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.
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Americans don't trust that their health records will be very private if they're computerized, but they still think digitally connecting hospitals and doctors is worth doing to improve health care, according to a new NPR-Kaiser-Harvard poll. -
Listeners comment on Monday's examination of the arguments for and against legalizing marijana. The majority of the mail is from people saying many of the anti-legalization arguments we presented were specious.
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President Obama said Tuesday that Justice Department officials who authorized harsh interrogation techniques are not immune from prosecution. Obama also said he could support a bipartisan inquiry into Bush-era detention policies.
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A Bush-era memo says training exercises involving U.S. soldiers show that waterboarding, sleep deprivation and other techniques are safe because they don't produce "prolonged mental harm." But several psychologists say you can't compare American soldiers in a training program with individuals who are involuntarily detained.
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As the St. Louis school district cuts back, it is putting for sale landmark school buildings designed by architect William Ittner. His emphasis on open spaces, big windows and high ceilings influenced school designers around the country. -
The two Cuban singers and rappers grew up in a remote town poised between the Castro regime and an American military base. Their debut album, La Corona, is full of the struggles and passions of their peers — set to some of the freshest new sounds from the island.
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Worn-out books often just get tossed in the trash. But artist Caitlin Phillips recycles some unwanted books by cutting out the pages and using the covers to make unusual purses. Turning classic books into fashion items, however, poses challenges that are both aesthetic and ethical. -
In January, Gary and Rachel Peterson learned the sawmill in Aberdeen, Wash., where they worked was closing. It's now April, and their next moves are still unclear — but their worry about each other has only gotten more intense.
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There's no reason not to eat well, even in tough economic times. Three cookbooks conjure deliciously simple dinners from the most ordinary of ingredients.
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Actor Oliver Platt takes the stage in the latest revival of the legendary musical Guys and Dolls. Platt tells NPR that modern audiences can still relate to his classic character: Good Old Reliable Nathan Detroit.
