Book Review—Michael P. McCauley, NPR: The Trials and Triumphs of National Public Radio

Abstract

Although the institution of National Public Radio (NPR) is widely esteemed by educators, journalists, and certain sectors of the American public, the network has always occupied a fairly ambiguous position in U.S. mass media. A by-product of Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society initiatives, NPR has persevered in the environment of a vehemently commercial industry to achieve preeminent status in American radio news. In NPR, McCauley charts the network’s beginnings and its rise to prominence, and he analyzes the company’s contributions to American mass media and society. Exhibiting his skills as a reporter, McCauley draws on an extensive body of original oral histories, historic texts, and contemporary sources to weave a concise institutional history of the “lyceum of the airwaves” (p. 1). NPR provides a tight, fact-laden account of the network’s founders, leaders, and most recognizable personalities. For the most part, McCauley forgoes discussion of the political and cultural forces that led to the formation of the network (such as the influence of the BBC as a model for news coverage). Similarly, McCauley does not attempt to chronicle the history of NPR’s many programs or the influences that programs such as All Things Considered and Performance Today have had on American culture. Rather, he undertakes a brisk, chronological account of the company’s development, followed by summative analysis of the network’s importance as a mass media institution. McCauley is at his best when he narrates the central political issues that have shaped NPR—the tussles over the network’s intended mission, the tension between news and arts programming, and the ever-present questions about the nature and size of its audience. He effectively captures the strong personalities of some of the founders, distilling the conflicts over program production and control that arose at the network’s creation. He does a particularly good job of delineating the causes and effects of NPR’s debt crisis in 1983, offering a balanced narrative that covers both the management issues and the surrounding circumstances of this pivotal event in the network’s history. McCauley is equally good when he discusses the concepts of brand equity and loyalty, and the network’s evolving approach to audience identification and marketing. The conclusion is a sophisticated and well-reasoned justification of how NPR serves listeners. McCauley argues that NPR has not only succeeded but also excelled in its efforts to serve its intended audience. He makes it clear, however, that he is a fan and a member of the particular demographic that finds NPR appealing. Although his candor lends authenticity to the analysis, McCauley’s descriptions of “NPR’s Stars” occasionally exhibit a quality of reverence. However, these moments are sparse in the context of the entire book. Although McCauley admits that he is a textbook example