Neal Conan
Award winning journalist Neal Conan was the final host of Talk of the Nation, which broadcast its final show on June 27, 2013.
Conan brought decades of news and radio experience to the program, which reached over 3.5 million listeners per week on more than 400 NPR member stations. The program featured the popular Political Junkie segment on Wednesdays, with the irrepressible Ken Rudin.
A familiar voice, Conan joined NPR in 1977, and worked as a reporter based in New York, Washington and London. He served as NPR's Bureau Chief in both New York and London and anchored live coverage of many live events, including national political conventions, confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominees and a presidential impeachment. For five years, he hosted Weekly Edition: The Best of NPR News. Following the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, Conan played a major role as an anchor of NPR's continuous live coverage, a role he reprised during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. In 2004, he hosted the first radio-only presidential candidates' debate since 1948.
On the other side of the microphone, Conan has also served as editor, producer, and executive producer of NPR's flagship evening newsmagazine, All Things Considered and, at various times, acted as NPR's foreign editor, managing editor, and news director.
Conan's awards include a Major Armstrong award for his coverage of the Iran-Iraq War, a prestigious Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University award as part of NPR's coverage of the Gulf War, another duPont and a George Foster Peabody Award for his part in NPR's Coverage of Sept. 11 and yet another duPont for NPR's coverage of the war in Iraq. During his time at All Things Considered, the program won numerous awards, including the Washington Journalism Review's Best in the Business award.
During the 2000 baseball season, Conan took a leave of absence from NPR News to work as the play-by-play announcer for the Aberdeen Arsenal of the independent Atlantic League. He filed a series of commentaries about life on the fringe of professional sports for Morning Edition and later wrote a book about his experiences, Play By Play: Baseball, Radio and Life in the Last Chance League.
Conan tours nationally with Ensemble Galilei as the narrator and host of A Universe of Dreams, which features images from the Hubble Space Telescope, and First Person: Seeing America, which features selected images from the photography collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Conan was born in Beirut, Lebanon.
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Sen. John Kerry concedes the state of Ohio's 20 electoral votes, solidifying President Bush's victory in the election. Kerry and his running-mate, Sen. John Edwards, had been reluctant to bow out of the race. Hear NPR's Ron Elving and NPR's Neal Conan.
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Steve Martin became famous as an actor and comedian. Lately, though, he's gaining accolades for another talent: writing. Martin's latest book is The Pleasure of My Company. He talks with NPR's Neal Conan about life on the stage and the page and takes your calls.
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After years of planning, discussion and controversy, the Smithsonian Institution opens a new museum on the Mall in Washington -- a national showcase of the history and culture of America's native peoples. NPR's Neal Conan and guests broadcast live from the National Museum of the American Indian.
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A last hurrah, as the U.S. women's soccer team plays for gold. NPR's Neal Conan checks in with the National Soccer Hall of Fame. (The U.S. women won gold with a 2-1 victory over Brazil.)
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A slip on the balance beam -- minor wobble or major fault? The difference can mean gold for one athlete, bronze for another. And the decision isn't made by stopwatches -- it's made by judges and the controversies are hardly exclusive to Athens. Join NPR's Neal Conan for a look at subjective scoring in sports.
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Since news of inmate abuse at Abu Ghraib prison first broke, questions have focused on whether senior officials were to blame. The first in a series of reports tries to answers those questions. NPR's Neal Conan speaks to one of the report's authors.
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The fighting in Najaf escalates, while an Iraqi delegation arrives for truce talks with cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. NPR's Neal Conan and guests take a look at the continued fighting in Najaf.
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In addition to its extensive TV coverage, NBC is also streaming video of the Athens games online, the first time the International Olympic Committee has allowed that to happen. But there are some restrictions. NPR's Neal Conan talks with Rich Broadhead, a technology analyst and author, about watching the Olympics on the Web.
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Despite construction delays, fears of terrorism and slow ticket sales, the summer Olympic games are about to get underway in Athens. Join NPR's Neal Conan and guests for a preview of the city, the sports, the scandals and the super-athletes.
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In the Iraqi city of Najaf, fighting continues between insurgents and U.S.-led forces. NPR's Neal Conan and guests consider the latest from the Iraqi city.