Bob Edwards was the first host of NPR’s Morning Edition. He was supposed to host the program for six months until they found new hosts, then return to co-hosting All Things Considered. Instead he would remain in the host chair for over 24 years until NPR executives made the controversial decision to replace him in 2004. Edwards died February 10, 2024 at age 76.
NPR planned to make Edwards a “senior correspondent,” but he made the decision to leave the network. He would host a one-hour weekday program on Satellite Radio The Bob Edwards Show. That eventually brought Edwards back to public radio with Bob Edwards Weekend. A one-hour weekly version of his show aired on several stations, including WMUK.
In 2009, Edwards came to Kalamazoo for a WMUK listener event. During a live interview at the Dalton Center Recital Hall, WMUK’s Gordon Evans asked Edwards about his time at NPR, and how the network grew from being a “secret” to a major news source. They also discussed his departure from NPR and the opportunity to continue interviewing and reporting on Sirius XM.
Click "Listen" above to hear Edwards' WMUK-FM interview, recorded May 20, 2009.
