NPR grapples with the prospect of a post-radio future

NPR GRAPPLES WITH THE PROSPECT OF A POST-RADIO FUTURE
[SOURCE: The Christian Science Monitor, AUTHOR: Randy Dotinga]
If you like National Public Radio's "Fresh Air With Terry Gross," you can hear it via podcast or satellite radio. But unless you're near a radio or a live online stream, "Morning Edition" and "All Things Considered" are off-limits. Public radio stations make millions from pledge drives that intersperse the two hit news shows, and NPR hasn't wanted to undercut local stations' fundraising by giving fans another way to hear the programs. But that could change, as NPR considers whether to fully embrace "new media" technology at the risk of bypassing some public-radio stations. "The fear in its raw form is that NPR will market itself directly to consumers and … and completely eclipse their local stations," says media consultant Michael Marcotte, a former San Diego public-radio news director. The debate within NPR became public last week after the network's board fired CEO Ken Stern. Mr. Stern, who'd been in charge for 18 months, had pushed NPR to offer its news through mediums other than terrestrial radio.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0314/p02s06-ussc.html