This weekend I am taking a look at the media outlet NPR. I will be evaluating Nov. 1 Morning edition segment. This media outlet has many different programs you can listen on the radio, online and also through smart phone apps. They also have news articles on their website if you would rather read then listen to the new. NPR is a nationally renown radio station and covers a variety of news topics. Some major topics they touch on daily are Political issues nationally and internationally, health news, technology, movie reviews, the economy, and random strange news segments. Online NPR provides a 24-hour program stream as well as a hourly news summary so anyone can catch up on the daily news quickly.

One of the top stories was Food Stamp Benefits Set to Shrink. Starting Nov. 1, 47 million Americans that rely on food stamps are going to have to do will less. This is because $5 billion of funding that went to food stamps has gone away because the economic stimulus of ’09 has expired. What this means is that a family of four will be loosing up to $36 a month in food stamp benefits. This reduction in food stamps has affected more than just the people receiving the food stamps. Because of the food stamp cuts, soup kitchens and food pantries will begin to see an increase in demand for their supplies to feed families in need. Right now food pantries are already feeling stretched and unsure what the future will bring. Democrats want $4.5 billion in food stamp cuts over 10 years while Republicans would like to slash food stamp funding by $40 billion over 10 years. At the moment, the two parties are negotiating to reach a compromise.

One topic that caught my interest was FAA Eases up on Electronic Devices on Flights. This interested me because I travel a lot with softball and when I got home for breaks so I like to know what is going on with airline rules and regulations.  The FAA says that it is now okay for passengers to use portable electronic devices from gate to gate. Therefore, air travelers can listen to music, play games, and read eBooks throughout the entire flight. This rule will no apply to cellphones unless they are on airplane mode. Also, laptops must be put away because they are a safety issue because of their weight. These changes will take place depending on what the specific airline would like to do.

Another topic that caught my eye was Can Starbucks do for Tea what it has done for Coffee? This interested me because I am a huge Teavana fan ever since I stopped drinking coffee. One thing that really surprised me that I had no idea of was that last year Starbucks bought Teavana. When Starbucks bought Teavana they saw the opportunity to do with tea what they have done with coffee. Starbucks has recently opened up a Teavana that is not just a retail store but a tea bar. Like their coffee products they are making mixed tea beverages in this tea bar and they call them tea-lattes. This first tea bar was open on Madison Avenue in Manhattan, N.Y.

I think that NPR is for an older and wiser audience who care about political news. Also, I think the audience of NPR is people who listen to the radio wanting to know the important news that do not have time to read it or watch it on the T.V.

I liked this news outlet and found the topics interesting but do not see myself returning to it in the near future. The only time I listen to the radio is in the car and I enjoy listening to music. Also, I do not find myself looking up news on my computer a lot so I do not think I would be listening to NPR soon.