When NPR launched it became a vital American resource offering reliable news coverage and nuanced analysis. Its first generation groomed and passed the baton to a remarkable crew, including Blumberg, who worked his way up the ladder at the public radio darling This American Life. There his coverage of the subprime mortgage crisis earned him a Peabody Award, and he went onto produce their television spin-off for Showtime. In our interview, we spoke about how the cable network wanted to continue the TV series, but This American Life opted to quit after two seasons.