Dead Air

After March 20th you will no longer hear the dulcet tones of Madeleine Brand saying, “From the studios of NPR West, this is Day to Day.” National Public Radio’s mid-day news magazine produced out of Culver City was canceled for budgetary reasons.

The faltering economy has greatly impacted NPR’s underwriting. “We knew we couldn’t responsibly move forward unless we made some drastic decisions,” says Ellen Weiss, senior vice president for news at NPR, about the cancellation of two NPR programs broadcast from NPR West.

Day to Day host, Madeleine Brand says one of her show’s mission statements was to air voices from outside of the DC beltway and appeal to a younger demographic. If you gauge the show by its popularity, here, in Southern California, Day to Day has remained true to that mission. “I don’t know what happens in the financial offices at NPR,” says Brand, “but I do know that people make choices about where they want to spend their money and I think spending money on Day to Day was a good choice.”

Day to Day’s Alex Cohen adds that reporting on the economy every day has taken on new meaning. “I think if there’s any silver lining,” says Cohen, “it’s given me a new sense of compassion for what the whole world is going through, but it’s tough putting on a show everyday when in the back of your head, you’re thinking, how am I going to make my mortgage payment in three months?”
On this week’s Web Original Video we’ll take you inside the NPR West studios where a team of journalists continue to produce Day to Day knowing they’ll be out of a job in March.