Neal Conan

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Neal Conan
Neal Conan 2012.jpg
Conan in 2012
Born
Neal Joseph Conan III

(1949-11-26)November 26, 1949
Beirut, Lebanon
DiedAugust 10, 2021(2021-08-10) (aged 71)
Hawi, Hawaii, U.S.
OccupationJournalist
Notable credit(s)
All Things Considered
Talk of the Nation
Spouse(s)
​
​
(m. 1982; div. 2011)​
Gretel Erlich
​
(m. 2019)​
Children2

Neal Joseph Conan III (November 26, 1949 – August 10, 2021) was an American radio journalist, producer, editor, and correspondent. He worked for National Public Radio for over 36 years[1] and was the senior host of its talk show Talk of the Nation.[2] Conan hosted Talk of the Nation from 2001 to June 27, 2013, when the program was discontinued; with the discontinuation NPR announced that Conan would depart the network.[3]

Early life[edit]

Conan was born in Beirut, Lebanon,[1][2][4] on November 26, 1949.[5] His father, Neal Jr., worked as a physician and headed the medical center at the American University of Beirut; his mother, Theodora (Blake), was a housewife. His family relocated to Saudi Arabia when Conan was a child, before moving to New Jersey and Manhattan. He studied at Loomis Chaffee School and Riverdale Country School.[5]

Career[edit]

Conan entered the profession of radio broadcasting at the age of 17, volunteering at Pacifica’s WBAI-FM in New York. He then worked at WRVR-FM, where he met Robert Siegel. At the age of 27 Conan joined National Public Radio. Conan's initial assignment for NPR was as a producer of All Things Considered. Later, he covered the White House, the Pentagon, and the Department of State for the network.[6]

During the 1991 Gulf War, the Iraqi Republican Guard detained Conan for a week.[1][7] He and Chris Hedges of The New York Times were reporting on a Shia rebellion centered in Basra, Iraq.[8]

In 2000, Conan took a break from his work as a broadcaster to serve as the stadium play-by-play baseball announcer for the Aberdeen Arsenal. A year later, he published Play by Play: Baseball, Radio and Life in the Last Chance League, which described his experience.[9] On September 10, 2001, Conan began his work as host of Talk of the Nation.[10][11]

NPR announced that it was ending the 21-year run of Talk of the Nation on March 29, 2013, stating that Conan would "step away from the rigors of daily journalism."[12] On February 12, 2014, an interview aired on KUAZ 89.1, Tucson, Arizona's NPR affiliate,[13] where Conan explained that ending Talk of the Nation was not a decision he was involved in or agreed with, citing its status as one of NPR's most popular shows.[14] He went on to join Hawaii Public Radio as a news analyst on June 8, 2014.[1] He produced a thrice-weekly series called Pacific News Minute between November 30, 2017 and October 31, 2019.[15]

In January 2017, Conan launched a new radio show and podcast, Truth, Politics, and Power, focused on the Trump administration. Each week, Conan interviewed experts in depth about a different issue arising from the 2016 election and the President's administration. The radio show is distributed by PRX.[16][17]

Personal life[edit]

Conan's marriage was to Liane Hansen, former host of NPR's Weekend Edition Sunday. Together, they had two children: Connor and Casey. Hansen briefly co-hosted Talk of the Nation with Conan.[18] Hansen revealed in April 2011 that she and Conan were divorcing.[19] He was subsequently in a domestic partnership with American travel writer, poet, and essayist, Gretel Ehrlich.[5]

Conan resided in Hāwī on Hawaiʻi island, where he farmed macadamia nuts.[1] He enjoyed scuba diving after he moved to Hawaiʻi.[20]

Conan was a friend of comics writer Chris Claremont. As a result, he was featured a number of times as a sympathetic journalist in stories Claremont wrote for Marvel and DC Comics, such as the 1988 X-Men storyline "The Fall of the Mutants".[21][22]

Conan died on August 10, 2021, on his farm in Hāwī, Hawaiʻi.[5] He was 71, and had been diagnosed with a glioblastoma on his 70th birthday in November 2019.[23]

Awards[edit]

During his time at All Things Considered, it won many awards as well, including the Washington Journalism Review's Best in the Business Award.[2]

Publications[edit]

  • Conan, Neal (2002). Play by Play: Baseball, Radio, and Life in the Last Chance League (First ed.). New York: Crown Publishers. ISBN 0-609-60871-1.

