The immediacy of going to Jerusalem as Israelis and Palestinians are battling for a live report is something that no newspaper can do. And the level of interaction between NPR listeners and NPR hosts dwarfs the scattered mail that a newspaper writer's article is lucky to draw from a smaller audience. For example, the immediate reaction that comes through a phone call to a live radio show is red hot intense, with delight, curiosity or disdain, as compared to even an angry letter that arrives several days later. Hosting Talk of the Nation differs from TV in its intellectual rigor. On TOTN the guests as well as the audience are both listening and talking.
TV is passive by contrast.
The audience can only watch. The guests are limited to short responses to the host. On TOTN the guests are there with the host with equal access to the microphone. Listeners become part of the show. And Talk of the Nation requires a depth of knowledge because we stay with one subject for an hour.