Public Radio, My Source of Knowledge
Dogger recording his love for NHPR.
When my husband got a job offer in New Hampshire I had to look at a map to see which state was New Hampshire and which was Vermont. Being a Pacific Northwesterner, my east coast geography wasn’t so good (and I’ve found that easterners’ west coast geography isn’t so hot either). Not only did my geographic knowledge lack, but I didn’t know anything about the culture or political climate in New England. We might be one united nation, but each region has distinct traditions and methods for doing things.
How was I to learn these things? I struggled for a few months to grasp things like aldermen, old home days, and the pronunciation of place names. Then one day, almost by accident, I stumbled upon New Hampshire Public Radio. The state and region suddenly became accessible to me.
I learned about the economic struggles of the North Country, the founding of Old Home days, how to pronounce Coos County (far different from the Coos County in my home state of Oregon), and who was currently serving as governor. I soaked it up. I made my #1 preset radio station NHPR.
I often interact with people who grew up in New Hampshire and they are always surprised by knowledge of state history and current events. They ask me how, when I’ve only lived here for a few years, do I know so much about the Granite State? My answer: NHPR makes me smart.
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Tags: Boston, knowledge, National Public Radio, New Hampshire, NPR
I like this idea a lot. I think local public radio, and all public radio in general, can teach us a lot!