I literally searched NPR on this page and came across your comment.
I have had a sneaking suspicion I cannot shake since once about 5 years ago I was listening to an interview with a pop musician on my local NPR affiliate that I may have been wrongly biasing my sense that their guests were smarter as compared to talk show guests on more right leaning radio stations on the AM dial. Not even as a matter of their political beliefs; just when it's subject matter experts or non-political celebrities. They always sound more intellectually deep or thoughtful on NPR than on those AM stations. Wonder if it's this effect...
I have had a sneaking suspicion I cannot shake since once about 5 years ago I was listening to an interview with a pop musician on my local NPR affiliate that I may have been wrongly biasing my sense that their guests were smarter as compared to talk show guests on more right leaning radio stations on the AM dial. Not even as a matter of their political beliefs; just when it's subject matter experts or non-political celebrities. They always sound more intellectually deep or thoughtful on NPR than on those AM stations. Wonder if it's this effect...