On Point’s Tom Ashbrook: “Show Offers News and Obsurity”

Stephen Henderson speaks with Tom Ashbrook, host of the NPR program On Point. Ashbrook says he spent many years in the print journalism industry and eventually broadcasting. He left media to start an internet based company. He says shortly after 9-11 he was asked to take on a new show to be broadcast on 500 stations across the country. Ashbrook describes his show as an hour of news and an hour of obscurity. He has a production staff of 10 people who help put the show together each day. He tells Stephen that what he most appreciates about public radio talk shows is the ability to take an in-depth look and issues and news and also hear from listeners during the live show. Stephen asks Ashbrook to explain to listeners why he brought his grief over the death of his wife to the airways, why it was important for him to do and how that helped him through his devastation.