The afternoon call-in show "Talk of the Nation" will end its 21-year run on NPR June 30.
The network made the programming announcement on Friday. It's encouraging stations to replace the show with "Here and Now," a news magazine produced at WBUR in Boston.
"NPR has concluded that it can best serve public radio by concentrating its resources on produced news programming with reported stories and hosted interviews that appeal to listeners on radio and emerging digital platforms," NPR programming executives said in an email. The network will continue to produce "Science Friday."
"Here and Now" is currently an hour long. NPR will be partnering with WBUR to expand it to two hours, and will bring on Jeremy Hobson, currently with the Marketplace Morning Report, as a co-host for Robin Young. The New York Times says it's the first time the network and a member station have partnered in this fashion.
Neal Conan, a 30-year-veteran of NPR and the "Talk of the Nation" host for the last 11 years, will "step away from the grueling world of daily journalism," the network said. "Neal is one of NPR’s most distinguished journalists and brings extraordinary depth and insight to every story he touches. He will leave a legacy of excellence, having skillfully carried NPR, our Member Stations and the nation through some of the most important news of the last decade."
NPR is running a $7 million deficit, but executives said the network intended to offer a job to every employee of "Talk of the Nation."
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