| Genre | Public affairs |
|---|---|
| Running time | ca. 54 min. |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| Language(s) | English |
| Home station | KCRW-FM |
| Syndicates | PRI (until 2017) |
| Hosted by | Warren Olney |
| Created by | KCRW-FM andPRI |
| Produced by | Katie Cooper, Christine Detz, Evan George, Benjamin Gottlieb, Jenny Hamel, Sasa Woodruff |
| Executive producer(s) | Warren Olney |
| Recording studio | KCRW inSanta Monica, CA |
| Original release | 2001[1] – November 10, 2017 (radio)[citation needed] * November 13, 2017 - present (podcast only) |
| Audio format | Stereophonic |
| Website | www |
| Podcast | www |
To the Point was an hour-long public affairs radio program co-produced byKCRW inSanta Monica, California andPublic Radio International. The program originated at KCRW at 1 pmPacific Time each weekday. Award-winning journalistWarren Olney hosts the show; it was syndicated nationwide by PRI and aired in 15 states and Washington, D.C. byPublic Radio International. KCRW continues topodcast the program monthly.
The program begins with its theme music, a clip fromJohn Coltrane'sA Love Supreme. Olney then introduces the topics for the day's program, followed by a break for carrier stations to play syndicated news headlines, typically provided byNPR.
In the opening segment, Olney discusses a recent or breaking news development with a guest, typically a newspaper journalist. The journalist joins Warren by phone, and the segment lasts about 10 minutes.
The following segment, which occupies most of the show, features a roundtable discussion of a topic of national or international interest, including issues of politics, policy, war, and science. Unlike most news programs, which tend to interview newsmakers,To the Point instead interviews "experts" – typicallythink tank members,professors in related fields, or observers fromnon-profit groups, who have comprehensive understandings of the events. Olney moderates the discussion, beginning with one guest and adding one every few minutes; typically, three commentators eventually join Olney during this main segment, all by phone. The segment is split in half byMiles Davis's "Blue in Green."
During the program's final segment, called "Reporter's Notebook," Olney interviews a newspaper or magazine journalist by phone about an ongoing story, allowing the reporter to give a thorough narrative of the events. This occupies the last eight to 10 minutes of the show.
The show closes with Olney crediting the show's rotating cast of producers and engineers, thanking the Coltrane family, and signing off with, "This has beenTo the Point from Public Radio International."
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When major national or international events occur, the show will occasionally scrap its pre-scheduled main segment in favor of bringing in commentators on the breaking stories.
Though the live program beamed by satellite to carrier stations at 11 am, KCRW aired it taped at 1pm, followingThe World.
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