Weekend Edition
Encyclopedia
Weekend Edition is the name given to a set of American radio
news magazines produced and distributed by National Public Radio (NPR
). It is the weekend counterpart to Morning Edition
. It consists of Weekend Edition Saturday (WESat) and Weekend Edition Sunday (WESun), each of which airs for two hours, from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. Eastern time, with refeeds until 2 p.m. Weekend Edition Saturday is hosted by Scott Simon
, while Weekend Edition Sunday is hosted by Audie Cornish
.
The programs feature longer stories than most NPR newsmagazines and more arts and culture stories. On Saturdays the program had a discussion of the week's events with the late commentator, Daniel Schorr
. Until February 10, 2008, on Sundays the show broadcast "Voices in the News", an audio montage of sound clips from the week's events. Sundays continue to have the "Puzzle" game with New York Times crossword puzzle editor Will Shortz
.
breaks up each hour into five segments, none more than nine minutes long; Weekend Edition uses only three segments per hour, accommodating longer stories than could be allowed on Morning Edition.
Weekend Edition begins with a sixty-second billboard. Both Simon and Cornish use the billboard as a general discussion about what's coming up in the hour, infused with soundbites from selected stories. A standard five-minute NPR newscast follows, until six past the hour. A thirty-second music bed follows the newscast, allowing local stations an opportunity to promote programming or local news/weather/traffic.
Segment A begins at 6:30 past the hour (duration 11:29). It is here that the most important news of the day is placed. Regular features (such as, before his death, Daniel Schorr's weekly news wrap-up) appear in this segment. At eighteen minutes past the hour, a two-minute station break starts. The first minute is a music bed solely for use of the member stations. The second minute, from nineteen to twenty past, is a "headlines" segment in which the NPR newscaster on staff that morning recaps the major stories of the hour. Some stations decide to use the entire two minutes for local purposes, taking the opportunity to deliver their own headlines, underwriting or events calendars.
At twenty past the hour, segment B begins, running 14:19 in length. NPR offers local stations a cutaway from the national feed at 34:20 past the hour. The cutaway is identified by the host when he or she says, "You're listening to Weekend Edition from NPR News." For stations that opt to stay with the national feed, a short interview or commentary piece is delivered, running 2:59 in length. Another two-minute station break, following the same music bed/headlines format as the first, ensues.
Segment C, the longest segment of the hour, starts at 40:00 after the hour and runs for seventeen minutes, forty-nine seconds. WESat usually slots musical performances, arts stories or interviews in segment C. WESun uses the time for its weekly puzzle segment with Will Shortz
, as well as interviews and light features. At the end of the segment, Simon or Cornish will read the credits and sign off for the hour. Segment C is followed by a forty-second funding credit announcement, and then ninety seconds of music.
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
news magazines produced and distributed by National Public Radio (NPR
NPR
NPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
). It is the weekend counterpart to Morning Edition
Morning Edition
Morning Edition is an American radio news program produced and distributed by National Public Radio . It airs weekday mornings and runs for two hours, and many stations repeat one or both hours. The show feeds live from 05:00 to 09:00 ET, with feeds and updates as required until noon...
. It consists of Weekend Edition Saturday (WESat) and Weekend Edition Sunday (WESun), each of which airs for two hours, from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. Eastern time, with refeeds until 2 p.m. Weekend Edition Saturday is hosted by Scott Simon
Scott Simon
Scott Simon is an American journalist and the host of Weekend Edition Saturday on National Public Radio.- Life and career :...
, while Weekend Edition Sunday is hosted by Audie Cornish
Audie Cornish
Audie Cornish is the host of NPR's Weekend Edition Sunday.Cornish is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. During her years there, she interned with NPR, and worked with campus radio station WMUA....
.
The programs feature longer stories than most NPR newsmagazines and more arts and culture stories. On Saturdays the program had a discussion of the week's events with the late commentator, Daniel Schorr
Daniel Schorr
Daniel Louis Schorr was an American journalist who covered world news for more than 60 years. He was most recently a Senior News Analyst for National Public Radio...
