Editing Bob Edwards (section)

==Career==
=== Early career ===
Edwards began his radio career in 1968 at a small radio station in [[New Albany, Indiana]], a town located across the [[Ohio River]] from Louisville, his hometown. Afterwards, Edwards served in the [[United States Army|U.S. Army]] during the [[Vietnam War]], producing and anchoring television and radio news programs for the [[American Forces Network#Korean War|American Forces Korea Network]] from [[Seoul]]. Following his army service, he went on to anchor news for [[WFED|WTOP]] / 1500, a [[CBS]] affiliate, in [[Washington, D.C.]]<ref name=":1" /> In 1972, at age 25, Edwards anchored national newscasts for the [[Mutual Broadcasting System]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.insideradio.com/free/nprs-longtime-trusted-voice-24-year-morning-edition-host-bob-edwards-has-died/article_775d17ea-c9f1-11ee-9095-cf505262141d.html |title=NPR's Longtime 'Trusted Voice,' 24-year 'Morning Edition' Host Bob Edwards, Has Died |date=February 12, 2024 |access-date=February 17, 2024 |archive-date=February 17, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240217223519/https://www.insideradio.com/free/nprs-longtime-trusted-voice-24-year-morning-edition-host-bob-edwards-has-died/article_775d17ea-c9f1-11ee-9095-cf505262141d.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Edwards joined NPR in 1974 as a newscaster.<ref name=":1" /><ref name="npr2024" /> Before hosting ''Morning Edition'', Edwards was co-host of ''All Things Considered''.<ref name="npr2024">{{Cite news|last=Neary|first=Lynn|date=February 12, 2024|title='The voice we woke up to': Bob Edwards, longtime 'Morning Edition' host, dies at 76|url=https://www.npr.org/2024/02/12/165681524/bob-edwards-dead-npr-host|work=NPR|access-date=February 12, 2024|archive-date=February 12, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240212160613/https://www.npr.org/2024/02/12/165681524/bob-edwards-dead-npr-host|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Host of ''Morning Edition''===
Edwards hosted NPR's flagship program, ''Morning Edition'', from the show's inception in November 1979 until April 2004.<ref name = Gabriel>{{cite news|url = https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/12/business/media/bob-edwards-dead.html|title = Bob Edwards, Longtime Host of NPR's 'Morning Edition,' Dies at 76|last = Gabriel|first = Trip|date = February 12, 2024|accessdate = February 13, 2024|newspaper = [[The New York Times]]|url-access = limited|archive-date = February 12, 2024|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20240212235355/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/12/business/media/bob-edwards-dead.html/|url-status = live}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=March 23, 2004 |title=Bob Edwards forced out of 'Morning Edition' |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna4586432 |access-date=February 12, 2024 |website=NBC News |language=en |agency=Associated Press |archive-date=February 12, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240212165050/https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna4586432 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="nydailynews1" /> After 24 plus years with Edwards as host, [[Arbitron]] ratings showed that, with 13 million listeners, it was the second highest-rated radio broadcast in the country, behind only [[Rush Limbaugh]]'s AM show. Prior to his departure, he was very popular among both listeners and critics.

When ''Morning Edition'' and its host won a [[Peabody Award|George Foster Peabody Award]] in 1999, the Peabody committee lauded Edwards as

{{cquote|a man who embodies the essence of excellence in radio.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.peabody.uga.edu/news/pressrelease.asp?ID=38 |title=peabody.uga.edu press release #38 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050906024336/http://www.peabody.uga.edu/news/pressrelease.asp?ID=38 |archive-date=September 6, 2005 |df=dmy-all}}</ref> His reassuring and authoritative voice is often the first many Americans hear each day. His is a rare radio voice: informed but never smug; intimate but never intrusive; opinionated but never dismissive. Mr.&nbsp;Edwards does not merely talk, he listens.}}

Edwards' skills as an interviewer were widely praised. NPR's ombudsman [[Jeffrey Dvorkin]] said, "If I were his producer, I would think of Edwards as NPR's version of [[Charlie Rose]]."<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite web |last=Dvorkin |first=Jeffrey A. |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1854657 |title=Bob Edwards reassigned: Ageism or just change? |publisher=NPR |date=April 28, 2004 |access-date=July 31, 2011  |archive-date=June 24, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180624204657/https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1854657 |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[Daily News (New York)|New York ''Daily News'']] called him "an institution among ''Morning Edition'' listeners for his interviewing skills and his calm, articulate style".<ref name="nydailynews1">{{cite news |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/gossip/story/176750p-153614c.html |title=New York Celebrity Gossip, Pictures, and Entertainment News |work=Daily News |location=New York |access-date=July 31, 2011  |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051231043951/http://www.nydailynews.com/news/gossip/story/176750p-153614c.html |archive-date=December 31, 2005 }}</ref> It is estimated that Edwards conducted over 20,000 interviews for NPR.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":0" /> His subjects ranged from major politicians to authors and celebrities. His weekly call-in chats with retired [[sportscaster]] [[Red Barber]] are fondly remembered. The chats were supposedly about sports, but often digressed into topics like the Gulf War, what kind of flowers were blooming at Barber's [[Tallahassee, Florida]] home, or other non-sport subjects. Barber would call Edwards "Colonel Bob," referring to Edwards' [[Kentucky Colonel]] honor from his native state.<ref name=":1" />

