'The story' unfolds

Based in Chapel Hill, Dick Gordon's talk show goes national

CHAPEL HILL -- The moment of truth comes midway through the interview with Rob Barner, an Air National Guard technical sergeant who opposes the war in Iraq, and his peace activist wife, Stefani.

Rob, who has suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder since his 2004 deployment and whose cousin recently died in Iraq, is about to leave his wife in Michigan for another tour of duty. Stefani, though unhappy about her husband's decision, says she accepts his argument that he can't stay home and let others shoulder all the burden in Iraq. She also says that by doing his job to maintain equipment, he could save lives.

Interviewer Dick Gordon echoes the question that must have been on the minds of listeners tuned into Monday's broadcast: "Stefani, are you buying into this argument, or are you still trying to talk yourself into this argument?"

The question doesn't sound as confrontational as it would coming from Judge Judy or Dr. Phil. As faithful WUNC listeners know from 11 months of "The Story With Dick Gordon," the host asks such things out of intellectual curiosity and an empathy that helps Stefani acknowledge her true feelings.

But as familiar as Gordon's style has become on the Triangle airwaves, Monday's audience heard a tougher, leaner, faster show hosted by a more focused Gordon, the results of a year spent developing the Chapel Hill-based talk show for national distribution. And the audience is no longer strictly local: As of Monday, listeners in Chicago and Milwaukee were hearing the show on their local public radio stations.

The Barners segment covered the range of objectives for "The Story" as a program that lets listeners hear from people who are living the news. The topic was complex, the interviewer and his subjects were thoughtful, and the situation was compelling. Plus, the timing was perfect: The segment anticipated President Bush's Wednesday announcement about sending more troops to Iraq. It was a perfect introduction for a new audience.

National syndication has been the goal since WUNC recruited Gordon, created "The Story" and contracted with Minnesota-based American Public Media to co-produce and distribute it. KNOW, American Public Media's home station in St. Paul, Minn., started airing the show in October. Three of Iowa Public Radio's stations picked it up Jan. 1 and were joined last week by Milwaukee's WUWM and Chicago's WBEZ, the powerhouse station where "This American Life" and "Wait Wait Don't Tell Me!" originate.

The national audience for "The Story" remains modest compared with that for, say, "The Diane Rehm Show" (with more than 100 stations), but it's in line with what WUNC expected at the show's one-year mark.

Success stories don't happen overnight in a competitive era of public radio. The roster of programs offered by three production-distribution companies -- NPR ("Car Talk," "Diane Rehm"), American Public Media ("A Prairie Home Companion," "Marketplace") and Public Radio International ("This American Life," "Wait Wait") -- number more than 160. Chris Kohtz, American Public Media's director of national program distribution, says the one-year goal for "The Story" was three to five stations on the top 50 markets. Three years out, the goal is half of those markets.

"That would be extremely optimistic," he says, "but it would be something worth striving for."

Hopes for midday hit

The pitch taking place on an early December morning comes with cookies, home baked by Anita Woodley, one of Gordon's producers. Sitting at the big conference table in WUNC's studios near the Friday Center, visitors from stations in Chicago, Milwaukee and Louisville, Ky., listen to Gordon explain why he prefers interviewing guests face-to-face rather than by remote hookup. It puts them at ease, which makes for better conversation.