Frequently Asked Questions

Radio FAQs

Radio Schedules

How do I find the daily or weekly OPB Radio schedule?

The OPB Radio home page has links to both the FM and AM radio schedules. The OPB Member Guide (sent to members) also provides radio schedules, as well as additional programming details, background and feature stories.

Why are some programs repeated?

Since OPB listeners have such diverse schedules and habits, we repeat a few especially popular radio programs -- including Fresh Air with Terry Gross, Car Talk and A Prairie Home Companion -- in an effort to reach audiences that listen at different times. Morning Edition repeats each morning from 3-9am so our many listeners with varied morning schedules can hear the program.

Radio Stations

How do I find a list of OPB Radio frequencies and locations?

Here's a full list of OPB Radio frequencies and locations.

How do I listen to OPB's Accessible Information Network (formerly Golden Hours)?

OPB's Accessible Information Network is a radio reading and information service for those who are unable to read traditional printed material, the physically disabled and senior citizens. The Accessible Information Network can be heard via the Secondary Audio Program (SAP) channel on OPB TV or streamed online. The SAP channel is usually activated via a button labeled "SAP" or "Audio" on your television or VCR remote control. (If you should find that an OPB TV program has the wrong audio track, you've most likely activated the SAP channel without realizing it.) Find out how to turn off the SAP channel

Purchasing Programs

How do I get a copy of a program I heard on OPB Radio?

Most OPB Radio programs are not offered for sale, but many can be heard again online via links on the program's Web sites. Some shows -- This American Life, for instance -- are also available as podcasts. NPR has an online shop (which is also accessible by phone at 888.677.3472) that offers some NPR shows, including "Best of" compilations. Public Radio International programs can be found at the PRI online shop. Some radio programs can also be purchased online at Shop OPB or by phone at 888.891.7608.

Why aren't transcripts of some programs available for sale?

Each program's producers determine whether or not transcripts are available. NPR news programs offer transcripts of story segments on a selected basis at the discretion of editorial staff. The production of full and accurate transcripts can be an expensive process, and some programs do not have the resources to offer this service. Information about transcript availability is usually located on the program's Web site. Web sites for programs can be found on our Current programs page. Select the program you're interested in and click on "Visit Program Website."

Program Content & Information

How do I find a radio program's Web site?

Web sites for programs airing on OPB Radio can be found on our Current programs page. Select the program you're interested in and click on "Visit Program Website."

For many programs produced by NPR, PRI or APM, the program sites can be found under the respective network umbrellas at NPR, PRI or APM. Just use the search form at each site to find your program. Access to available program content -- transcripts, musical interludes, audio files, additional subject links and resources -- can be found on those pages.

How do I find or identify a piece of music from an OPB Radio program?

OPB music staff offers detailed music playlists for OPB-produced music programs, which are usually posted one to three days after a program airs.

Current programs

Audio clips and details about musical interludes from major news programs on OPB — Morning Edition, All Things Considered, The World, etc. — can often be found at each show's Web site. Web sites for programs airing on OPB Radio can be found on our Current programs page. Select the program you're interested in and click on "Visit Program Website." On the program's home page, look for "archive" or "past shows" links to find the date you need. Most sites list each show's component segments and musical breaks. Most — but not all — Web sites include information about the music. This decision is made by each program's producers.

Below are links to Web sites for some of the shows that often prompt questions about music:

How do I find the guest name, transcript, book title, etc. from a radio program I heard on OPB?

Details about individual programs can be found on the Web sites for that program. Your first step is to determine which program you're looking for and then find its Web address:

You may need to consult the radio schedule to find out which show OPB aired at the time in question. Each program listing on the FM and AM program schedule links to the OPB Radio page for that program.
Web sites for programs airing on OPB Radio can be found on our Current programs page. Select the program you're interested in and click on "Visit Program Website."
Once you've logged on to a program's Web site, look for an "archive" or "past shows" link to find the exact date you need. If you don't know when the episode aired, use the site's search engine and any known keywords to narrow down the date. Put quotes around any phrases or full names you're searching for — this will make the responses more relevant to your needs. (NPR has a very efficient search engine which searches virtually all NPR program content).
After you've found the correct show and episode, you'll often see the entire program broken down into segments, each of which you can listen to again. Some segments will have transcripts available for download, printing or sale at the discretion of the show's producers.

Details about some OPB-produced radio news stories can be found via the OPB News Web site.

How do I find the music playlist from an OPB music program?

Music playlists from OPB-produced music programs are usually posted one to three days after each program airs.

Why does OPB have "ads" on the air?

Sixteen percent of OPB's operating budget comes from business underwriters who receive on-air acknowledgements of their contributions to public broadcasting. Both the Federal Communications Commission and OPB limit the form these acknowledgements can take. For example, underwriting recognition credits cannot include inducements to buy, the use of superlatives, calls to action or references to price.

Financial support from our underwriters does not influence program content or programming decisions. OPB maintains strictly enforced barriers between program content and all funding.