===Departure from NPR===
In April 2004, NPR executives decided to "freshen up" ''Morning Edition''{{'}}s sound. Edwards was removed as host, replaced with [[Steve Inskeep]] and [[Renée Montagne]],<ref name=":0" /> and reassigned as a senior correspondent for NPR News. The move took him by surprise. "I'd rather stay," he said, "but it's not my decision to make".<ref name="nydailynews1"/>

At first, NPR executives and spokespersons did not fully explain the move, leaving many listeners confused.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna4586432 |title=Bob Edwards out as ''Morning Edition'' host |department=Business – US business |work=NBC News |date=March 23, 2004 |access-date=July 31, 2011  |archive-date=October 20, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141020094536/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/4586432/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Eventually they did make some attempts to explain themselves. According to NPR spokeswoman Laura Gross, "It's part of a natural evolution. A new host will bring new ideas and perspectives to the show. Bob's voice will still be heard; he'll still be a tremendous influence on the show. We just felt it was time for a change".<ref name=":0" />

Executive Vice President [[Ken Stern]] also explained the move. "This change in ''Morning Edition'' is part of the ongoing evaluation of all NPR programming that has taken place over the last several years. We've looked at shows like ''All Things Considered'' and ''Talk of the Nation'' with an eye to how we can best serve listeners in the future."<ref name="nydailynews1"/>

The decision to remove Edwards, made shortly before his 25th anniversary with the show, was met with much criticism by listeners.<ref name="autogenerated1"/> Jeffrey Dvorkin, NPR's ombudsman, reported that the network received over 50,000 letters and emails, most of them angry, regarding Edwards' demotion; the listener reaction was the largest reaction on a single subject that NPR had received to that date.<ref>{{cite news |last=Johnson |first=Peter |url=https://www.usatoday.com/money/media/2004-03-23-npr-edwards_x.htm |title=Edwards ousted as 'Morning Edition' host |publisher=Usatoday.Com |date=March 25, 2004 |access-date=July 31, 2011  |archive-date=May 23, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110523220648/http://www.usatoday.com/money/media/2004-03-23-npr-edwards_x.htm |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Dvorkin |first=Jeffrey A. |date=April 28, 2004 |title=Bob Edwards Reassigned: Ageism or Just Change? |url=https://www.npr.org/sections/publiceditor/2004/04/28/1854657/bob-edwards-reassigned-ageism-or-just-change |access-date=February 12, 2024 |work=NPR |archive-date=June 24, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180624204657/https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1854657 |url-status=live }}</ref> Other journalists, including [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]'s [[Cokie Roberts]] and [[CBS]]'s [[Charles Osgood]], expressed dissatisfaction with the move.{{cn|date=February 2024}}

His final broadcast<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.npr.org/rundowns/rundown.php?prgId=3&prgDate=30-Apr-2004 |title=Morning Edition |publisher=NPR |date=May 31, 2006 |access-date=July 31, 2011 |archive-date=December 13, 2004 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041213115539/http://www.npr.org/rundowns/rundown.php?prgDate=April |url-status=live }}</ref> as host was on April 30, 2004;<ref name="npr2024" /><ref>{{cite web |author=Morning Edition |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1863340 |title=Interview: Charles Osgood |website=NPR.org |publisher=NPR |access-date=July 31, 2011  |archive-date=May 5, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110505081738/http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1863340 |url-status=live }}</ref> his last ''Morning Edition'' interview was with Charles Osgood, who had also been Edwards' first Morning Edition interview subject almost 25&nbsp;years earlier.<ref name=":1" /><ref name="npr2024" />

Edwards decided not to remain at NPR as a senior correspondent and filed only one story, an interview with [[Bob Dole]] and other Senate veterans of World War&nbsp;II about the Washington, DC, World War&nbsp;II memorial, in that role.{{cn|date=February 2024}} Three months after his departure from ''Morning Edition'', [[XM Satellite Radio]] announced that he had signed on to host a new program, ''The Bob Edwards Show'', for its new XM Public Radio channel.{{cn|date=February 2024}}

