece & adding a strikethrough to my reference to race in the final paragraph.  Re-reading, it seems extremely inappropriate.

**Note - getting some responses to this and updating at least the section on the NPR upfronts.  Also worth pointing out that TAL is not an NPR program.  Corrections in the post thanks to comments by Linda Holmes & Annie Johnson, though at this point I won't have time to make more updates.

As a fan of public radio for years, I was disappointed to hear Ira Glass' quote at the podcasting upfront a few weeks ago that "Public Radio is ready for capitalism".  I wasn't alone.

This makes me sad. TAL and Serial were built on the backs of public media. This is the antithesis of everything. http://t.co/tr5Tf7UXF7

— Melody Joy Kramer (@mkramer) May 3, 2015

And after reading Ira's response (clarification?) in Current, I think that maybe there's some point-missing going on here.  So here's my attempt to respond and offer my concerns, as a longtime listener (who was prompted to begin pledging in large part at the absolute terror of how I would respond if Ira were to pounce on me and ask why I wasn't).

First, since you laid out your bona fides, lets add mine: I grew up in Minnesota listening to MPR.  The coolest moment of near-brush-with-celebrity for me was seeing Garrison Keillor walking down the street.  I grew up on "Sound Money" with Erika Whittlinger, the "Weekend Edition Sunday" music still sends chills down my spine.  I remember sitting in the air listening anxiously to every second of "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me ..." (back when the celebrity guests were NPR personalities and getting only one answer was a "rat boy" named after Neal Conan's failure), and I remember being enthralled by "This American Life".  I drifted a bit in college, and now my listening is podcasts and NPR One, plus following fantastic public radio folks on Twitter, but I still consider myself a die-hard public radio fan.

As a fan of both public radio and podcasts, it's been interesting, exciting, and sometimes disheartening to watch as various programs make stabs into this region.  Let's start with the interesting and exciting - you say that your project documenting life at Harper High School (which was one of my favorite programs of yours last year) was made possible in large part because of increased revenue from podcast underwriting.  That's awesome!  It was a fantastic program, clearly took a lot of effort and also simply monetary resources, and I'm really glad you were able to put it on.  It's been fascinating to watch the cultural phenomenon that is "Serial", and now seeing that "Invisibilia" seems to be doing well is great.  Neither show is really for me (and really, I've mostly drifted away from "This American Life" outside of your occasional investigative shows), but that's fine.  I'm glad that public radio is doing well in this new audio sphere, and I'm glad that that success is enabling new experiments.  And frankly, I get the you were talking to advertisers and trying to get their money.  It's an understandable quote.

But now lets talk about some of the disheartening things - Gimlet's missteps, turmoil at the top, the cancellation of Tell Me More and censuring of Latino USA, and also the poster children of this successful move into podcasting.

Alex Blumberg, former "This American Life" guy, left to form a startup called Gimlet, and his first show "Startup" also had a bit of a moment last year.  A moment enabled by his close proximity to "This American Life", "Planet Money" and the public radio community.  Indeed, when the inevitable public radio march madness brackets arrived this year, there was at least one that included "Startup" in the public radio family.  Famously, Alex had some trouble with a squarespace ad that was misrepresented as a "This American Life" spot.  Less famously, but more troubling to me, when he went out looking to raise money, he did a show with some former planet money colleagues that was a bald-faced attack on the notion of "accredited investors" exactly when he had a huge incentive to ask people (qualified or not) to invest in early-round startup financing.  Essentially, when asking people to make a risky investment, he found some public radio folks to provide cover for a pseudo-journalistic story about how the big nasty SEC was preventing him from asking people for money, neglecting to point out all of the very good reasons that these regulations were developed.  To protect from people like him.  Conflict of interest is a mild way of putting it.  And while Gimlet is clearly a for-profit startup, not a public radio program, there's still some question of whether it's "in the family".  After all, Reply All has put at least one segment on "This American Life".  These blurred lines are going to get blurrier, not less, as plenty of other podcast networks poach public radio talent, and public radio tries to defend itself.  This is disheartening, not exciting.

So lets move to the direction of leadership at the top.  Because you've leaned a lot on being a public radio lifer, and being devoted to "the job that’s at the heart of public broadcasting: to put voices and stories on the air that would never be heard otherwise; to provide perspective and analysis that’s not heard elsewhere; and to invent a new kind of broadcasting".  I am incredibly grateful to you for that, and I don't in any way question your commitment to public radio and it's mission.  But I do think that in addition to a strong commitment to mission in the ranks of an institution, there's also a need for strong vision from the top.  NPR has had 5 CEOs since 2009.  It faces large financial pressures.  Am I worried that "This American Life" is going to lose sight of it's vision? No.  Do I think that TAL can by itself keep public radio on-vision? Clearly not (nor should you be expected to - especially since TAL isn't part of NPR - thanks to Annie Johnon @anneejohnson9).  So when you say that public radio is ready for capitalism, I worry very much about how those pressures are going to affect other parts of public radio.

