I only just now got around to listening to the Le Show podcast from last week, so forgive me for being a bit behind on this one: “Minneapolis’ Public Radio International and its New York partner will launch a news broadcast designed to compete with ‘Morning Edition.’”

This isn’t the first time we’ve commented on Morning Edition, but the last time we went down this road it was NPR itself that was gunning for the show. But wait! It isn’t just PRI that’s trying to provide some competition in the early morning — NPR wants in on that action, too! From the Star Tribune article:

“We’re actually developing our own program to compete with ‘Morning Edition,’ ” said Andi Sporkin, NPR’s vice president for communications. She said a show aimed at a slightly younger audience — 25 to 44 — will debut in September, launched simultaneously on radio, online, high-definition radio via satellite and podcasts.

Harry Shearer (host of Le Show) made a good deal of hay over the fact that NPR is looking snaffle younger listeners. Public radio? Young people? That’s a joke in itself, right?

Look, if you want to be taken seriously as a clever, ascerbic, hip, modern thinker, you pretty much have to rag on NPR. But, no, I’m not playing that game. While I won’t go so far as to claim that it’s the best of all possible public radio networks (because it’s not), I haven’t the time, nor the need to conform that would be required to launch into a rant against them.

That said, I do think creating a program that competes with Morning Edition, but skews younger, is not really dealing with the real morning radio issue. Listeners in many markets currently have a choice between insipid morning-zoo chatter, insipid morning-zoo chatter interspersed with insipid music, talk radio, dull AM network news, or public radio snooze-fests. And that doesn’t take into account the greatest irony of all: that the most desirable demographic, young people with lots of disposable income, is the least likely to listen to terrestrial radio; after all, they can afford iPods, and satellite radio, and they tend to use them.

As mentioned in the original article, some believe that there’s plenty of room for multiple public radio morning shows. Yes, that’s probably true. I believe that there’s a yawning chasm that could be filled, in between the extremes of commercial radio programs that shout nothing at you, and slow, sombre, news droning. Here’s hoping at least one of these new shows finds that middle ground.