Bob Edwards (pictured in 1989) started his career as a newscaster at NPR, then became a host. Taking everything into account before moving to morning paper.
NPR's Max Hirschfeld
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NPR's Max Hirschfeld
Bob Edwards (pictured in 1989) started his career as a newscaster at NPR, then became a host. Taking everything into account before moving to morning paper.
NPR's Max Hirschfeld
Bob Edwards is a veteran broadcaster and longtime host of the show. morning paper The man who left an indelible mark on the sound of NPR has died. He was 76 years old.
NPR's Susan Sternberg says Edwards' voice has become part of the morning routine of millions of Americans.
“He was Bob Edwards. morning paper “For 24 and a half years, his voice was the one we woke up to,” she says.
When listeners first heard the voice, they might have imagined a figure of great authority, a rude newspaper reporter in a pinstriped suit.But it is do not have Bob Edwards.
he was the perfect newspaper reporter
Margaret Rowe joined the company in 1982. morning paper Production assistant. Currently the CEO of WBUR in Boston, she served as NPR's senior vice president of news for three years. She said Mr. Edwards usually came through the door at 2:30 a.m. and acted casually with her.
“He was tall and lanky and wore jeans and, if I remember correctly, always wore an untucked flannel shirt.”
Lowe said Edwards' seemingly casual demeanor belied a seriousness about radio, news, and especially the art of writing. Like several of his NPR contemporaries, he studied writing at American University with former CBS journalist Ed Bliss.
“He used to say that Ed Bliss was sitting on his shoulder writing,” Lowe recalls.
In fact, Edwards' Washington, D.C., office missed CBS News.
“I have this image of Bob sitting in his office on M Street, it's midnight, dark outside, facing the window of CBS News,” Lowe says. “And he was typing on a manual typewriter with really, really big keys, and they were making click, click, click noises, and he heard the sounds of the Associated Press and Reuters coming from behind him. I did.”
According to Lowe, Edwards was the perfect newspaper reporter.
“I think he was a complete news junkie and had a deep understanding of the news,” she says. “And in a way, he kind of set the standard for how we approach stories, because he took these stories not just with a kind of simplicity, but with real depth. Because we communicated and made it resonate in some way, and it lasted a long time.”
'Mr.cool and red barber
Edwards began her career at NPR as a newscaster and later as a host. Taking everything into account With Susan Sternberg. She says their styles sometimes clashed.
“We spent five eventful years together until we found our rhythm, because he was Mr. Cool, Mr. Authority, and straight. I had a million ideas. The New Yorker laughed out loud.''But we were able to adjust really well. ”
Sternberg remembers Edwards' humor, which was evident in his hundreds of interviews with reporters, writers, musicians, and singers.
One of Edwards' longest-running radio relationships was also one of his listeners' favorites. It's a weekly conversation with sports broadcasting legend Red Barber.
1992, sports broadcaster Red Barber and NPR's Bob Edwards. Edwards spoke with Barber weekly. Morning paper.
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1992, sports broadcaster Red Barber and NPR's Bob Edwards. Edwards spoke with Barber weekly. Morning paper.
AP
Edwards eventually wrote a book about his radio friendship with Barber, the first of three books that included a memoir. Voice in the Box: My Radio Life.
Edwards' approach helped set the tone for NPR.
Edwards left NPR after the company decided to remove him as host. morning paper. Despite the outcry of many fans, Edwards concluded his final show on April 30, 2004. Edwards ended his tenure just as it began by interviewing one of radio's heroes, Charles Osgood.
“You were the first person I interviewed. morning paperAnd I wanted you to be the last,” Edwards told Osgood on the air.
Edwards hosted his own interview show on Sirius XM radio and continued to be heard on many public radio stations. Bob Edwards' Weekend. But Margaret Rowe says her contributions to NPR will never be forgotten.
“He kind of set the tone and standard for all of us,” she says. “He understood the power and intimacy of our medium and captured the attention of millions of people who are still with us today.”
