"Alexa, Enable NPR One"
Today, we're excited to announce that NPR One is now available on Amazon's suite of smart home assistants, including the Echo, Dot, and other Alexa-enabled devices. This pioneering custom skill — as apps for Alexa are called — goes beyond the hourly NPR newscast currently offered on the devices and delivers a new voice-activated, interactive way to enjoy a personalized flow of stories, shows, and podcasts direct from NPR and your local public radio station.
NPR One in the smart home
As listeners increasingly adopt smart home assistants like Amazon Alexa and Google Home, NPR One on voice-activated devices is designed to complement the typical daily activities in their kitchens or living rooms. We conducted extensive user research to craft a voice interaction experience that is both easy to use and allows for discovery of the breadth of shows and stories available in NPR One.
With the simple request, "Alexa, play NPR One," listeners who have an Alexa-enabled device can seamlessly and conveniently continue with their morning routine or get dinner ready, while we keep them up to date on the news and engaged by the high-quality audio storytelling that they know and expect from NPR.
Newscasts on-demand and your favorite shows, just a voice command away
Our timely national and local newscasts are available on demand through the command "Alexa, ask NPR One to play the latest news". Listeners can also ask for their favorite shows and programs with a simple voice command. While washing the dishes or sorting the laundry, listeners can say "Alexa, ask NPR One to play Planet Money", and the most recent episode will play.
"Alexa, ask NPR One to recommend a podcast"
The NPR One experience on Alexa is more than just the ability to summon on-demand podcasts and news. It brings the full might of the NPR One platform: critically acclaimed, audio-first stories with a national/local mix alongside programs from smart media publishers like Buzzfeed, Gimlet, and Refinery29, a personalized stream of stories and shows served up by an editorially responsible algorithm, and a listener-focused user experience that's adapted and simplified for a voice-directed device.
This new way to experience public radio is available now. Just say, "Alexa, enable NPR One," or search for NPR One in the Alexa app's skill store. Then, follow the prompts to launch into your customized listening experience.