March 24, 2004
WHO'S HIS REPLACEMENT, MAYOR McCHEESE?:
Edwards ousted as 'Morning Edition' host (Peter Johnson, 3/24/04, USA TODAY)
Bob Edwards, whose smoky, understated delivery on Morning Edition draws 13 million listeners a week to National Public Radio, is out as host after 25 years.The surprise move at the nation's No. 1-rated morning radio show comes amid a reassessment of programming at NPR, where executives are discussing how to use a $200 million bequest in November from Joan Kroc, wife of McDonald's founder Ray Kroc.
Edwards will become a senior correspondent, and his work will air on Morning Edition and other NPR broadcasts.
The ouster surprised Edwards, 56, who has hosted the show since its inception in 1979. He was told two weeks ago that his last day is April 30.
"They want somebody else. They're taking the program in a new direction. Those aren't my words," Edwards said Tuesday. "I am not totally clear what it is I am going to be doing, but whatever it is, I'm looking forward to doing it. I'm trying to focus on the positive."
Change for the sake of change is always a bad idea. He's terrific and should have had the job until he didn't want it anymore. Posted by Orrin Judd at March 24, 2004 8:54 AM
"This is NPR's Morning Perdition, I'm not Bob Edwards. . . ."
Posted by: Mike Morley at March 24, 2004 9:40 AMHe's earned a place in the Broadcasting Hall of Fame if for nothing else, his Friday morning conversations with Red Barber. And, in an amazing feat, you could actually feel him give a cold shoulder to John Feinstein when, shortly after Red's death, Feinstein had the temerity to call him "Col. Bob."
Posted by: at March 24, 2004 10:09 AMNeed to make way for a minority.
Posted by: J.H. at March 24, 2004 10:39 AMIsn't this just confirmation that the Kroc gift is going to destroy NPR?
Posted by: David Cohen at March 24, 2004 11:16 AM"This is NPR's morning edition; I'm Howard Dean. Yeaeeargh!"
Posted by: Mike Earl at March 24, 2004 11:17 AM"He's terrific and should have had the job until he didn't want it anymore."
Are you serious? My sarcasm meter is on the blink today.
Posted by: Rick T. at March 24, 2004 11:53 AMYet Daniel Schorr is still around?
Posted by: Jeff Guinn at March 24, 2004 12:15 PMMan, Jeff Guinn nailed that one. Daniel Schorr cannot but heap scorn upon any Republican effort in any venue (economic, political, defense, sociological, etc.) no matter what. It's sickening.
Posted by: Bruce Cleaver at March 24, 2004 12:20 PMFunny how people react. Over on another blog, Edwards is described as a far leftist.
I never noticed that.
I have noticed that in recent years he's started to stutter a lot. It's a kind of sonorous stuttering but kind of irritating neverheless.
Jeff's right about Schorr, but if somebody had to go, why couldn't it have been the sob sister Scott Simon?
Posted by: Harry Eagar at March 24, 2004 1:53 PMRick:
Yes. I think he's great.
Harry's right--weepy Scott Simon is the one they should put out of our misery.
Posted by: oj at March 24, 2004 2:35 PMThey are all terrible. I've been listening to ATC and Morning Edition for 22 years. I think it is good radio but it is terribly biased radio. There should be no Hall of Fame because it isn't about them it is about the news. These people shouldn't be the news because they are just news readers.
Posted by: pchuck at March 24, 2004 6:02 PMAnd then there is Diane Rehm, who has to have the worst set of pipes in the entire radio universe.
Never mind being that inestimable combination of ignorant and biased.
Posted by: Jeff Guinn at March 24, 2004 8:25 PMEdwards has been mailing it in half the time the last two or three years. He barely sounds interested enough to read the questions to the interviewees, let alone pay attention to the answer.
Posted by: jsmith at March 24, 2004 11:22 PMI must confess that I have not listened to National Palestinian Radio since I stopped commuting. When I did listen, Edwards was one of the few voices who was able to say something that was not party line. I am assuming that he is being pushed aside so that the crew will be toeing the line for the upcoming election.
Posted by: Robert Schwartz at March 24, 2004 11:33 PM