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Started 35 years ago with 30 employees and 90 charter stations, National Public Radio was created to be a clear alternative for commercial broadcasts, despite a rough start of political battles, unseasoned leadership, funding problems in its first few years. Today, NPR has become a dominant intellectual force in American life and a primary source of news for millions. Drawing on 57 interviews with people central to the NPR story, this book shows the history and evolution of National Public Radio from its precursors in the early 1900s to today to thoughts about the future of public radio. Laura's guest is Michael McCauley, former Professor of Communication and Journalism at the University of Maine and now author.