National Public Radio's Ascendance: Boon to the Arts?

The Washington Post reports that, unlike most media outlets these days, NPR is showing strong audience growth. While it's natural to think of NPR as primarily a news source, it devotes a remarkable amount of time to features on the arts, interviews with artists, and even some artistic programming. Whether its audience growth is due to people seeking news & information (especially in an exciting election year like 2008) or a harmonic convergence of like-minded people discovering a place for diverse and intelligent programming, the additional exposure to what the arts offer America is welcome. (NPR stations locally include KPCC-FM 89.3 which features mostly news & information including the NPR flagship programs "All Things Considered" and "Morning Edition" as well as weekend entertainment programs; KCRW-FM 89.9 which carries NPR's "ATC" and "ME" also, but devotes much of its programming to new music through original programs like "Morning Becomes Eclectic;" and KPBS-FM in San Diego, also carrying "ATC" and "ME" but maintaining a classical music format. Of course, with streaming today, you can tap in directly to NPR.org as well.