I thought as much

When I started listening to NPR, Corey Flintoff used to start the news by saying "This is NPR news and I'm ..... Corey Flintoff." This drove me slightly nuts. Was he assuming that someone was plugging in a drumroll? Was his name on the next page and he had to turn the page to read his name? Did the page say "This is NPR news and I'm [insert your name here]" and he couldn't remember his name? Was he in the Witness Protection Program and was mentally sorting thorugh his various aliases? Was he imitating Paul Harvey just to push my buttons? Aaaaarrrrggghhh.

So one day I asked a certain NPR staffer*, "So, uhm, what's up with the big pause before Corey Flintoff says his name? Can't he remember it?" The question was passed on and Corey - who I admire and who has a lovely voice, by the way - said that it was a dramatic pause. "Well, at least one of your listeners thinks that you can't remember your name." The pause went away and a grateful nation still sends me flowers and chocolates. Or at least thinks about doing that, but never quite gets around to it. After this blog post, of course, I'll be carried through the streets of Montgomery County on the shoulders of NPR geeks, I'm sure.

So anyway, today Michele Norris started the broadcast by saying "This is All Things Considered from NPR and I'm Robert Siegel." Then Robert Siegel, sounding very amused, said "And I'm Robert Siegel." It was sort of like a radio version of To Tell the Truth. (Sadly for those of you who missed, it'll probably be cleaned up before the repeat, so St. Crispin's Day-like, you will just have to call yourselves a-cursed who did not hear it.)

Anyway, now we know that the piece of paper - or more likely the monitor - said "This is NPR news and I'm [the actual name of the host or newsreader]. Glad to have that settled.


*The downside to working at NPR is the sheer amount of off work time that you have to spend explaining and hearing about your workplace from geeky listeners. I have been assured that I am not the only one who does this.