XM Public Radio
Encyclopedia
XM Public Radio is a 24/7 Sirius XM Satellite Radio channel dedicated to public radio programming. Broadcasting in stereo
, XM Public Radio is one of two talk channels on the XM platform which broadcasts 2-channel audio—the other being the ViRUS
. Programming is provided through partnerships with American Public Media
, Public Radio International
, Boston's WBUR
, New York's WNYC
, George Washington University
, and National Geographic, who own a chunk of time on the channel. XMPR also carries The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer
.
Despite being a channel for public radio programs, the channel does not carry any programming from the nation's leading provider, National Public Radio. The NPR
network currently has an exclusivity contract with Sirius Satellite Radio
, and airs their programming across two channels on Sirius.
XM Public Radio is also home of former National Public Radio star, Bob Edwards
, who had previously hosted NPR's Morning Edition
and co-hosted All Things Considered
. Edwards now hosts his own daily hour-long interview series, The Bob Edwards Show
, every morning on XM. The show is a conversation based program. In it, Edwards interviews people from all walks of life, much like his NPR show. Only now does he have the freedom of time to work with instead of a few minutes a day. The show airs weekday mornings at 8 a.m. Eastern Time (ET), and is replayed at 9 a.m(ET), 10 a.m(ET), and 8 p.m (ET). on XMPR. The show is also edited into a weekend compilation, entitled Bob Edwards Weekend, which is distributed by Public Radio International to terrestrial radio.
In October 2006, Public Radio International
's channel on Sirius Satellite Radio
was dropped from the channel lineup. Shortly afterwards, XMPR responded by adding several new PRI programs to its lineup, including The World
, To the Point
, To the Best of Our Knowledge
, Le Show
, and The Changing World. There is no word on whether money exchanged hands to make this deal occur, or if it was simply Sirius' dissatisfaction in the channel and XM's attempt to capitalize on the listener base.
Starting March 2007, XMPR added several more programs from American Public Media
, including popular programs A Prairie Home Companion
and Marketplace
, as well as The Story with Dick Gordon
, Weekend America
, Sound Opinions
, and Performance Today Weekend. Following the Sirius / XM merger, XM Public Radio was added to Sirius on 2008-09-30 as part of its "Best of XM" package and broadcasts on channel 205 (previously 196). XM airs the channel on 121 (it was on 133).
dropped their carriage of XMPR. The only explanation given was that the channel's availability in Canada violated a licensing agreement between XMPR and one or more of its affiliates. The contract between XMPR and the affiliate(s) was eventually renegotiated, and XM Public Radio was returned to the XM Canada platform on August 1, 2007.
Stereophonic sound
The term Stereophonic, commonly called stereo, sound refers to any method of sound reproduction in which an attempt is made to create an illusion of directionality and audible perspective...
, XM Public Radio is one of two talk channels on the XM platform which broadcasts 2-channel audio—the other being the ViRUS
The Virus
The Virus was a street punk band from Philadelphia, United States. Now defunct, their former singer Mike Virus went on to perform in the band Cheap Sex...
. Programming is provided through partnerships with American Public Media
American Public Media
American Public Media is the second largest producer of public radio programs in the United States of America after NPR. Its non-profit parent, American Public Media Group, also owns and operates radio stations in Minnesota, California, and Florida. Its station brands are Minnesota Public Radio,...
, Public Radio International
Public Radio International
Public Radio International is a Minneapolis-based American public radio organization, with locations in Boston, New York, London and Beijing. PRI's tagline is "Hear a different voice." PRI is a major public media content creator and also distributes programs from many sources...
, Boston's WBUR
WBUR
WBUR refers to two radio stations in Massachusetts, WBUR AM and FM, both owned by Boston University. WBUR is the largest of three NPR member stations in Boston, Massachusetts, along with WGBH and WUMB-FM, and the only one to focus exclusively on news and talk...
, New York's WNYC
WNYC
WNYC is a set of call letters shared by a pair of co-owned, non-profit, public radio stations located in New York City.WNYC broadcasts on the AM band at 820 kHz, and WNYC-FM is at 93.9 MHz. Both stations are members of National Public Radio and carry distinct, but similar news/talk programs...
, George Washington University
George Washington University
The George Washington University is a private, coeducational comprehensive university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States...
, and National Geographic, who own a chunk of time on the channel. XMPR also carries The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer
The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer
PBS NewsHour is an evening television news program broadcast weeknights on the Public Broadcasting Service in the United States. The show is produced by MacNeil/Lehrer Productions, a company co-owned by former anchors Jim Lehrer and Robert MacNeil, and Liberty Media, which owns a 65% stake in the...
.
Despite being a channel for public radio programs, the channel does not carry any programming from the nation's leading provider, National Public Radio. The NPR
NPR
NPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
network currently has an exclusivity contract with Sirius Satellite Radio
Sirius Satellite Radio
Sirius Satellite Radio is a satellite radio service operating in North America, owned by Sirius XM Radio.Headquartered in New York City, with smaller studios in Los Angeles and Memphis, Sirius was officially launched on July 1, 2002 and currently provides 69 streams of music and 65 streams of...
, and airs their programming across two channels on Sirius.
XM Public Radio is also home of former National Public Radio star, Bob Edwards
Bob Edwards
Robert Alan Edwards is a Peabody Award-winning member of the National Radio Hall of Fame. He was the first broadcaster with a large national following to join the field of satellite radio...
