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iTunes Radio Adds NPR, with More News Channels on the Way

Monday March 24, 2014 9:10 am PDT by Eric Slivka
itunes_radio_nprApple's iTunes Radio streaming music service is expanding today with the addition of a new National Public Radio (NPR) channel, reports Re/code.
NPR’s channel, which should be live today, will offer a free stream, 24 hours a day, which mixes live news with segments from pre-recorded shows like “All Things Considered” and “The Diane Rehm Show.” NPR officials say that within weeks, some of the broadcaster’s local stations should begin offering their own channels, with a similar mix of live and taped news.
NPR has also been working on bringing on-demand programming based on users' tastes to its mobile apps, and it is possible that functionality could come to the station's iTunes Radio service as well.

The report notes that it is currently unclear what the business relationship between Apple and NPR is in terms of generating revenue for NPR, but NPR vice president of digital media Zach Brand says that Apple has been "very understanding of the business model" used by the nonprofit.

iTunes Radio launched in the United States last September alongside iOS 7, and expanded to Australia last month. Apple is reportedly looking to also expand iTunes Radio to the UK, Canada, and New Zealand early this year, with an eventual goal of bringing the service to at least 100 countries.

Update: Direct link to NPR channel

Tag: iTunes Radio
[ 82 comments ]


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newagemac
71 months ago

Long time Pandora and Spotify user here. Listened to iTunes radio for about an hour this weekend. Heard 4 commercials. They were the same commercial. Back to Spotify, then.


Long time iTunes Radio user here. Haven't heard a single commercial yet... iTunes Match FTW. ;)
Rating: 8 Votes
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Todd B.
71 months ago
Hopefully they'll add the BBC, too. I know I can get it from the old radio format but it'd be nice to be folded right into the iTunes Radio branding.

Honestly, if they keep it up and add more live music, etc. it could be a nice XM/Sirius competitor.
Rating: 7 Votes
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jlwarlow
71 months ago

Us Canadians would like some iTunes Radio… especially with no alternatives such as Pandora and Spotify.

Is licensing impossible in Canada or what?


UK would like some too!
Rating: 6 Votes
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Frankied22
71 months ago
This is a nice surprise.
Rating: 5 Votes
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iMacFarlane
71 months ago
Long time Pandora and Spotify user here. Listened to iTunes radio for about an hour this weekend. Heard 4 commercials. They were the same commercial. Back to Spotify, then.
Rating: 3 Votes
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jayducharme
71 months ago
At first I thought this was an addition to the Apple TV.... This is a nice addition to iTunes Radio, though having a truly live stream would be even better.
Rating: 3 Votes
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alm99
71 months ago
The wife already absolutely LOVES iTunes radio. The addition of NPR to this is only going to make her love it so much more.
Rating: 3 Votes
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whsbuss
71 months ago

Long time Pandora and Spotify user here. Listened to iTunes radio for about an hour this weekend. Heard 4 commercials. They were the same commercial. Back to Spotify, then.


OMG - Pandora & Spotify (free) has so many more ads/interruptions than iTunes Radio ever does.
Rating: 3 Votes
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octothorpe8
71 months ago
Speaking of NPR, the New York affiliate WNYC has been working a really cool iOS app geared toward a rather NYC-specific problem: going into the subway and losing internet.

You open it, tell it how long you'll be underground, and it will build and download for offline use a set of stories based on the categories you're interested it. Very cool so far, and they seem to be actively improving it.
Rating: 3 Votes
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iMacFarlane
71 months ago

Long time iTunes Radio user here. Haven't heard a single commercial yet... iTunes Match FTW. ;)


You realise that for $25/year you could have no commercials, right?


Ah, okay then. I did not realize that the fee for Match and premium Radio were one and the same. I'll look into this, could be better to have my music in the cloud and the radio for pittance a year.

Thanks for the info! :)
Rating: 3 Votes

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