Public Radio: Behind the Voices [Hardcover]

Lisa Phillips (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 9, 2006

An avid fan of public radio, Phillips was driven to know more about the people who deliver the news, the conversation, and the diverse programs that she and millions of others rely on every day. The result is Public Radio: Behind the Voices, a collection of personal stories from more than forty of the most listened to voices in public radio, including Noah Adams, Susan Stamberg, Scott Simon, Diane Rehm, and Terry Gross.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

While commercial radio has become increasingly formulaic, Phillips says, the radio audience has established an intimate connection with public radio hosts: "This voice-to-ear relationship is a startlingly radical one in an era when image is everything." The SUNY journalism professor, who has worked at six public radio stations in five states, is passionate about her field, and her fervor is evident throughout these 43 profiles of public radio personalities, her "broadcasting heroes." Blending research with in-depth interviews, she divides the portraits into three categories. "Music" ranges from the spontaneity of Nic Harcourt (on the free-form Morning Becomes Eclectic) to "deliciously polite" Marian McPartland (on the long-running Piano Jazz). "News and Information" covers Susan Stamberg (NPR's "founding mother"), Daniel Schorr, Bob Edwards, Nina Totenberg and others. Finally, the 16 profiles in the "Talk and Entertainment" section include Tavis Smiley, Garrison Keillor and quipster Michael Feldman (Whad'Ya Know?). Phillips praises the narrative style of Ira Glass (This American Life) and the conversational approach of Fresh Air's Terry Gross, although Glass and Gross both declined to be interviewed. Phillips is a gifted journalist, able to draw out her subjects' vibrant presence on the printed page. 16-page b&w photo insert not seen by PW. (Apr. 18)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Phillips, a former public radio reporter with six stations in five states, brings her own considerable fascination to this look at the personalities behind the voices heard on a variety of public radio programs from news to music. Drawing on interviews or secondary research, Phillips offers a glimpse at the personalities and paths to public radio of figures from "Founding Mother" Susan Stamberg to unabashedly Afrocentric Tavis Smiley to the Car Talk Magliozzi brothers, who break the mold of expectations for high-brow intellectual fare. Phillips notes the now celebrated women reporters, including Cokie Roberts and Nina Totenberg, who joined in the early days when the pay at public radio was modest. The section on news and information also includes portraits of Bob Edwards, Daniel Schorr, and Robert Siegel. Part 2 focuses on talk and entertainment shows, including Ira Glass, Terry Gross, and Garrison Keillor. Part 3 focuses on music, featuring portraits of Marian McPartland, Nick Spitzer, and Korva Coleman, among others. Public radio fans will enjoy this personal look at their favorite personalities. Vanessa Bush
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: Vanguard Press (May 9, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1593151438
• ISBN-13: 978-1593151430
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,182,625 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Read!, May 14, 2006

By 

ono hayo (new york) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Public Radio: Behind the Voices (Hardcover)

This book of profiles is well written and very engrossing. Through a quick and lively prose, the author brings each of her subjects to vivid life right there on the page. I've long been curious about many of the people behind the voices on public radio and this book scratches that itch. I feel like I know them all so much better now when I tune into their programs. I enjoyed this book thoroughly and recomend it highly to all fans of public radio.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Masterfully interviewing the master interviewers, May 18, 2006

By 

Marian Burk Wood (www.woodwriters.com) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Public Radio: Behind the Voices (Hardcover)

Lisa Phillips is a master interviewer and engaging storyteller--in person as well as in print, as I found out when I attended a signing at my local library. If she appears at a book store or library near you, don't miss the opportunity to hear her read from this wonderful new book. Lisa is an NPR insider who knows what to ask when interviewing people who interview people all the time. This informative and entertaining book will delight all public radio fans!