I used to pride myself on not being addicted to anything except checking email. I thought addiction is a manifestation of weakness, and not being addicted to anything shows a self-discipline that is generally considered a desirable characteristic. OK, may be I spend a little too much time on gameshow network and crossword puzzle and Google, but I don't think I will experience withdrawal symptoms if I am off any one of these things for a few consecutive days.

 

I have surprised myself recently with the emergence of a little-known side of me. I am now a declared public radio junkie.

 

I am not one of those people usually seen in public sporting trendy earphones plugged in, totally oblivious to the surrounding. I like to observe people when I am walking, or riding the Metro. I even end up talking to strangers at times. But it is another story when I am driving. My finger automatically goes to the preprogrammed button number 5 of my car radio. I have NPR (National Public Radio) set there. Note that I didn't program NPR at button number 1 which is equivalent to speed dial 1 in prestige! When I sat down to program the six preprogramming buttons, I set the first four to FM stations playing music mix and variety programs, like most people would do. NPR came in at 5th. But who knew that the story of a 18 year old elected Mayor of a city in Oregon, or an afternoon series about 'open porches--a disappearing architectural trend in America', or the narrative of a passenger who hopped in the taxi driven by the oldest taxi driver in post-Katrina New Orleans had the power to hold a listener captive at the end of a tiring  day more than some soothing music.

 

Last month the local station which used to broadcast NPR decided to change its identity to become a classical music station. For a few days, I felt completely lost not being able to tune in to my favorite programs. This is the closest thing to withdrawal symptom that I have ever experienced. I knew I needed to do something to fix that unacceptable situation. I took the trouble to go online to find out which alternative local stations were still playing the old NPR programs, and reprogrammed button number 5 in my car radio tuning it to the new station. The moment the familiar voices started wafting out from my radio, I felt the deepest sense of healing and comfort. Some addictions are good, even if they are signs of weakness.

 

What never stops to amaze me about being a public radio listener is the fact that there are so many of us interested in these little everyday stories --enough so that the public radio stations can thrive without interrupting their programs with commercials. It feels great to be a part of this invisible community that cares about these little stories of human experiences. In this age of slick devices vying for a driver's attention with multimedia entertainment on-the-go, the good old radio still emerges a winner with a lot of us. It is not only pleasant to listen to a story, it is probably the safest activity one can engage in while driving. Sometimes not having to exercise the option to select what you want to hear, and resigning to listen to someone else's choice of story, can be the most relaxing thing. And NPR's choice of stories is never boring, never devoid of nuances.

 

No wonder my one and a half year old son kept saying 'Alting, Alting' the other day...he is getting used to listening to "All Things Considered" , NPR's evening news program, sitting on the backseat of my car on his ride back from daycare each evening! 

 

And yes, my husband was also impressed when he discovered that I have already programmed NPR on button number 1 on the FM tuner of his brand new car before he could do it.

 

Long live public radio.

 

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Footnote:

I have recorded a shorter version of this blog as a commentary at the NPR studio in Washington DC on May 9, 2007. It was a thrilling experience to visit the NPR building, which happens to be a short walk from my office, and work with one of their producers, Kerry Thompson, who coached me with endless patience before the recording. The commentary was aired as part of NPR's Fall'2007 fund-raising (on-air promotion).