Aside from the live talk shows, much of what you hear on spoken-word radio has been worked on a bit before it gets to the air. The network newsmagazines, in particular, are legendary for polishing pieces before they get heard on the radio.
This is the work that Peter Breslow has done for decades now, largely behind the scenes at NPR. He got in on the ground floor with the network, and has many stories to tell from his time in the business. And tell them he does, in the book Outtakes: Stumbling Around The World For NPR.
Only some of it was actual stumbling; Peter Breslow joined us for this interview about his work.