Morning Edition

Morning Edition
GenreNews: analysis, commentary, interviews, special features
Running timeApproximately 240 minutes
Country of originUnited States
Home stationNational Public Radio
Hosted by
Created byBob Edwards
Original releaseNovember 5, 1979 –
present
Opening themeTheme by B. J. Leiderman (1979–2019); composition by NPR/Man Made Music staff (2019–present)[1]
Websitenpr.org/morning
PodcastPodcast / RSS feed

Morning Edition is an American radio news program produced and distributed by NPR. It airs weekday mornings (Monday through Friday) and runs for two hours, and many stations repeat one or both hours. The show feeds live from 5:00 to 9:00 AM ET, with feeds and updates as required until noon. The show premiered on November 5, 1979; its weekend counterpart is Weekend Edition. Morning Edition and All Things Considered are among the highest rated public radio shows.[2][3]

The show was hosted by Bob Edwards from its inception until it was retooled for a two-anchor format in 2004 with the introduction of Steve Inskeep and Renée Montagne. Montagne left the show in 2016, and was replaced by Rachel Martin, who stepped down from daily hosting in early 2023. Four regular anchors, including Inskeep, currently host the show on a rotating basis. A Martínez, who hosts from NPR West, joined on July 19, 2021, replacing David Greene, who hosted from 2012 through the end of 2020. Leila Fadel joined the anchor team in Washington at the end of January 2022, following the departure of Noel King.[4] The network announced in early March 2023 that All Things Considered weekend host Michel Martin would be joining the Morning Edition team as its fourth anchor following Rachel Martin's departure from daily hosting duties.[5] She joined the show on March 27, 2023.

  1. ^ Niraj Chokshi, NPR's 'Morning Edition' Changes Its Tune After 40 Years, New York Times (May 6, 2019).
  2. ^ Freedman, Samuel G. (July 17, 2005). "'Listener Supported' and 'NPR': All Things Considered". New York Times. Retrieved December 17, 2008. National Public Radio alone reaches more than 20 million listeners, and its daily newsmagazine shows, All Things Considered and Morning Edition, attract a larger audience than any program except Rush Limbaugh's.
  3. ^ "NPR Programs Attract Record-Breaking Audiences Public Radio Listenership at All-Time High". National Public Radio. 2002. Retrieved December 17, 2008. Reflective of the intense news cycle following the September 11 terrorist attacks on the U.S., NPR's newsmagazines and talk programs increased audiences across the board. From Fall 2000 to Fall 2001, Morning Edition with Bob Edwards jumped from 10.7 to 13 million listeners; All Things Considered grew from 9.8 million to nearly 11.9 million; Talk of the Nation rocketed 40.8 percent to 3 million listeners; Fresh Air with Terry Gross grew 25.4 percent to nearly 4.2 million and The Diane Rehm Show grew 38.6 percent to nearly 1.4 million. Growth in the NPR news/talk audience outpaced similar gains realized by commercial news/talk radio.
  4. ^ "Leila Fadel Named Host of Morning Edition and Up First". National Public Radio. 2021. Retrieved December 28, 2021.
  5. ^ "Michel Martin, NPR's longtime weekend voice, will co-host 'Morning Edition'". NPR.org. March 9, 2023. Retrieved March 10, 2023.