Which leads directly into my next point - the discussion going on about diversity within public radio right now.  A discussion sparked in large part by Chenjerai Kumayanika's "The Whiteness of Public Radio", and one which has to a lesser extent focused on how women reporters and in particular vocal fry are perceived.  (Look! Even you spent some time on that part!).  You concluded your essay by saying that "the best predictor of future behavior is his or her past behavior".  NPR cancelled "Tell Me More".  From that link: "Tell Me More's demise is the third for programs expressly designed to have a primary appeal for African-American listeners and other people of color."  There was just a dustup with "Latino USA" regarding their profile of Chuy Garcia.  In the midst of an ongoing discussion about #PubRadioVoice, and in particular it's whiteness, NPR's past behavior does not fill me with confidence.

Which of course brings us back around to where we started - the podcast upfronts, and the flagship shows that are being used to bring all of these advertisers in: "This American Life", "Serial", "Invisibilia".  I think a visual of the hosts would help here.
**Edited - Glynn Washington hosted the Upfronts.  Jad Abumrad was there.  Sarah Koenig was not there, and Lulu and Alix were not on stage.  Thanks to Linda Holmes (@nprmonkeysee) for pointing this out.  Adding pictures of Glynn and Jad.  I still feel that the online coverage, and the message of "successful podcasts to woo advertisers" has pushed TAL, Serial, and Invisibility, but may be over-reaching there.  Linda also points out that Glyn's "Snap Judgement" is a successful show that TAL has spotlighted.
 

I love you Ira, but this lineup of shows and hosts almost parodies itself.  I'm glad that "This American Life" is doing the TAL thing.  I think you have a distinct and important voice, and I think that TAL brought and continues to bring something fresh and interesting to public radio.  I don't want you to stop that because you're successful.  Nor do I want all of public radio to be TAL and TAL imitators.  And if indeed podcasting is an important part of the future financial health of public radio, and the people who are the successful faces and voices of that movement are all white, then we start to run into problems with diversity broadly and specifically (to use your words) "to put voices and stories on the air that would never be heard otherwise".

See, Ira, the problem isn't that we think that you're going to sell out.  The problem is that we think that public radio must be broader and richer than you.  You're a wonderful and amazing part of public radio.  I think that few of your detractors actually mean to question your devotion to the mission of public radio.  But we're all too aware (as, lets be honest, you are or at least should be) that capitalism has a lot to do with incentives.  And right now, there are a lot of incentives driving public radio in a very particular, very white, direction.  Pointing that out, and yelling it from the rooftops isn't "cartoony and stupid".  It's an essential demonstration of our love for this great institution that is and must be so much bigger than the four faces above.

I love you Ira, but right now I'm a lot more interested in you using the giant megaphone you've got to amplify black and brown voices and continue a discussion about #PubRadioVoice (which is a lot bigger than vocal fry) than I am in you defending your commitment to public radio by dismissing the fears that an institution that's actively cutting minority programming while promoting white shows might be losing it's way just a bit.  It's fair to ask whether public radio is ready for capitalism, and I think fair to say that you're not the person who can answer that question.

**Reminder that I made some edits to this piece which I wrote more quickly and emotionally than I should have.  Follow up post here.

Spring!

It's spring! We're going to ignore the all the bedding I've changed and the bit of a funk I've been in the past few weeks because it's spring and Sprout is walking!  We gave her shoes this weekend and she's pretty excited:

After the excitement of going out to walk with her big sister, daddy & mommy, Sprout was eager to go out again today:

Plus, the parks are open & usable again!

(Sprout really likes the see-saw.  Tapole preferred climbing and sliding, but Sprout likes bouncing with her sister)


Also, she wants my coffee. :)

2 Milestones

It's been a pretty big last few days for Sprout.  Not only did she turn 1 a couple weeks ago, but Gamma came to visit this weekend, and teeth are sprouting left and right.  (6 and 2 on the way, I think I last counted).  Also, we hit two major milestones over the weekend, one developmental, and one more along the lines of minion-training.

First, yesterday and today, Sprout helped me unload the dishwasher.  She can stand with a hand holding the frame and reach in to grab a utensil, then pass it to me.  We've been practicing handoffs for a while now (it's a skill that her older sister often emphasizes), so she's pretty comfortable with this.  It's only moderately terrifying that she also grabs bowls and plates and tries to lift them up to me.  Casualties so far: 1 dropped knife, 1 licked spoon, 1 chipped plate.

Second, Sprout's finally decided that maybe a crab crawl won't get her everywhere in life and decided she'd like to walk around while holding my hands.  So for 20 minutes tonight, I would hold her hands and help her walk to Gamma.  She'd give a hug, crawl back to me, then reach her hands up to have me help her stand and walk over to mommy to repeat the performance.  Daddy, it seems, is the designated walker-helper.  Tadpole assisted a few times as well, which was adorable.  Sprout also managed a few steps one-handed from time to time, but when she noticed that almost immediately went back to her trusty crab-crawling.  20 minutes straight of a skill she's shown once or twice before.  When she decides she's ready to stand/walk unassisted, I'm doomed.  There'll be no time to adjust.

My back, however, will appreciate the break.

So - minion training is well underway, with not just handing over small objects found on the floor, but now completing an actual useful chore (and one which her big sister has aged out of wanting to help with).  Mobility achievements unlocked, in rather terrifying fashion.  Measles vaccination received (more relieving than it should be).  All in all, pretty exciting times for Sprout and the rest of us.