Susan Stamberg, a pioneering figure in broadcast journalism and one of NPR’s “founding mothers,” will retire on September 1, 2025, after a remarkable career spanning over five decades.
Stamberg began her tenure at NPR in 1971, shaping the network from its early days. She made history as the first woman to anchor a national nightly news program, co-hosting NPR’s All Things Considered from 1972 to 1986. She later hosted Weekend Edition Sunday from 1987 to 1989 and, most recently, served as a special correspondent focusing on cultural issues for Morning Edition and Weekend Edition Saturday.
Born Susan Levitt on September 7, 1938, in Newark, New Jersey, Stamberg graduated from Barnard College in 1959. Her career at NPR included thousands of interviews with notable figures like Rosa Parks, Billy Crystal, Luciano Pavarotti, and Milton Friedman. Known for her conversational, engaging style, she brought warmth and curiosity to her reporting, earning praise as “the closest thing to an enlightened humanist on the radio” from novelist E.L. Doctorow.
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| Susan Stamberg |
She championed diverse voices, notably advocating for NPR to feature the Car Talk brothers, reflecting her belief in stories that capture America’s spirit. Her annual Thanksgiving segment sharing “Mama Stamberg’s Cranberry Relish Recipe” (featuring cranberries, sour cream, and horseradish) became a beloved NPR tradition, once even rapped about by Coolio in 2010.
She also authored books like Every Night at Five: Susan Stamberg’s All Things Considered Book (1982) and Talk: NPR’s Susan Stamberg Considers All Things, and co-edited The Wedding Cake in the Middle of the Road (1992).