All Things Considered

• 1. The First Broadcast

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  On the 3rd of May 1971, a single voice named Robert Conley spoke into a microphone for the first time. That broadcast reached approximately 90 radio stations across the United States. The content focused on a march in Washington D.C. and protests against the Vietnam War. Stations could not air this feed live during that initial week. They had to record it for later playback instead. This delay reflected the limited operating hours of many affiliate stations at the time. Most did not sign on until mid-morning or later. NPR chose the afternoon commute slot specifically because morning availability was scarce among its partners. It would take eight years before Morning Edition premiered in 1979 when affiliates began broadcasting earlier.

• 2. Structure And Timing

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  Segments within All Things Considered follow a precise schedule from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time. A one-minute billboard lists stories under a theme song by Don Voegeli. The standard five-minute newscast runs from minute one to minute six past the hour. At four minutes past, a cutaway allows local stations to insert evening rush-hour news and traffic reports. Segment A begins at :06:30 after the hour and lasts 11:29 minutes. It often features significant interviews or developing stories rather than just breaking headlines. Segment B starts at :20:35 and runs 8:24 minutes with lighter commentary mixed into the news flow. Long feature stories appear in Segment C which kicks off at :35:35 past the hour. Some episodes break format entirely to place a single 12-minute story across Segments C and D without interruption. Stations receive a preliminary rundown before each broadcast to schedule their own local content appropriately.

• 3. Voices Of The Show

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  Susan Stamberg anchored the program from 1972 until 1986. Her tenure spanned fourteen years of daily broadcasts. Noah Adams served as host for two separate periods between 1982 and 2002. Robert Siegel held the anchor chair from 1987 through 2018. That thirty-one year run makes him one of the longest-serving hosts in public radio history. Current anchors include Mary Louise Kelly who joined in 2018 alongside Ailsa Chang. Juana Summers began her role in 2022 while Scott Detrow started in 2025. Weekend editions featured Mike Waters from 1974 to 1978 and later Lynn Neary from 1984 to 1992. Commentators like Daniel Schorr contributed regular segments from 1985 until 2010. These individuals shaped the tone and direction of the show over five decades of broadcasting.

• 4. Honors And Recognition

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  The program received the Ohio State Award and the Peabody Award among other major industry honors. It also won the Overseas Press Club Award and the DuPont Award. In 1993, All Things Considered became the first public radio program inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame. The Library of Congress selected the very first broadcast episode from the 3rd of May 1971 for preservation in the National Recording Registry in 2017. This collection includes recordings deemed culturally or historically significant. The Robert F. Kennedy Award recognized another aspect of its journalistic excellence. These accolades reflect the enduring impact of the show on American media culture.

• 5. Audience Numbers

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  By 2005, the program aired on over 560 radio stations nationwide. That year it reached an audience of approximately 12 million listeners each weekday. This made it the third most listened to radio program in the United States behind The Rush Limbaugh Show and Morning Edition. In September 2010, average quarter-hour audience numbers stood at 1.8 million listeners. The show maintains high ratings compared to other public radio programs. It remains one of the highest rated shows alongside Morning Edition as of 2002 and 2005 data points. These figures demonstrate consistent listener engagement across multiple decades of operation.

• 6. Digital And Podcasting

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  NPR launched a podcast companion called Consider This on the 29th of June 2020. Hosts provide in-depth analysis of a single story each weekday afternoon within this digital format. Local reporting from stations like Dallas-based KERA supplements national episodes. The podcast expanded to weekends starting the 8th of January 2022 with Michel Martin hosting Saturday editions. Weekend episodes moved to Sundays in May 2023. Before this launch, the network produced a Coronavirus Daily podcast throughout spring 2020. A separate live call-in show named The National Conversation ran from March through May 2020 addressing pandemic questions. International broadcasts include ABC NewsRadio in Australia which airs selected segments between 12:00 and 13:00 Australian Eastern Standard Time Monday to Friday.