R.I.P.: Neal Conan, NPR Host, Journalist

Neal Conan

Neal Conan, a radio virtuoso who as a rigorous journalist and congenial raconteur anchored NPR’s flagship call-in program, “Talk of the Nation,” for 12 years, died from brain cancer on Tuesday at his farm in Hawi, Hawaii. 

He was 71, reports The NY Times.

In a broadcasting career that began when he was 17 and lasted five decades, Mr. Conan worked for NPR in New York, London and Washington as an executive producer, foreign editor, managing editor and news director.

He helped shape the network’s pioneering newsmagazine, “All Things Considered.” In 1991, while covering the Persian Gulf war, he and Chris Hedges of The New York Times were held hostage for nearly a week by the Iraqi Republican Guard.

“Neal was old school,” Mr. Hedges said by email. “I say this as a compliment. He was not flashy. He was not a self-promoter. He never took the easy route. He held himself to the highest standards. He cared.”