. Until February 10, 2008, on Sundays the show broadcast "Voices in the News", an audio montage of sound clips from the week's events. Sundays continue to have the "Puzzle" game with New York Times crossword puzzle editor Will Shortz
Will Shortz
Will Shortz is an American puzzle creator and editor, and currently the crossword puzzle editor for The New York Times.-Early life and education:...
.
Format
Weekday sibling Morning EditionMorning Edition
Morning Edition is an American radio news program produced and distributed by National Public Radio . It airs weekday mornings and runs for two hours, and many stations repeat one or both hours. The show feeds live from 05:00 to 09:00 ET, with feeds and updates as required until noon...
breaks up each hour into five segments, none more than nine minutes long; Weekend Edition uses only three segments per hour, accommodating longer stories than could be allowed on Morning Edition.
Weekend Edition begins with a sixty-second billboard. Both Simon and Cornish use the billboard as a general discussion about what's coming up in the hour, infused with soundbites from selected stories. A standard five-minute NPR newscast follows, until six past the hour. A thirty-second music bed follows the newscast, allowing local stations an opportunity to promote programming or local news/weather/traffic.
Segment A begins at 6:30 past the hour (duration 11:29). It is here that the most important news of the day is placed. Regular features (such as, before his death, Daniel Schorr's weekly news wrap-up) appear in this segment. At eighteen minutes past the hour, a two-minute station break starts. The first minute is a music bed solely for use of the member stations. The second minute, from nineteen to twenty past, is a "headlines" segment in which the NPR newscaster on staff that morning recaps the major stories of the hour. Some stations decide to use the entire two minutes for local purposes, taking the opportunity to deliver their own headlines, underwriting or events calendars.
At twenty past the hour, segment B begins, running 14:19 in length. NPR offers local stations a cutaway from the national feed at 34:20 past the hour. The cutaway is identified by the host when he or she says, "You're listening to Weekend Edition from NPR News." For stations that opt to stay with the national feed, a short interview or commentary piece is delivered, running 2:59 in length. Another two-minute station break, following the same music bed/headlines format as the first, ensues.
Segment C, the longest segment of the hour, starts at 40:00 after the hour and runs for seventeen minutes, forty-nine seconds. WESat usually slots musical performances, arts stories or interviews in segment C. WESun uses the time for its weekly puzzle segment with Will Shortz
Will Shortz
Will Shortz is an American puzzle creator and editor, and currently the crossword puzzle editor for The New York Times.-Early life and education:...
, as well as interviews and light features. At the end of the segment, Simon or Cornish will read the credits and sign off for the hour. Segment C is followed by a forty-second funding credit announcement, and then ninety seconds of music.
Hosts
- Weekend Edition Saturday
- Scott SimonScott SimonScott Simon is an American journalist and the host of Weekend Edition Saturday on National Public Radio.- Life and career :...
(1985–1992; 1993–present) - Alex ChadwickAlex ChadwickAlex Chadwick is an American journalist best known for his work on National Public Radio, and as a former co-host of the radio newsmagazine Day to Day. He was a part of the development of NPR's Morning Edition in the 1970s and was an on-air personality on All Things Considered and Weekend Edition...
(1992–1993)
- Scott Simon
- Weekend Edition Sunday
- Susan StambergSusan StambergSusan Stamberg is an American radio journalist who is currently a Special Correspondent for National Public Radio and guest host for Weekend Edition Saturday.Stamberg was born in Newark, New Jersey...
(1987–1989) - Liane HansenLiane HansenLiane Hansen is an American journalist and radio personality who was senior host of the National Public Radio newsmagazine Weekend Edition Sunday until her retirement in May 2011...
(1989–2011) - Audie CornishAudie CornishAudie Cornish is the host of NPR's Weekend Edition Sunday.Cornish is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. During her years there, she interned with NPR, and worked with campus radio station WMUA....
(2011–present)
- Susan Stamberg