radio1The way ideas spread is pretty simple: Conversation by conversation. One engaged person talks with another engaged person — and out of that daisy chain of human interactions come new ways to navigate our lives.

One of the best and most enduring forums for conversation is public radio. And in the past week, I’ve had the good fortune to talk about the ideas in Drive with several National Public Radio journalists. Here’s a sampler:

1. Morning Edition. A talk with Madeline Brand.

2. Talk of the Nation. Host Neal Conan invited listeners to tell their stories about motivation at work — which brought forth examples of the very good and the very bad.

3. Local programs. Some of the best journalism in this country goes on at the local level. Visiting with hosts like Washington’s Kojo Nnamdi, Philadelphia’s Marty Moss-Coane, Dallas’s Krys Boyd, and the Twin Cities’ Kerri Miller, I learned a lot about both the possibilities and limits of these ideas.

If, er, you’d like to join the conversation, please do — here, on your favorite radio program, or over coffee with your spouse, partner, friend, or colleague. And don’t forget about conversing with yours truly. You know where to find me.

8 Responses to “Some Drive time on NPR”

  1. Diann McCabe says:

    Great to hear the creativity piece on CBS Sunday Morning today.

  2. George says:

    Hi Dan,

    I used to listen to NPR, but it had so much negativity that I stopped listening to it. Perhaps I just need to choose my programs more carefully…

  3. Congrats on the well-deserved coverage.

    We just need to get you as the Not My job guest on Wait Wait so you can go toe-to-toe with Paula Poundstone, then be the answer in a NYT crossword.

    Life is then complete, right?

  4. Dave says:

    I listen to NPR while I lift weights, because there is nothing more motivating than “All Things Considered.” (seriously)

  5. Brett says:

    We’ve got a great local program in St. Louis on KWMU called, appropriately enough, St. Louis on the Air. Any chance you’ll be stopping by with them when you’re in town?

  6. Kathleen Wehle says:

    I agree with Ms. McCabe (post #1) great to see you on CBS Sunday Morning yesterday.

  7. Bob Faw says:

    Great job, Dan. I saw you at the Harvard Book Store presentation, TED.com and now (heard) on NPR. Keep it up!

  8. Robert S. Davis says:

    I am listening to NPR less and less. The criticism that it has become too biased, sort of a FOX network for radio, has merit. The over coverage of the Republican candidates being an excellent example. The story needs to be told but not every day. Mit Romney did not really win anything in Iowa but statistically tied for first place with two other candidates. The real story, largely ignored, is that if the Republicans nominate someone who turns off large numbers of its traditional voters will that translate into huge wins in Congress for the Democrats by default. Same with national health care. A foreign visitor would mistakenly assume that national health care is officially called “Obamacare” and that it was forced on the American people by President Obama alone. The merits and need for national health care are never discussed.