I like public radio because...

Let's face it: you like public radio, or you wouldn't be reading this. Whether you like public radio because of Ira Glass or because of your local program director who works his tail off to produce features your community couldn't live without, I think you and I agree that public radio is as necessary for our everyday lives as the air we breathe. We not only like public radio; we love it.

I cotton to the four women and one man yakking on Meagan Manning's promo piece from Wisconsin Public Radio -- which could be aired from Bangor to Seattle. One gal admits that she likes public radio "because I love Scott Simon." Another mentions Michael Feldman: "The humor is great, and you can have it any time of the day." The only guy says he likes public radio "because it's the first thing I hear every morning, and it gets me going and tells me what's going on in the day."

No-nonsense testimonials, like this one from ordinary Janes and a solitary Joe, have recently flooded our public airwaves, especially before fundraiser drives. Along with such celebs as Liane Hansen and Steve Inskeep, it's fun to hear the public laud public radio. Eavesdropping on common folks H.L. Mencken referred to as "the peepul" somehow makes it easier for us to write a check for our own local public radio stations.

Two small problems here: I had trouble understanding the first speaker's garbled name. My main quibble is with the insistent thrum of a jazz combo riffing a bit too loudly in the background. But hey, all things considered, (!), the five words, "I Like Public Radio Because. . ." come close to having the gorgeous resonance of those three magic words, "This I Believe," at least for me.