All Things Considered

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All Things Considered, sometimes abbreviated ATC, is a news radio program in the United States, broadcast on the National Public Radio network. It was the first news program on the network. The program combines news, analysis, commentary, interviews, and special features. It airs on weekday evenings from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time, and is re-fed with updates until 10 pm Eastern Time. Early broadcasts were 90 minutes long; now they run for two hours. The show now airs on over 560 radio stations and reaches an audience of approximately 12 million listeners each weekday, making it the third most listened to radio program after Rush Limbaugh and Morning Edition. The show is co-hosted by Robert Siegel, Michele Norris and Melissa Block.

The first broadcast of All Things Considered was to about 90 radio stations on May 3, 1971. The first story was about Washington, D.C. and the growing anti-Vietnam War protests taking place there. Weekend All Things Considered, or WATC, is a one-hour version of the show that premiered in 1977 and is broadcast on Saturdays and Sundays. Deborah Elliott is the current host of WATC. She replaced Steve Inskeep when he became co-host of Morning Edition in 2004.

Contents

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Format

The format is generally less rigorous than Morning Edition, with a wider array of the type and length of stories. The length of stories tends to be longer than Morning Edition, with some stories lasting for almost 23 minutes.

The program begins with a one minute summary of the stories to be covered during the hour. Then the standard five minute NPR newscast is delivered, with the last two minutes often replaced by individual member stations with local content.

The first, or "A" segment, features important news stories, although not necessarily the most important news stories of the day. Between each segment, a one to three minute break occurs which is filled by promotions for other programs, sponsorship and underwriting credits, and local traffic and weather provided by stations.

The "B" segment features more news features and analysis, and often contains lighter news stories and commentary. At the bottom of the hour, another five minute newscast occurs, followed by the "C" segment, which is the longest segment of the hour, between 9 and 13 minutes long. Long feature stories are heard here, or as many as four shorter stories or commentaries may be heard as well. The last four minutes of the second hour "C" segment is a designated cutaway for stations to run local commentary or features. Occasionally, the show will "break format" and place a long, 23 minute story in the "C" and "D" segments.

The "D" segment concludes the hour. Unlike Morning Edition, there is no set format for this segment, although usually the second hour will contain an arts, culture, or lighter news story in this segment. Other times, hard news otherwise not fitting in the program may be placed here.

Stations receive a preliminary rundown before each broadcast denoting the timing and placement of stories so they can schedule local content as appropriate. This rundown is updated as stories change until 10 p.m. Eastern Time.

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Awards

Major awards won by the show include the Ohio State Award, the Peabody Award, the Overseas Press Club Award, the DuPont Award, the American Women in Radio and Television Award and the Robert F. Kennedy Award. In 1993, the show was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame, the first public radio program to be given that honor.

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Hosts

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Commentators

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Featured series

From time to time, NPR produces and distributes short series of radio pieces. Series that have aired during the show include:

  • "The Changing Face of America"
  • "Lost & Found Sound"
  • "The NPR 100" (stories behind 100 important 20th century American musical works)
  • "Prison Diaries"
  • "Teenage Diaries"
  • "The Yiddish Radio Project"
  • "This I Believe"

These radio pieces can often be found at NPR.org.

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External links

All Things Considered is also the title of a 1908 book by G.K. Chesterton.

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