> NPR's own Terry Gross has described Car Talk in these exact words, "an NPR show".[0]
It's interesting that you invoke Terry Gross as being part of NPR, when NPR actually says otherwise:
> Several programs that NPR distributes are produced by NPR Member Stations, not NPR. These include top-rated news and cultural programs such as Fresh Air with host Terry Gross from WHYY...
NPR shows are things like All Things Considered. Car Talk was produced by an independent affiliate (just like Fresh Air). Yes, I am distinguishing between the two.
If NPR doesn't consider Fresh Air to be an "NPR show", then nor do they consider Car Talk to be an NPR show.
There's a difference between these and things like TV shows. Stuff like The Simpsons is actually a FOX show (as in whatever company makes them is owned by Fox). Whereas NPR never "owned" Car Talk, just as they don't currently "own" Fresh Air. These shows can always choose not to be part of NPR syndication. It's ultimately a licensing deal. They do own All Things Considered.
NPR does not say Fresh Air is "not an NPR show". They say it is produced by a member station. You are then superimposing your own personal definition of "NPR show", which Terry Gross for example does not share, onto that statement.
Fresh Air's X handle is @nprfreshair, and you want to tell me it's not an NPR show?
More importantly: how is any of this possibly relevant to the original conversation?
> NPR does not say Fresh Air is "not an NPR show". They say it is produced by a member station.
They also explicitly say that it is not produced by NPR.
It's not an NPR show in the sense that when the licensing deal expires, Fresh Air can choose not to be syndicated on NPR. It's an independent show that licenses itself to NPR. A show like All Things Considered has no such freedom.
> More importantly: how is any of this possibly relevant to the original conversation?
The original conversation was about how one can influence their local affiliate to change their programming, until someone came and nitpicked about whether NPR owns Car Talk or not.
No, the original conversation was about the perceived decline in quality at NPR. You then popped in to say that it was up to the local affiliates, not up to NPR, because these aren't "NPR shows" (by your own personal definition of that phrase). But regardless of whether we adopt your definition (and forsake the definition that Terry Gross and just about everyone else use), how is a decline in the quality of shows that NPR distributes not their responsibility, given that they can and do choose which shows to distribute?
It's interesting that you invoke Terry Gross as being part of NPR, when NPR actually says otherwise:
> Several programs that NPR distributes are produced by NPR Member Stations, not NPR. These include top-rated news and cultural programs such as Fresh Air with host Terry Gross from WHYY...
https://www.npr.org/about-npr/178640915/npr-stations-and-pub...
NPR shows are things like All Things Considered. Car Talk was produced by an independent affiliate (just like Fresh Air). Yes, I am distinguishing between the two.
If NPR doesn't consider Fresh Air to be an "NPR show", then nor do they consider Car Talk to be an NPR show.
There's a difference between these and things like TV shows. Stuff like The Simpsons is actually a FOX show (as in whatever company makes them is owned by Fox). Whereas NPR never "owned" Car Talk, just as they don't currently "own" Fresh Air. These shows can always choose not to be part of NPR syndication. It's ultimately a licensing deal. They do own All Things Considered.