Thoughtful radio in rude health Stateside

The  rightwing radio “shock-jocks” grab all the attention, but as I travel round America, I’m finding out how many intelligent, curious radio hosts there are.

They’re on satellite radio stations like Sirius XM, which people listen to in their cars, or on National Public Radio affiliates or on local FM stations.

NPR’s Morning Edition is on a “Revolutionary Road Trip” from Tunisia through Libya to Egypt at the moment, with music and interviews re-examining the Arab Spring. They asked me about the role of women in the Libyan revolution.

Pete Dominick in New York says he has a simple agenda: “to learn and do so publicly, so that listeners can learn along with him.” He wanted to know not just about Libya, but also about the experience of being a war correspondent, especially as a woman.

McGraw Milhaven in St Louis had done his research so well, he even asked a question about my scientist father.

Americans I meet are worried about newspapers dying, and domestic US TV news networks do little serious foreign reporting these days. But radio is multiplied not killed by the internet, and it seems to be thriving.

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