So it seems National Public Radio recently acquired the Voice of America facility and has started broadcasting NPR programming in Berlin on 104.1FM. I've managed to tune it in, although not with great reception (it comes in better on my boombox with the antenna down). Because of the time differences, the programming is sort of "backwards": reruns of yesterday's All Things Considered in the morning and then Morning Edition in the afternoon. There's more information at NPR Berlin.

And silly me just donated money to WBEZ to thank them for their podcasts.

Attention to everyone in Berlin, Germany — Americans, Brits, English-speakers, and those who want to learn — National Public Radio has just opened up a 24-hour radio station right here in Berlin, NPR Worldwide Berlin, 104,1 FM!

Probably the only reason I spent 17+ years in Washington is because of WAMU, 88.5 FM, the local NPR radio station. At one point WETA, 90.9, moved from Classical to NPR talk programing, and it was bliss. When I moved to Berlin, Germany, in November, I loaded up every day on NPR and PRI podcasts because I did not want to do without Car Talk, Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me, Studio 360, Speaking of Faith, This American Life, Fair Game with Faith Salie — the lot!

Well, I was farting around with my Nokia n95 8GB cell phone last week, and using the Radio feature, and happened upon 104,1 FM, and there was NPR programming! I thought it was a podcast, which I also listen on this amazing little device, and it wasn’t.

For some reason, the stations I had mapped for Washington opened me up to a station I had had programmed in Washington (Nokia checks the city and then populates all the sations) — WXGG, a Gospel station in Washington! Well, it wasn’t Gospel, it wasn’t German-language, and it wasn’t BBC World Service Berlin.

Well, my heart leapt!

There isn’t a lot of local programming yet but there is a pretty cool feeling of programming going on — there is a little more content focused on the Foreign Service and Diplomatic Corps, which is cool, but all your faves are there: Marketplace, Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me!, All Things Considered, On the Media, Car Talk, Fresh Air Weekend, Morning Edition, The Diane Rehm Show, Hot Jazz Saturday Night, Speaking of Faith, and — wait for it — A Prairie Home Companion!

Lake Wobegon and Garrison Keillor are the most important here because the entire radio show isn’t available via podcast, only the sweet Report from Lake Wobegon, not the entire radio show.

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Why not use the Internet to stream NPR?

I wish they would broadcast in Munich.

Not as convenient and not as cool and not as RADIO.

Cultural imperialism reprezent!

yuck. the last thing u wanted was an american radio.. lol.

haven't u got enough of it?

The radio shows (actual radio plays and so forth) are addicting and wonderful and I have followed them -- many of them such as Car Talk and A Prairie Home Companion -- since I was 10.

NPR is great, but the reception sucks. At work, at home even in the car the station doesn't tune in right. Am I the only one with this problem?

No, I also have trouble getting it, especially on an analog tuner. (It keeps me from tuning in another station for fear I won't be able to get it back if I tune away from it.) My theory is that, because it's the old Voice of America frequency, the East German government gave out a lot of licenses to other stations on top of it. That's just speculation, though.

KäptnKnitterbart


Have you ever listened to NPR It's the best thing ever intelligent informative entertaining the shining happy face of a different America that is out there if you look. KäptnKnitterbart dont make comments you know noting about. Your stream of ignorant and generally loutish, infantile facile, trite comments are beginning to get on my tits.

I will sign off with comment from Abraham Lincoln that apply's to you.

NPR is great, I listen a lot on the internet especially Talk of the Nation and All Things Considered.

I listen to about 3 hours a day, mostly on my ipod. Great to have it here: one of the best things out of the US.

NPR - Harry Shearer's Le Show is great on Sunday evening at 7. Unfortunately reception is not always good.

I keep my radio in a box in the hall but yesterday I dug it out and tuned in like chris abraham says there is nothing like radio. Yes yesterday I only managed to listen to about 3 hours of NPR The Bryant Park Project.

Theres great new song out there that got air play on The Bryant Park Project that would not have got played anywhere else called 'My girlfriend left me for Jesus'