NPR April Fool's pranks (3) - very funny

[underpants]

#6: Nixon for President
1992: National Public Radio's Talk of the Nation program announced that Richard Nixon, in a surprise move, was running for President again. His new campaign slogan was, "I didn't do anything wrong, and I won't do it again." Accompanying this announcement were audio clips of Nixon delivering his candidacy speech. Listeners responded viscerally to the announcement, flooding the show with calls expressing shock and outrage. Only during the second half of the show did the host John Hockenberry reveal that the announcement was a practical joke. Nixon's voice was impersonated by comedian Rich Little.

#58: Portable Zip Codes
2004: National Public Radio's All Things Considered announced that the post office had begun a new 'portable zip codes' program. This program, inspired by an FCC ruling that allowed phone users to take their phone number with them when they moved, would allow people to also take their zip code with them when they moved, no matter where they moved to. It was hoped that with this new program zip codes would come to symbolize "a citizen's place in the demographic, rather than geographic, landscape." Assistant Postmaster General Lester Crandall was quoted as saying, "Every year millions of Americans are on the go: People who must relocate for work or other reasons. Those people may have been quite attached to their original homes or an adopted town or city of residence. For them this innovative measure will serve as an umbilical cord to the place they love best."

#69: Corporate Tattoos
In 1994 National Public Radio's All Things Considered program reported that companies such as Pepsi were sponsoring teenagers to tattoo their ears with corporate logos. In return for branding themselves with the corporate symbol, the teenagers would receive a lifetime 10% discount on that company's products. Teenagers were said to be responding enthusiastically to this deal.

The Top 100 April Fool's Day Hoaxes of All Time
http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/hoax/aprilfool/

[SheilaT]

1. NPR often does good April Fools Day stories.

One excellent one several years ago was that to reduce the national debt, the state of Arizona was being sold to Canada. They even interviewed former Governor Bruce Babbit about the transfer. Great story.

[Liberal_in_LA]

2. hee!

[yellowcanine]

3. They did one about a proposal by Starbucks to build a coffee pipeline one year.

Coast to Coast. The story commented on objections by environmentalists, etc. Funny stuff.