Why does OPB need to have membership drives and pledge breaks?

Almost two-thirds of OPB's operating budget comes from individual membership contributions from viewers and listeners. While a significant portion of member donations come through mail solicitation and automatic renewals, on-air drives allow OPB to attract the largest number of new and renewing members in the most efficient and effective way possible. Though new members are an essential part of OPB's long-term financial health, the length of membership drives is kept to the minimum that will allow us to reach our goals. OPB's membership drive format is based on own experiences, as well as the shared experiences of public broadcasters throughout the country.

Giving Feedback

How do I contact or leave feedback for OPB Radio?

To reach us by e-mail, use the form on the OPB Contact Us Page. To reach us by phone, call the Member Center at 800.241.8123, the main switchboard at 503.244.9900 or the Radio Department at 503.293.1905 during weekday business hours. If you are experiencing a technical problem, you can call us at 888.293.1982. Our mailing address is OPB, 7140 SW Macadam Avenue, Portland, OR 97219.

How do I contact or leave feedback for APM (American Public Media)?

Use the APM Contact Page or contact them by phone at 800.228.7123 or by mail at American Public Media, 480 Cedar Street, Saint Paul, MN 55101-2217.

OPB airs the following programs from American Public Media:

How do I contact or leave feedback for NPR (National Public Radio)?

Use the NPR Contact Page or contact them by phone at 202.513.3232 or by mail at NPR, 635 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C. 20001.

OPB airs the following programs from NPR:

How do I contact or leave feedback for PRI (Public Radio International)?

Use the PRI Contact Page or contact them by phone at 612.338.5000 or by mail at PRI, 100 North Sixth Street, Suite 900A, Minneapolis, MN 55403.

OPB airs the following programs from PRI:

How do I submit a correction to something I heard on the air?

Use the OPB Contact Us Page.

How do I suggest a radio news story?

Use the OPB Contact Us Page. You may also be interested in becoming a "public source" for OPB News. To find out more, visit our Public Insight Network page.

Streaming & Podcasts

How do I listen to a podcast from OPB?

Podcasts are a simple way to deliver audio and other media to computers and other devices. If you're new to podcasting, you'll need to download some free software: Juice or iTunes. You can then listen to individual podcasts and subscribe to automatic downloads of specific programs. OPB's Web site has links to the necessary software and a full list of our own podcasts.

How do I stream OPB Radio over my computer?

The OPB stream allows you to listen live to OPB Radio from anywhere in the world. If you have an adequate Internet connection, this should be as simple and reliable as turning on an ordinary radio. Slower connections can force the stream to rebuffer (a pause in the stream flow -- not unlike a traffic bottleneck -- when the bit volume is more than a connection can handle).

OPB monitors its streaming servers regularly, and any problems we discover are corrected promptly. If you encounter problems, first try to connect to our live stream through direct links on the OPB Web site and not by using any bookmarked or cached link you may have saved as a shortcut. There's a prominent "Listen Live" link on the OPB home page that will connect directly to the stream (this link does require the use of Flash).

There are also links for streaming via iTunes, Real Audio, Windows Media and QuickTime.

You might also try pasting the Web address for the streams -- http://stream1.opb.org/radio.mp3 -- directly into your browser address bar.

Finally, for some streamers the links on the audio stream page may work better than the "Listen Live" link at opb.org, since the latter requires Flash Player software and the former does not.

If none of these options work, please send us a message via the Contact Us Page. To help us resolve your streaming difficulty, please let us know your operating system, the browser you use, your Internet connection and details about the problem.

Technical Issues & Reception

How do I report an OPB Radio reception problem?

Please use our Reception Report Form or call the OPB Member Center at 800.241.8123.

Why has my radio reception recently changed or become worse?

TV and radio reception can be affected by many ordinary things: weather, trees, placement of objects (like cars, people or furniture), a building's materials and components, sunspots and local terrain, among others.

OPB constantly monitors the quality of our outgoing radio and TV signals. Our engineering staff works throughout Oregon, maintaining, upgrading and repairing equipment in the more than 75 sites from which an OPB TV or Radio signal originates. When weather conditions are bad or when access to equipment is made difficult or even impossible, repairs may take longer than any of us would like. At such times we ask for your patience and understanding while our engineers diagnose the problems and repair equipment. If a problem does persist, please use our Reception Report Form or call the Member Center at 800.241.8123.

How do I find the answer to a question that's not part of this list?

If you have a question that is not answered here, contact the OPB Member Center by e-mail or by phone at 800.241.8123 weekdays from 9am-4pm. You can reach us by mail at OPB Member Center, 7140 SW Macadam Avenue, Portland, OR 97219. We'll do our best to find your answer.

Oregon Public Broadcasting:: 7140 SW Macadam Avenue
Portland, Oregon 97219-3099; Business Hours:
8am-5pm Mon-Fri; 503.244.9900; Map & Directions

Oregon Public Broadcasting

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