, who had previously hosted NPR's Morning Edition
Morning Edition
Morning Edition is an American radio news program produced and distributed by National Public Radio . It airs weekday mornings and runs for two hours, and many stations repeat one or both hours. The show feeds live from 05:00 to 09:00 ET, with feeds and updates as required until noon...
and co-hosted All Things Considered
All Things Considered
All Things Considered is the flagship news program on the American network National Public Radio. It was the first news program on NPR, and is broadcast live worldwide through several outlets...
. Edwards now hosts his own daily hour-long interview series, The Bob Edwards Show
The Bob Edwards Show
The Bob Edwards Show is an American radio program presented by Sirius XM Satellite Radio every weekday morning at 8 a.m. Eastern, with repeats at 8 a.m. Central, 7 a.m. Pacific, 6 p.m. Mountain, and the next morning at 7 a.m. Eastern...
, every morning on XM. The show is a conversation based program. In it, Edwards interviews people from all walks of life, much like his NPR show. Only now does he have the freedom of time to work with instead of a few minutes a day. The show airs weekday mornings at 8 a.m. Eastern Time (ET), and is replayed at 9 a.m(ET), 10 a.m(ET), and 8 p.m (ET). on XMPR. The show is also edited into a weekend compilation, entitled Bob Edwards Weekend, which is distributed by Public Radio International to terrestrial radio.
In October 2006, Public Radio International
Public Radio International
Public Radio International is a Minneapolis-based American public radio organization, with locations in Boston, New York, London and Beijing. PRI's tagline is "Hear a different voice." PRI is a major public media content creator and also distributes programs from many sources...
's channel on Sirius Satellite Radio
Sirius Satellite Radio
Sirius Satellite Radio is a satellite radio service operating in North America, owned by Sirius XM Radio.Headquartered in New York City, with smaller studios in Los Angeles and Memphis, Sirius was officially launched on July 1, 2002 and currently provides 69 streams of music and 65 streams of...
was dropped from the channel lineup. Shortly afterwards, XMPR responded by adding several new PRI programs to its lineup, including The World
The World (radio program)
PRI's The World is a global news radio, audio and multi-platform program created by Public Radio International based on the program's congruence with PRI's mission, and in order to fulfill the critical need for more original global news created for and provided to Americans. This was partly a...
, To the Point
To the Point
To the Point is an hour-long public affairs radio program co-produced by KCRW in Santa Monica, California and Public Radio International. The program originates at KCRW at 12 pm Pacific Time each weekday. Award-winning journalist Warren Olney hosts the show; it is syndicated nationwide by PRI and...
, To the Best of Our Knowledge
To the Best of Our Knowledge
To the Best of Our Knowledge, also known by its acronym, TTBOOK, is two, one-hour weekly public radio interview programs. Produced by Wisconsin Public Radio and distributed by Public Radio International, it is broadcast on 180+ public radio stations in the U.S. and is also available as a free...
, Le Show
Le Show
Le Show is a weekly syndicated public radio show hosted by satirist Harry Shearer.The program is a hodgepodge of satirical news commentary, music, and sketch comedy...
, and The Changing World. There is no word on whether money exchanged hands to make this deal occur, or if it was simply Sirius' dissatisfaction in the channel and XM's attempt to capitalize on the listener base.
Starting March 2007, XMPR added several more programs from American Public Media
American Public Media
American Public Media is the second largest producer of public radio programs in the United States of America after NPR. Its non-profit parent, American Public Media Group, also owns and operates radio stations in Minnesota, California, and Florida. Its station brands are Minnesota Public Radio,...
, including popular programs A Prairie Home Companion
A Prairie Home Companion
A Prairie Home Companion is a live radio variety show created and hosted by Garrison Keillor. The show runs on Saturdays from 5 to 7 p.m. Central Time, and usually originates from the Fitzgerald Theater in Saint Paul, Minnesota, although it is frequently taken on the road...
and Marketplace
Marketplace (radio program)
Marketplace is a radio program that focuses on business, the economy, and events that influence them. Hosted by Kai Ryssdal, the show is produced and distributed by American Public Media, in association with the University of Southern California...
, as well as The Story with Dick Gordon
The Story with Dick Gordon
The Story with Dick Gordon is a weekday interview program hosted by Dick Gordon, former host of WBUR's The Connection and, before that, fill-in host for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's national radio program This Morning...
, Weekend America
Weekend America
Weekend America was a weekly public radio program dealing with news, popular culture, the arts and more. The program was produced for American Public Media and hosted by John Moe in Saint Paul, Minnesota....
, Sound Opinions
Sound Opinions
Sound Opinions is a radio talk show focusing on rock music. It airs Friday night at 8 PM CST and Saturday morning at 11 AM CST on Chicago Public Radio. The show is hosted by Jim DeRogatis and Greg Kot and features interviews with musicians and industry figures as well as featuring current music...
, and Performance Today Weekend. Following the Sirius / XM merger, XM Public Radio was added to Sirius on 2008-09-30 as part of its "Best of XM" package and broadcasts on channel 205 (previously 196). XM airs the channel on 121 (it was on 133).
Canadian coverage
In April 2007, XM Radio CanadaXM Radio Canada
XM Radio Canada was the operating name of Canadian Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. , a Canadian communications and media company, which was incorporated in 2002 to broadcast satellite radio in Canada...
dropped their carriage of XMPR. The only explanation given was that the channel's availability in Canada violated a licensing agreement between XMPR and one or more of its affiliates. The contract between XMPR and the affiliate(s) was eventually renegotiated, and XM Public Radio was returned to the XM Canada platform on August 1, 2007.