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"Morning Edition" Format Changes Start Today

You may notice this morning and going forward that NPR’s “Morning Edition” has changed the  format.  Here’s a bit of behind-the-scenes radio knowledge: All national public radio shows have something called a clock. Broadcast clocks are templates that track the timing of a show's stories and interviews, newscasts, funding credits, and opportunities for local content each day.

Starting today, August 13, NPR is making some changes to its Morning Edition clock. The changes are designed to deliver a live and “in-the-moment” experience for our listeners, with the show being hosted on-location for big stories, drilling down on key issues with newsmakers, and continuing to spend time in the immersive, sound-rich features that sets public radio apart and that listeners tell us they value deeply.

The most noticeable change will likely be that we’re once again airing national NPR Newscasts at the “bottom” of the hour (on the half hour), rather than offering two slightly shorter Newscasts at the :19 and :42 minute marks. We’ve also slightly lengthened the programming segments that immediately follow the NPR Newscasts, allowing more time to cover the most important stories of the day.

There is one other very small change that Morning Edition fans may notice. The short, often humorous host updates that formerly aired at the bottom of the hour have now moved to a slightly later point in the show, at 44:30 past the hour.

Anywhere you see "Music" in the above clock graphic is an opportunity for local content.  Between 6:00 and 9:00 a.m., our local news and weather reports will now be at :04 past the hour during Morning Edition.  The live and local interviews will continue to be heard in the 8 o’clock hour starting at either 8:42:30 or 8:45:35 depending upon the guest.  And we will continue to have the occasional “feature” story that airs at either 7:42:30 or 7:45:35, again  depending upon the featured guest.

We recognize that many of our listeners time their busy morning routines to NPR programming, and we can’t thank you enough for making us an essential part of how you start your day. We hope it won’t take long to adjust to the new format, and we’d love to hear from you again in a few weeks or months if you have an update on your experience. Omaha’s Public Radio, KIOS-FM will share feedback with NPR about these changes as they roll out. If you have questions or comments, please send them to us at listener@kios.org.  Thank you so much for your support!