TOTN Departs - Changes at WNPR

WNPR announced several program changes today. Among those changes is a scaling back of one of WNPR's longstanding local programs.

Here's what was in the announcement:

Dear Mr. Grehn, As Talk of the Nation signs off the air today for the last time, I want to let you know about some schedule changes. Here & Now debuts on WNPR on July 1 at 2 p.m. (The program will air Mondays through Thursdays at 2 p.m.). Here & Now is a daily news magazine which aims to guide us through the streams of news and information. Learn more about hosts Robin Young and Jeremy Hobson below. Here & Now hosts A regular presence on WNPR for 33 years, the Peabody-award-winning Faith Middleton Show will air at 3 p.m., Monday through Thursday. The Food Schmooze remains in its regular spot on Wednesdays at 3 p.m. with a repeat on Saturdays at noon. Faith MiddletonCredit: Heather Colt Starting Friday, July 5, Science Friday will expand to include the entire 2 hours. Hosted by Ira Flatow, Science Friday focuses on science topics in the news and features discussions. It will air from 2– 4 p.m. Ira Flatow This is just the beginning; we have some significant service changes lined up that we hope will enrich WNPR for our listeners. Stay tuned for additional updates – including the launch of a completely overhauled news website. Thanks for listening and thank you even more for your support! Together, we'll make WNPR even better. WNPR will air half of Here & Now to make room for the Faith Middleton Show. The Faith Middleton show is making room for Science Friday. So is Here & Now, the replacement for Talk of the Nation.  Listening to radio is personal and habitual. In the past, changes to the Faith Middleton Show caused a lot of heat. It will be interesting to see how the changes are received. Changes to the website will be welcomed. In the interest of full disclosure, you should know that I was employed by Connecticut Public Broadcasting for 21 years.

Checking the Fact Checkers

During the election season, politicians often misspeak (I'm being kind). In the past, newspapers were known for checking the facts on their comments. It was a way to hold politicians accountable. With so many newspapers in trouble, fact checking organizations like Factcheck.org and Politifact have taken up the responsibility. But, who's checking the fact checkers? Is the information they distribute being used to influence public opinion? Do the organizations that check the validity of the comments have an agenda? Those question will be explored today on Talk of the Nation.
If you're running a newsroom at your station, what are doing to insure accuracy?
It should be an interesting conversation.