NPR correspondents

Sylvia Pogolli-the dean of unusual names at NPR.

Ever notice how NPR correspondents have lots of unusual and distinctive names. Why is this? Well, I suppose there are many reasons. NPR has a lot of reporters and hosts  to start with, perhaps more than any other American radio news organization.  NPR has lots of female correspondents many of whom use what seems to be their maiden names.  NPR also has more than a few  correspondents who speak a second language, who often have ethnic sounding names.  Finally the names just sound more exotic, when spoken by professional radio announcers... 

 Sylvia Poggoli- one the coolest of NPR's reporters, though she spent much of the of past decade telling us about Silvio Berlosconi...
 Neal Conan, host, Talk of the Nation is not a barbarian...
 Audie Cornish, host, All Things Considered-is this girl or a boy, I forget....
 Ira Flatow, host, Science Friday-obviously didn't get the lecture from Broadcasting school about getting a on air  bland  name... 
Renée Montagne, co-host, Morning Edition-this elegant name even rhymes...
 Michele Norris, host, All Things Considered - her Name reminds me of Nichelle Nichols. She left NPR
Korva Colman-nicely alliterative , and how many Korva's are there out there..
Daniel  Zwerdling-what is a Zwerdling? 
Guy Raz- he's the very sleepy host for Weekends at All things considered or whatever they are calling it now....
Bob Boilen -Music  on NPR should be banned...they somehow manage make the music of  new artists seem boring...
Yuki Nogichi-she should be anime director..
Frank Langfitt- this name annoys me I keep thinking it should Langford. Plus there is already a Frank Deford...
Dave Davies-Fresh Air fill in guy-normal name, but of course, reminds one of the Kinks guitarist
Wayne Goodwyn- a correspondent for the whole state of Texas-who would thought there was that much going on done there.
Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson-She speaks Persian, so they stuck her in Afghanistan.
Neda Ulaby- Never heard  that last name anywhere else  have you? 
Ketzel Levine-Pretzel no Ketzel!. 
Lakshmi Singh- news reader-great voice -hard to spell name.  Sounds like a singing door knob. 
Karen Grigbys Bates- The Grigsby makes it sound just a little more intersting... 
Mandalit del Barco- I think that's English for the Bank Of Mandalay...
Lourdes Garcia-Navarro, Foreign Correspondent, Jerusalem-yeah, I think she is Hispanic...
Diane Rehm- a rarity a radio broadcaster  who actually looks better than she sounds...She is now semi retired.  
Corey Flintoff- a TV  Western name for this news reader...
Tom Gjelton- Does he really need the silent "G"?
Ann Taylor-her name sounded like a department store-but she must have retired... 



and the winner for the coolest NPR Correspondent name -

Ofeibea Quist-Arcton, Foreign Correspondent, Dakar -yeah she is actually stationed there in 
Dakar...




Below is song parody that actually makes light of this fascinating issue...

   

THE NPR name song...

Posted by J.C. Bernhardt December 2012, Revised 2019