NPR: Story of the Day

I´ve heard so many good things about NPR (National Public Radio) that when they became available, I subscribed to most all their shows.
I heard that they were professional, interesting and perfect for those longer walks where an iPod filled with podcasts is a necessity.
Professional, yes. Interesting, not really.
I will submit a review on each on the shows that remain in my podcast subscription - the rest were culled with an astonishing haste when I realized the nature of the shows. It seems that NPR is aiming for the 75+ market. The slow cadence of the narrator - the choice of stories that is designed to be non controversial and heaven forbid, exciting.
I take as an example the NPR: Story of the day. It claims to consist of little segments that the "NPR editors felt that you shouldn´t miss this story... today".
The last four shows consisted of stories such as:

1. NPR: Hula Hooping Gets Groovy Again Hula hooping isn't just for children any more. The jam band String Cheese Incident has spawned a hooping craze among its followers. Sean Cole went to take a lesson on the allure of the hoop.

2. NPR: A New Orleans-Style Send-Off for Katrina and Rita Residents of the French Quarter stage a classic New Orleans funeral parade for a visitor they're glad has departed: Hurricane Katrina.

3. NPR: In Italy's Wine Regions, a Return to Traditio Amid new economic challenges, some Italian wine makers turn away from the mass global wine market to develop wines that appeal to specialty markets. The emphasis is on skill and individuality -- and a return to grapes that had fallen out of favor.

4. NPR: Debussy's 'La Mer' Marks 100th Birthday Saturday, Oct. 15 is the 100th anniversary of the premiere of Debussy's groundbreaking work "La Mer." This piece helped usher in the modern era of classical music and broke new ground in orchestration. Tom Huizenga reports.

Riveting stuff.