The public radio world and long-time NPR listeners are grieving this week, the loss of a great journalist and host, Neal Conan. Conan’s iconic voice became a regular fixture for public radio fans over the course of his 36-year career with NPR, including 11 years as the host of the network’s program Talk of the Nation.
His award-winning reporting included coverage of the 9/11 attack (on his second day hosting Talk of the Nation), conflict in Northern Ireland, wars in the Middle East, including the first Gulf war when he was taken hostage by the Iraqi Republican Guard, President Bill Clinton’s impeachment, two Olympic Games, presidential debates and Supreme Court nominee confirmation hearings, among others.
Conan died Tuesday of glioblastoma at the age of 71. In honor of his life, we’re listening back to our conversation with Neal Conan on this show back in 2009 when he came to Southwest Florida and spent some time with the WGCU-FM news team.
He was interviewed by former WGCU host and reporter Luis Hernandez, who now hosts the radio program Sundial on our sister public radio station WLRN in Miami.
