NPR Cancels ‘Talk Of The Nation’, Deficit Noted

Robin Young

NPR announced Friday morning that it will no longer produce the Monday-to-Thursday call-in show Talk of the Nation.

According to the NPR blog The Two-Way, it will be replaced by Here and Now, a show produced in partnership with member station WBUR in Boston. Reported stories will be part of the show's format.

Here and Now host Robin Young will be joined by Jeremy Hobson of Marketplace Morning Report — NPR reporters will be contributing work, as well.

Neal Conan, Talk of the Nation's host, will depart after more than three decades with the network. His past positions include stints as bureau chief in New York and London, and as NPR's foreign editor, managing editor, and news director.

NPR executives said public radio has a glut of vibrant call-in shows involving national issues — and that they sought a news magazine with a mix of interviews and prepared stories to bridge the hours between Morning Edition and All Things Considered.

The network is also running a $7 million deficit. Executives say Conan was welcome to stay with NPR and that they intend to offer jobs to every staffer working for Talk of the Nation.

Network executives say the move is not intended to plug the $7 million deficit, which amounts to less than 4 percent of NPR's annual operating budget. Instead, they say, it's about ensuring that money and personnel are being used in ways that make sense in today's media environment.

Read More Now.

Ron Elving, senior Washington editor for NPR, and Diane Rehm react to news that NPR will discontinue the 21-year-old call-in show, "Talk of the Nation."