As you may have heard on Morning Edition today, NPR has decided to cease production of its daily afternoon talk show Talk of the Nation, effective in July.
In its place, NPR will team up with member station WBUR-Boston to produce an expanded daily edition of the public radio show Here & Now, co-hosted by Robin Young and Jeremy Hobson (the current host of Marketplace Morning Report). Here & Now currently airs at noon weekdays on 89.5 WNIJ.
WNIJ Program Director Bill Drake issued the following statement:
We understand why many listeners will miss Talk of the Nation, and I think we'll all miss Neal Conan. While Here & Now is already part of our midday lineup, it's clear that NPR intends to change the editorial focus of the show, in addition to expanding it to two hours. Over the next several weeks we'll be getting more information about that and will consider the best options for our listeners. And no, we don't know yet about the future of The Political Junkie! As always, we welcome your thoughts and comments, which you can send to us via our Facebook page, via e-mail at npr@niu.edu, or through the Comments box at the bottom of this post. We look forward to hearing from you!
NPR told stations that after 35 years at NPR, 11 of them at the helm of Talk of the Nation, Neal Conan has decided to step away from the grueling world of daily journalism. He hopes to write a book and spend more time in Wyoming. We look forward to his future reporting contributions from wherever he lands.