Did you hear?…One of our own going for NPR glory, Idol-style

James Mills, one of the reporters for our immensely popular SNEWS® Live podcast programming, admits he’s a National Public Radio geek. But it’s not just because he has a passion for quilt-making, renaissance poetry and Thanksgiving cranberry relish. As SNEWS® Live listeners have probably noticed by now, Mills loves the art of telling stories. And he loves hearing about the lives of interesting and exciting people, people who do amazing things. So when NPR announced its American Idol-style talent search to find the next great voice in public radio, Mills immediately sent in an entry. “Since I know I do not have a face for television, and since my voice stopped jumping up and down octaves following puberty, I’ve been told I should be in radio,” Mills told us.

“My goal is bring to a wider audience some of the amazing stories that come out of the outdoor industry. Climbers, kayakers, through-hikers and ultra-runners are the perfect subjects for stories told in the classic style of narration over natural sound recorded on location,” said Mills. “The success of SNEWS® Live programming has confirmed for me that there’s an audience out there for programs that put listeners in the center of the story.”

Mills has put together the first step in his quest, a short audio spot detailing his hope to host a program that will inspire folks listening to NPR to get outdoors and get active. To listen to Mills’ pitch, and then cast your vote to see if he’s good enough and popular enough to make the second round, go to www.publicradioquest.com/audio/user/118.