NPR Reporter’s Equipment
National Public Radio’s Next Generation Radio Training Projects has a interesting bit of info on what gear a radio reporter uses to record audio. Flawn Williams answers a email from someone who hopes to report for radio. There is lots of good info about audio tech on this page. I will warn you that this info is from a pro-broadcasters point of view. Always *listen* to people who have mastered something. They have the wisdom. You can learn something from them. But, excellent masters will always encourage you to question *requirements*. High quality recorded audio can be done with A LOT LESS than the pros tell amateurs. (For example) A big part of this is because of the massive advances in portable audio recording technology. Once you start doing something for awhile and you find out what works you stick with it. Many times at the cost of finding new, cheap, and faster methods that are just as high in quality. A pros requirements are usually informed by endurance needs. They need to be in the field a lot. They need to be able to react quick. They need to go about their work for hours on end. Amateurs, most podcasters, do not need these endurance qualities in their gear. But in all fairness the original question was “What do radio reporters use at NPR?”. [FYI...I ain't saying nothing about being no excellent master of nothin'] 