Morning Edition

Morning Edition is an American radio news program produced and distributed by National Public Radio (NPR). It airs weekday mornings, Monday-Friday and runs for two hours, although many stations repeat one or both hours. The show feeds live from 5 AM to 7 AM with refeeds with updates as needed until 12 noon Eastern Time. The show premiered on November 5, 1979.

Format

The program begins with an open which highlights stories to be covered in the hour. At least one birthday or anniversary of a major event is announced as well.

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The standard NPR newscast follows for five minutes. Many stations cover the last two minutes of the newscast for their own local news. Then a 3 1/2 minute business report follows and the signature "bleeble" begins the program.

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The first segment, called the "A" segment, highlights the most important stories of the day. Usually the "A" segments differ between hours, although when the topic is extraordinary, the "A" segment will cover the same topic, but in a different format between the first and second hour. Between each segment, one to three minute breaks occur which are filled with promotions for other programs, sponsorship credits, and station-provided content such as local traffic and weather reports.

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The second segment, or "B" segment, generally contains features, commentaries, or long form interviews. Interviews can last up to nine minutes long. Then at the bottom of the hour, a humorous news segment is delivered.

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Another five minute newscast occurs, with many stations covering the last two minutes with local news and features. The "C" segment follows and is often covered by stations with local content as well. This segment features news or cultural reports of three to four minutes long. The "D" segment is generally one or two long form news features, commentaries, or interviews.

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The "E" segment differs between hours. In the first hour, the "E" segment focuses on business stories, while in the second hour, the "E" segment is a cultural feature or softer news story, usually taking the entire segment of eight minutes. The majority of NPR stations cover the "E" segment in the first hour with a broadcast of the Marketplace Morning Report.

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Stations receive over their computers the daily rundown of stories before each program which allows them to plan their coverage and decide what stories they wish to replace with local content. The rundown is updated as necessary until 12 noon Eastern time.

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