Sonari Glinton
Sonari Glinton is a NPR Business Desk Correspondent based at our NPR West bureau. He covers the auto industry, consumer goods, and consumer behavior, as well as marketing and advertising for NPR and Planet Money.
In this position, which he has held since late 2010, Glinton has tackled big stories including GM's road back to profitability and Toyota's continuing struggles. In addition, Glinton covered the 2012 presidential race, the Winter Olympics in Sochi, as well as the U.S. Senate and House for NPR.
Glinton came to NPR in August 2007 and worked as a producer for All Things Considered. Over the years Glinton has produced dozen of segments about the great American Song Book and pop culture for NPR's signature programs most notably the 50 Great Voices piece on Nat King Cole feature he produced for Robert Siegel.
Glinton began his public radio career as an intern at Member station WBEZ in Chicago. He worked his way through his public radio internships working for Chicago Jazz impresario Joe Segal, waiting tables and meeting legends such as Ray Brown, Oscar Brown Jr., Marian MacPartland, Ed Thigpen, Ernestine Andersen, and Betty Carter.
Glinton attended Boston University. A Sinatra fan since his mid-teens, Glinton's first forays into journalism were album revues and a college jazz show at Boston University's WTBU. In his spare time Glinton indulges his passions for baking, vinyl albums, and the evolution of the Billboard charts.
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Volkswagen's cheating on emission tests for its diesel vehicles has not only stirred a controversy; it has also raised a question: Is there life left for diesel in the U.S.?
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Volkswagen faces a growing scandal over how it used software to dodge clean air rules for diesel vehicles. The Justice Department opened a criminal probe and financial penalties are sure to follow.
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Carmakers want desperately to provide drivers with more entertainment and information, while motorists keep their eyes on the road. Advances in voice recognition could help them do so.
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In the 1960s, Tom Burrell became the first black man in Chicago advertising. In this "Planet Money" report, we hear how he changed the way people think about ads, and how advertising thinks about us.
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Apple has formed a secret team to design and prototype an electric car, according to numerous reports. While Apple may have the technological chops, the odds are stacked against startup car companies. -
Those futuristic prototypes that cost millions to produce have re-emerged at the Detroit auto show. It's a sign that the industry has regained confidence amid an accelerating economy, analysts say. -
Year after year, little by little, cars are guiding drivers, protecting them from their incompetence and distractions, squeezing out more fuel economy and making everyone on the roads safer.
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For Detroit automakers, there's likely no bigger prize than being the No. 1 truck. The Detroit three — GM, Ford and Fiat Chrysler — are essentially truck companies that sell cars. -
U.S. auto manufacturers have learned from the last crash and have become more nimble, an industry expert says — so when oil prices rise again, they quickly will return to building more hybrids. -
It's the day hard-core shoppers have been waiting for: Black Friday. Some even got a head start at the mall, shopping on Thanksgiving Day.
