Here is the reasoning behind NPR's new policy to drop its original name and use only "NPR" from now on.
The following message from NPR V.P Dana Davis-Rehm was shared widely with the system.
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by DANA DAVIS REHM
It‚s a debate so classic that Shakespeare wrote about it. Names, at
their conceptual level, are arguably nothing more than a matter of
necessary convention; we need names to help us identify people,
places, things.
If you happen to follow news about NPR, you might have noticed news
coverage over that past few days about a supposed name change. The
Washington Post and other media outlets have published reports about
it, and many blogs have added commentary.
Our legal name remains National Public Radio, as it has been for more
than 40 years, but our trademarked brand has long been NPR. Several
months ago, we let staff and stations know that we were making a
conscious effort to consistently refer to ourselves as NPR on-air and
online.
Why this decision to go by NPR rather than National Public Radio?
First of all, most of our audience ˆ more than 27 million listeners to
NPR member stations and millions more who experience our content on
NPR.org and through mobile or tablet devices ˆ identify us as NPR.
When asked what they listen to, public radio fans often state quite
simply „NPR.‰
Secondly, this comes after years of using NPR in most cases with the
occasional National Public Radio included in program credits.
Generations of radio hosts are known for their own delivery of „This∑
is NPR.‰ And it still is.
We don‚t have an elaborate branding campaign planned; we‚re just
trying to spread the word along the way. NPR or National Public Radio
ˆ by either name, we hope you think we still sound as sweet!
Dana Davis Rehm is Senior Vice President for Marketing, Communications and External Relations at NPR.
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