On May 3, 1971, at 5 p.m., All Things Considered debuted on 90 public radio stations.
In the more than four decades since, almost everything about the program has changed, from the hosts, producers, editors and reporters to the length of the program, the equipment used and even the audience.
However there is one thing that remains the same: each show consists of the biggest stories of the day, thoughtful commentaries, insightful features on the quirky and the mainstream in arts and life, music and entertainment, all brought alive through sound.
All Things Considered is the most listened-to, afternoon drive-time, news radio program in the country. Every weekday the two-hour show is hosted by Ailsa Chang, Mary Louise Kelly and Ari Shapiro. In 1977, ATC expanded to seven days a week with a one-hour show on Saturdays and Sundays, which is hosted by Michel Martin.
During each broadcast, stories and reports come to listeners from NPR reporters and correspondents based throughout the United States and the world. The hosts interview newsmakers and contribute their own reporting. Rounding out the mix are the disparate voices of a variety of commentators.
All Things Considered has earned many of journalism's highest honors, including the George Foster Peabody Award, the Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award and the Overseas Press Club Award.
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One year later, the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan has changed life for ordinary Afghans.
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Following Salman Rushdie's stabbing at an event in western New York, NPR's Michel Martin speaks with the Chautauqua Institution's Emily Morris about the organization's role going forward.
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Music writer Jack Hamilton reviews the new collaboration album from Black Thought and Danger Mouse, Cheat Codes.
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With virtual reality headsets, elderly survivors of the partition between India and Pakistan are getting 360-degree views of their long-lost homes — on opposite sides of the international border.
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Nebraska law enforcement requested Facebook messages of two women being investigated for an alleged illegal abortion. NPR's Michel Martin speaks with Upturn's Logan Koepke about data privacy.
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On Sunday night, Saturn will be closer to Earth than at any other point during the year. The American Museum of Natural History's Jackie Faherty explains how people can view this phenomenon.
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Author Xochitl Gonzalez examines the role of race and class in society's preference for quiet in her essay in The Atlantic, "Why Do Rich People Love Quiet?" She discusses it with NPR's Michel Martin.
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Artist Rafael López used his upbringing in Mexico City for inspiration. It took two years of development before the set launched, and each stamp will carry on a cultural legacy forever. -
Some say benefits for fossil fuel companies in Congress's climate change legislation weaken its impact. NPR's Michel Martin speaks with energy historian Gregory Brew about the bill.
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NPR's Michel Martin speaks with writer, filmmaker and musician Blitz Bazawule about his new novel, The Scent of Burnt Flowers.
