Morning Edition - Format

Format

The program begins each hour with a sixty-second "billboard" highlighting stories to be covered in the hour. At least one birthday or anniversary of a major event is announced as well. Some stations replace this billboard with a localized version, with a similar format, but with emphasis on local stories and read by a local announcer (KUHF is one affiliate that does this).

The standard NPR newscast follows for five minutes. Many stations cut into the newscast at :04 or :06 past the hour to deliver local news, weather and traffic reports. For those that do not, a Morning Edition-specific 3.5-minute newscast begins at :06 after, covering stories not in the general newscasts. After that, the signature thirty-second "bleeble" begins the program.

The first segment, "A", highlights the most important stories of the day. Usually the "A" segments differ between hours, although when the topic is extraordinary, the "A" segment will cover the same topic, but in a different format between the first and second hour. Between each segment, one to three minute breaks occur which are filled with promotions for other programs, sponsorship credits, and station-provided content such as local traffic and weather reports. Segment A ends at nineteen minutes past the hour, and a two-minute station break follows.

Returning from the break at :21 past the hour, the second segment, or "B" segment, generally contains features, commentaries, or long form interviews. Interviews can sometimes take up the entire segment. Segment "B" ends at 28:50 past the hour, going into a funding credit and thirty-second local break.

At half past the hour, a humorous news item is delivered. These segments are called "returns", because many stations that air local news or announcements return to the national feed at half past the hour. The return lasts thirty seconds, and ends with the tagline "It's Morning Edition, from NPR News," or some variation thereon.

Another five-minute newscast follows at 30:30, with many stations covering the last two minutes with local news and features. The "C" segment follows at 35:30 (duration 4:00) and is sometimes covered by stations with local reports as well. This segment features news or cultural reports of three to four minutes long. Segment C ends with a thirty-second music bed, and is followed immediately by Segment D.

The "D" segment (duration 8:59) is typically composed of two to three stories focusing on health news, international events, or short updates on national stories. At forty-nine past the hour the segment ends, and another two-minute station break begins. This station break generally carries a promo for Talk of the Nation (first hour), or instructions on how to obtain tapes and transcripts of NPR programming (second hour), followed by music. Many stations eliminate the promotional announcements and use the time for local weather and traffic updates.

The "E" segment begins at 51:07 (duration 7:13) and differs between hours. In the first hour, the "E" segment focuses on business stories, while in the second hour, segment "E" is a cultural feature or softer news story, usually taking the entire segment length. The majority of NPR stations cover the "E" segment in the first hour with a broadcast of the Marketplace Morning Report, and some stations replace the second hour "E" segment as well. Segment "E" ends at 58:20 after the hour, and leads into a music bed that takes the listener into the next hour, or the end of the program, depending on the hour.

Stations receive over their computers the daily rundown of stories before each program which allows them to plan their coverage and decide what stories they wish to replace with local content. The rundown is updated as necessary until the feed ends at noon Eastern time.