What shows do you love? Take the IPR News programming survey

So, first: What are we doing and why?
It's good, every few years, to re-examine how the programs we broadcast serve our audience. And decisions made in one era might be the wrong choice for a new era.

We want you to feel that every time you turn on IPR News Radio, you get something useful, make a discovery, or get a sense of northern Michigan (or all three, on our best days!).

And we think we can do that by changing our programming schedule with the following principles in mind:

IPR's commitment to in-depth reporting on northern Michigan will not change. In fact, we plan to have it grow.

We also want to give more prominence in our local schedule to programs that reflect local life. That includes a second airing of Stateside from Michigan Public, five days a week, at 7 p.m., and an earlier slot on Sundays for the National Writers Series and locally produced specials.

One of the biggest values public radio brings to its audience is the ability to see the world from many angles.

We will retain our longstanding commitment to quality reporting from programs like Morning Edition, All Things Considered and Marketplace. But we also hope to bring in new programs that analyze the news and elevate voices that are important to our region.

We also recognize that you’re more than just the headlines, so we hope we can add some good lifestyle programs, too.

• Shows under consideration: Native America Calling; Today, Explained; This Old House Radio Hour; The New Yorker Radio Hour.

We believe that giving you access to headline news and in-depth reporting from northern Michigan, the nation and the world is absolutely at the core of our mission.

But, let’s face it, news fatigue is real. We aren’t built to constantly absorb the weight of the world.

So we propose taking a break from the news each night with a few hours of music programming starting at 8 p.m. on weekdays and 7 p.m. on weekends. We'll return to the BBC World Service overnight.

• Shows under consideration: World Cafe; Mountain Stage; and the NPR Tiny Desk Concerts.

It's possible Congress could eliminate federal funding for public broadcasting and, yes, that could impact the programming we're able to bring you. Learn more about what that would mean to IPR specifically, and what you can do about it.

We think the changes we're considering will save us money and provide better listener service — and that doing those two things is an important way to prepare for whatever might come.

Let us know what you think of these ideas, and what among our existing lineup is crucial to your listening experience. Your opinions will factor into our thinking, as well as other considerations like cost, listenership to each different program and how we feel it serves our community's needs.

Subscribers to our weekly newsletter were the first to receive this survey, and often hear about station news first. Sign up now: