Nerd moment: MPR

I am a public radio junkie. This is not news to people who know me. A prime example: the only time I have ever felt a yearning for an iPod was while listening to Marketplace this past Thursday. It’s a great show, but inconveniently aired at 6:30pm weeknights, which is one of the few times of day I do not listen to MPR. Luckily, technology and nerdiness have joined forces to bring me Marketplace podcasts, available anytime for my listening pleasure. Oh, if only I had one of those shiny white pioneers of portable media consumption so I could tune in to host Kai Ryssdal’s unique brand of pithy reporting about business and consumer news whenever my heart desires!

On a somewhat related note, people frequently criticize MPR for its corporate-america-style ability to make money and its somewhat shady connections to a variety of spin-off ventures. One night while availing myself of the all the free news and information on its website, I stumbled across a section detailing the MPR organizational structure. It describes the various arms of the Minnesota Public Radio-American Public Media empire, including a diagram showing lines of income and control. It’s interesting reading, and gives you a better appreciation for the power of Bill Kling’s invisible hand, guiding the strange and wonderful market that is ridiculously successful (quasi-)public radio.