the reporting and the depth of it is superb, but my point was geffen the fact that -- given the fact that our responsibility now at npr has really shifted over these years in ways that i never could have predicted, nor bill who was the man really who created all things considered or we founders could have imagined. we certainly wanted to be authoritative and solid and as good as we could, but we didn't think we'd be the last man standing, you know? [laughter] that we would have become at this point people's primary source, and we are, for in-depth information not just electronically as broadcasters, but anyway at all. and so that does, could, can and often does edge into the time slots because we're so fixed by time and the clock as to how much time there is to give these cranberry relish recipes and as to how much time there is to do music. i used to do 12, 20 -- not 20, but 15-minute music pieces on the air. that doesn't happen anymore. but thanks to new media, we have wonderful online music sites where that music can get played. so that's a bright spot, i suppose. it's a way of re

basking in their gratitude and having been geffen a quick lesson on the tape recorder, i settled down await bill's call. it came at about the appointed time, and after a few pleasantries, he started in. took him about 15 minutes to dictate the column, and then he thanked me and rang off. i decided i'd better just listen to a minute or so of the tape before leaving it for tony to transcribe in the morning. sheer, stark horror. there was nothing on the tape. nothing. after a few minutes of this near-death experience -- [laughter] i went back to the machine and practiced what i should have done in the first place until i was sure i knew how to use it. but now what? everyone who knew where bill was was out having fun. i rang for an overseas operator and fortunately, got an admirer of bill's. she would do whatever she could. but, she warned me, everything would depend on who we got on the other end. she got hold of a dominican operator, and i explained our problem. i needed to find my boss. i was sure he'd be staying in the best hotels, and could she possibly tell us which those were? oh,