"Founded in 1970, NPR is America's most powerful broadcast news network, and its hosts have created a mode of journalism and storytelling that helps Americans understand the world in which we live. In On Air, Steve Oney tells the dramatic history of this institution, featuring details on the controversial firing of Juan Williams, the sloppy dismissal of Bob Edwards, a $235 million bequest by Joan B. Kroc, widow of the founder of McDonald's, and NPR's daring shift into the digital world. Fascinating, revelatory, and irresistibly dishy, this is a riveting account of NPR's unlikely launch, chaotic ascent, and ultimate triumph." -- Back cover.