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e "Acclaimed Former NPR Journalist Neal Conan Joins HPR as News Analyst". hawaiipublicradio.org. Hawai'i Public Radio. 2014. Archived from the original on June 23, 2015. Retrieved October 8, 2015.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Neal Conan, NPR Biography". NPR. 2008. Archived from the original on April 18, 2008. Retrieved September 28, 2008.
  3. ^ "NPR To Discontinue 'Talk of the Nation'". NPR. 2013. Retrieved March 31, 2013.
  4. ^ Conan, Neal (October 1, 2009). "A Hallmark Writer's 'House Of Cards'". Talk of the Nation (Interview: audio/transcript). Interviewed by David Ellis Dickerson. NPR. Retrieved January 12, 2010.
  5. ^ a b c d Roberts, Sam (August 11, 2021). "Neal Conan, Who Talked (and Listened) to the Nation on NPR, Dies at 71". The New York Times. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
  6. ^ Kalish, Jon (August 9, 2017). "Former NPR host Neal Conan returns with serious show for public radio's weekends". American University School of Communications. Current. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
  7. ^ Schmitt, Eric (March 6, 1991). "After the War: Journalists; 26 Journalists Are Reported Missing on Road to Basra". The New York Times. Retrieved September 28, 2008.
  8. ^ Conan, Neal (March 23, 2003). "Gulf War Flashback March 1991: NPR's Neal Conan describes being held captive by Iraqi soldiers". NPR. Retrieved September 5, 2014.
  9. ^ "PLAY BY PLAY: Baseball, Radio, and Life in the Last Chance League". PublishersWeekly.com. PWwyz, LLC. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
  10. ^ Sutherland, J.J. [@jjsutherland] (August 10, 2021). "My uncle @nealconan died today" (Tweet). Retrieved August 11, 2021 – via Twitter.
  11. ^ Abrams, Amy. "Still Talking" (PDF). AmyAbramsWrite.com. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
  12. ^ Stelter, Brian (March 29, 2013). "NPR to end Talk of the Nation". The New York Times. Retrieved April 6, 2013.
  13. ^ Kelly, Andrea (February 12, 2014). "Neal Conan Talks Poverty, Media Now, Next Move". AZPM.org. Arizona Public Media. Archived from the original on November 3, 2014. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
  14. ^ Conan, Neal (February 12, 2014). "Neal Conan Q&A". AZPM.org. Arizona Public Media. Archived from the original on November 3, 2014. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
  15. ^ "Neal Conan". Hawai'i Public Radio. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
  16. ^ "Truth, Politics and Power". Facebook. Retrieved April 25, 2017.[non-primary source needed]
  17. ^ "About Truth, Politics and Power". Truth, Politics and Power. Retrieved April 25, 2017.
  18. ^ "Liane Hansen and Neal Conan Go Where They've Never Gone Before". NPR. November 18, 2005. Retrieved September 28, 2008.
  19. ^ Albeck, Elisabeth (April 29, 2011). "Keep Calm and Carry On: An evening with Liane Hansen". ThirdCoast Digest. Retrieved April 30, 2011.
  20. ^ Piercy, Matt (August 12, 2016). "Down on the farm with Neal Conan". West Hawai'i Today. West Hawai'i Today. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
  21. ^ Cronin, Brian (October 18, 2013). "Comic Book Legends Revealed #441". CBR.com. Archived from the original on January 20, 2018. Retrieved August 27, 2018.
  22. ^ Claremont, Chris (w), Silvestri, Marc (p), Green, Dan (i). The Uncanny X-Men #226–227 (Marvel Comics, February – March 1988).
  23. ^ Siegel, Robert (August 10, 2021). "Neal Conan, Longtime Host Of NPR's 'Talk Of The Nation,' Dies At 71". National Public Radio. National Public Radio. Retrieved August 11, 2021.

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Neal_Conan&oldid=1038622144"