Submitted With Humility (And a Fair Amount of Trepidation)
Anyone who has witnessed the opening of the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament in Stamford knows that one points out errors in the Times crossword at one’s own risk. This past year, the festivities began on the very day the puzzle included a marvel of misdirection: 1D, “They got back on the road in 1998.” Before the end of the day, Will Shortz had already received a note from a reader expressing utter disdain. Everyone knew the Beatles had disbanded nearly three decades earlier. (I was reminded of Paul McCartney’s line that there would be no reunion as long as John Lennon remained dead.) Shortz was pitch-perfect as he captured the moral outrage of the letter—and then gently deflated it as he pointed out that the actual answer, BEETLES (as in Volkswagen), not BEATLES, was correct all along.
I’ve learned to assume over the years that if I spot something that looks wrong, it’s a good idea to look a second, third and even a fourth time. Usually, I’m the one who’s just not seeing things the right way.
This morning, when I encountered 52D, “‘As It Happens’ airer,” I didn’t think twice before entering CBC (all the while wondering if the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation has in fact been broadcasting its long-running interview program during the lockout that has crippled the network for the last six weeks). This, however, resulted in a suspicious CN combination in the crossing entry.
Aha, I thought, Will Shortz and the constructor, Levi Denham, must be thinking of the broadcast entity that distributes the show south of the border. And indeed they were. They got the wrong one, though. While NPR (the answer in today’s puzzle) does air interesting news programs, it is American Public Media, a division of Minnesota Public Radio, that distributes “As It Happens” here in the States. Because NPR is the oldest and the most famous of the three major distributors of public radio programming in the U.S. (the other two being PRI and the aforementioned APM), it has become the Kleenex of its industry. And it’s natural to want National Public Radio and “national public radio” to be synonymous. But they’re not.
Still, it was a very enjoyable puzzle.
I’ve learned to assume over the years that if I spot something that looks wrong, it’s a good idea to look a second, third and even a fourth time. Usually, I’m the one who’s just not seeing things the right way.
This morning, when I encountered 52D, “‘As It Happens’ airer,” I didn’t think twice before entering CBC (all the while wondering if the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation has in fact been broadcasting its long-running interview program during the lockout that has crippled the network for the last six weeks). This, however, resulted in a suspicious CN combination in the crossing entry.
Aha, I thought, Will Shortz and the constructor, Levi Denham, must be thinking of the broadcast entity that distributes the show south of the border. And indeed they were. They got the wrong one, though. While NPR (the answer in today’s puzzle) does air interesting news programs, it is American Public Media, a division of Minnesota Public Radio, that distributes “As It Happens” here in the States. Because NPR is the oldest and the most famous of the three major distributors of public radio programming in the U.S. (the other two being PRI and the aforementioned APM), it has become the Kleenex of its industry. And it’s natural to want National Public Radio and “national public radio” to be synonymous. But they’re not.
Still, it was a very enjoyable puzzle.
posted by DO at 9:13 AM
6 Comments:
I'm guilty of using "NPR" as shorthand for PRI, Chicago Public Radio, WBEZ, and all other entities providing or broadcasting content via public radio. So sue me.
Is "Kleenex" the Kleenex of proper names gone generic?
Uh-oh..."As it Happens" is listed on NPR's website list of programs. AND APM's. Two-timer!
I get all the public radio things confused because my local outfit is like this public radio hyper-hodgepodge of BBC, PRI, NPR, APM, VFH, WUNC, and WTF...er..I mean WVTF.
PS - I didn't look up AiH because I doubted you - I was actually looking for a different show and then I saw that. Swwwear.
That list is a little confusing. NPR is simply listing "many popular public radio programs," many of which are not distributed by NPR.
Snap! Why does NPR list programs that aren't distributed by NPR?? What if you want a list of JUST NPR-distributed programs? Why is there a show called "The Annoying Music Show"?! I give up on understanding the nuances of public radio. It is a puzzle too complex.
(Seriously though, this list goes against every capitalism-instilled expectation in my head. When I go to a list of programs on a website, I assume it to be a proprietary list. It seems so...nice to list other programs. I guess that's the "public" part in action, which I perhaps should've expected.)
Why is there a show called "The Annoying Music Show"?!
Because "OH MY GOD, TURN OFF YOUR RADIO NOW, YOU'VE BEEN WARNED, DO IT RIGHT NOW OR YOU'LL REGRET IT ... AH, THERE'S NO TELLING SOME PEOPLE!" doesn't fit in the program guide.
Can we just all agree to cap "It" when it's used in a title--following Dean's example and not NPR's--before the Earth spins completely off its axis? That's all I ask.
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