===Sirius XM Satellite Radio===
After leaving NPR, XM Satellite Radio offered Edwards a show so,<ref name="npr2024" /> according to Edwards, "I can continue to host and be heard every day instead of occasionally, as I would have been at NPR". He said the format would be "loose": "It'll be long interviews, short interviews, and then maybe departments... You've got to have the news ... it's not going to be all features, yet it's not going to be the ''[[Financial Times]]'', either."{{cn|date=February 2024}} ''The Bob Edwards Show''{{'}}s first broadcast was on October&nbsp;4, 2004. ''Washington Post'' columnist [[David Broder]] and former [[CBS News]] anchor [[Walter Cronkite]] were Edwards' first guests.{{cn|date=February 2024}}

While continuing his daily show on XM, Edwards returned to public radio stations in January&nbsp;2006 with his show ''Bob Edwards Weekend'', produced by XM Satellite Radio and distributed by Public Radio International to affiliate stations around the country. A September&nbsp;22, 2005 press release from PRI states, "''Bob Edwards Weekend'' will provide PRI listeners with an opportunity to sample some of the astute commentary and intriguing interviews offered to XM subscribers each weekday on ''The Bob Edwards Show''." This was the first time that a satellite radio company provided programming to over-the-air terrestrial radio.{{efn|''Bob Edwards Weekend'' episodes are no longer available via [[podcast]] at {{cite web |url=http://www.bobedwardsradio.com/bob-edwards-weekend |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100904080233/http://www.bobedwardsradio.com/bob-edwards-weekend |archive-date=September 4, 2010  |title=BobEdwardsRadio.com}} Visitors to the page {{cite web |url=http://www.bobedwardsradio.com/ways-to-listen/? |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120806065754/http://www.bobedwardsradio.com/ways-to-listen/ |archive-date=August 6, 2012  |title=www.bobedwardsradio.com/ways-to-listen |access-date=August 21, 2012 |url-status=live }} will see the message "The ''Bob Edwards Weekend'' podcast is no longer available. Our sincerest apologies to our devoted listeners."}}

''The Bob Edwards Show'' received several awards, including: the Deems Taylor Award from ASCAP (2006),<ref>{{Cite web |url= https://www.ascapfoundation.org/programs/awards/award-recipients/deems-taylor/2006 |title=39th Annual ASCAP Deems Taylor Award Recipients |access-date=February 12, 2024 |archive-date=April 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210415073407/https://www.ascapfoundation.org/programs/awards/award-recipients/deems-taylor/2006 |url-status=live }}</ref> a Gabriel Award from the Catholic Academy for Communication Arts Professionals (2006), The [[National Press Club (United States)|National Press Club]]'s Robert L. Kozic Award for Environmental Reporting (2007) for the documentary, "Exploding Heritage", about mountaintop-removal coal mining. That program was also honored with a Gabriel Award, a 2006 New York Festivals Gold World Medal, and an award from the Society of Environmental Journalists.{{cn|date=February 2024}}

In 2008, ''The Bob Edwards Show'' received an Edward R. Murrow Award from the [[Radio-Television News Directors Association]] and a New York Festivals / United Nations Gold Award for the documentary, "The Invisible: Children without homes". "The Invisible" also was honored by the Journalism Center for Children and Families and by the Catholic Academy for Communication Arts Professionals.{{cn|date=February 2024}}

In 2009, the show received a [[Sigma Delta Chi Award]] from the [[Society of Professional Journalists]] for the documentary, ''Stories from Third Med: Surviving a Jungle ER''. The documentary also received a [[Gabriel Award]]. In September&nbsp;2012, Edwards was named a Fellow of the Society of Professional Journalists. In 2013, the program was awarded a [[Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award]] for the documentary, "An Occupational Hazard: Rape in the military". The show's last live episode aired on September 26, 2014.{{cn|date=February 2024}}

===AARP podcast===
In July&nbsp;2018, Edwards joined with [[AARP]] to host a podcast, ''Take On Today'', which was published most Thursdays. The program covered topics of health, work, money, aging, and entertainment, including interviews and panel discussions of issues relevant to older Americans.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.aarp.org/podcasts/take-on-today/ |title=Listen and Subscribe to Take on Today Podcast |website=AARP |language=en |access-date=August 7, 2019  |archive-date=August 7, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190807023054/https://www.aarp.org/podcasts/take-on-today/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://radioink.com/2018/06/29/aarp-podcast-broaches-vital-issues-for-its-older-audience/ |title=AARP podcast broaches vital issues for its older audience |date=June 29, 2018 |publisher=Radio Ink |language=en-US |access-date=August 7, 2019  |archive-date=August 7, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190807023056/https://radioink.com/2018/06/29/aarp-podcast-broaches-vital-issues-for-its-older-audience/ |url-status=live }}</ref>