Fifty and Forward: An Anniversary Celebration of NPR

On May 3, 2021, NPR turns 50 years old. To mark this milestone, we're reflecting on and renewing our commitment to Hear Every Voice. Illustration by Spencer Gabor.

NPR just turned 50 years old. The network was born in the era of the Vietnam War and came of age during the explosion of the 24/7 news cycle. In that half a century, journalism has changed a lot. Today (Fri) we’re going to look back at how it all started–it’s a good story too, NPR barely made it onto the air that first week. And we’ll examine the future of public radio. Tune in to the one-hour special today at 12pm PST here on KCRW.