In The Loop with Jeff Horwich - Minnesota Public Radio

My fave MPR show. Smart, funny, interesting stories with a talented group of performers and production staff.

ITL was fantastic as a live audience show - good interviews, interesting produced segments, audience feedback, (mostly) funny comedy, even a live band with original songs! Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like MPR could keep it up (it always seemed like a pretty big production) or sell it upstairs to NPR or PRI or however that works. Anyway, it was still good as a half hour weekly broadcast with the occasionaly Story Slam (are those ever coming back?) Now that it's gone all-digital it's even better in some ways...freed from the time and content constraints of the MPR Fuddy Duddy formula (Kerri Miller, anyone?), the show seems to have found a new voice and a sharper edge. Hurry up and listen before someone upstairs starts paying attention and shuts it down.

I loved this show when it was on the radio; in both its live and pre-recorded versions. I was very sad to see it go off the air, but everyone is tightening their belts these days... That's when the Internet and podcasting swooped in to save the day. Now, instead of being tied to the broadcasting restraints of the FCC, among others, the show is back and better than ever. I'm looking forward to seeing what Jeff and the gang come up with in the coming months. Keep up the great work!

Why this doesn't have a national circulation I don't know. It's a combination of "The Now Show" and "In Our time". Good interviews interspersed with comedy sketches. An unusual format, but one that really works. News oriented, so it has a focus of what's going on in the news. I see the last one is in Feb, I hope it comes back online.