On May 3, 1971, at 5 p.m., All Things Considered debuted on 90 public radio stations.
In the more than four decades since, almost everything about the program has changed, from the hosts, producers, editors and reporters to the length of the program, the equipment used and even the audience.
However there is one thing that remains the same: each show consists of the biggest stories of the day, thoughtful commentaries, insightful features on the quirky and the mainstream in arts and life, music and entertainment, all brought alive through sound.
All Things Considered is the most listened-to, afternoon drive-time, news radio program in the country. Every weekday the two-hour show is hosted by Ailsa Chang, Audie Cornish, Mary Louise Kelly, and Ari Shapiro. In 1977, ATC expanded to seven days a week with a one-hour show on Saturdays and Sundays, which is hosted by Michel Martin.
During each broadcast, stories and reports come to listeners from NPR reporters and correspondents based throughout the United States and the world. The hosts interview newsmakers and contribute their own reporting. Rounding out the mix are the disparate voices of a variety of commentators.
-
Author and poet Maya Angelou died Wednesday at the age of 86. In a recording, Angelou reads her poem "Still I Rise."
-
The famed writer of Westerns uses his first novel in five years to blow a few holes in the myths surrounding the shootout at the OK Corral. Reviewer Alan Cheuse calls it "a peach of a book."
-
Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was among the guests at Narenda Modi's inauguration. It's the first time the leader of one of the archrivals has attended the swearing-in of the other.
-
Until recently, inmates with life sentences — most for murder — were rarely released from prison, regardless of their behavior. But a 2008 court case and a new governor have changed their odds. -
In his short life, 1960s producer-songwriter Bert Berns made an indelible mark. He made many hits, but a changing industry brought tension to the studio, as told in the new book, Here Comes the Night.
-
The award-winning author Anthony Doerr's newest novel approaches old history with two unfamiliar perspectives: a blind French girl and a German orphan. He says WWII history is as important as ever.
-
Known for his roles in The Big Chill and The Fly, the actor hosts a weekly show in Los Angeles with his band, The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra. Among the songs: the lyrics to Jurassic Park's theme music. -
This week, the Department of Justice handed Credit Suisse the largest criminal tax penalty ever. $2.6 billion is a lot of money, so NPR's Arun Rath asks the New York Times' Jessica Silver-Greenberg where it all goes.
-
The NBA finals are just around the corner and the World Cup is weeks away. A. Martinez from member station KPCC joins NPR's Arun Rath to discuss the latest in sports news.
-
A shooting rampage Friday night near the University of California, Santa Barbara, has left seven dead and seven more injured. NPR's Arun Rath talks to KCLU reporter John Palminteri about the latest developments.
