Neal Conan

Neal Conan
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
Spouses
​
​
(m. 1982; div. 2011)​
Gretel Ehrlich
​
(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 more than 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

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

Conan entered the world of radio broadcasting at the age of 17, volunteering at Pacifica Radio station WBAI-FM in New York. He then worked at public radio station 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] For five years, Conan hosted Weekly Edition: The Best of NPR News.[9]

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.[10] On September 10, 2001, Conan began his work as host of Talk of the Nation.[11][12] In 2008, investigative reporter James Ridgeway covered the Democratic primary elections for Mother Jones, filmed interviewing Mike Gravel in New Hampshire, while Gravel is being interviewed on the phone by Conan for Talk of the Nation.[13]

NPR announced that it was ending the 12-year run of Talk of the Nation on March 29, 2013, stating that Conan would "step away from the rigors of daily journalism."[14] On February 12, 2014, an interview aired on KUAZ 89.1, Tucson, Arizona's NPR affiliate,[15] 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.[16] 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.[17]

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.[18][non-primary source needed][19]

Personal life

In 1982, Conan married Liane Hansen. She was a long-time 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.[20] While on a farewell tour of NPR stations, Hansen revealed in April 2011 that she and Conan were divorcing.[21]

He was later in a domestic partnership with American travel writer, poet, and essayist Gretel Ehrlich, who survives him.[5] They married in 2019.

Conan moved to Hāwī on Hawaiʻi island after he left NPR. He farmed macadamia nuts on 5.5 acres of land.[1] He enjoyed scuba diving after he settled in Hawaiʻi.[22]

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".[23][24] which often featured real life NPR engineer Manoli Wetherell as his cameraman.[25]

Conan died on August 10, 2021, on his farm in Hāwī, Hawaiʻi, as a result of glioblastoma according to his son Connor Conan.[26][5] He was 71, and had been diagnosed with a glioblastoma on his 70th birthday in November 2019.[27]

Awards

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

  • 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

  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 October 7, 2008. Retrieved September 28, 2008.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  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. ^ Kraske, Steve (October 15, 2013). "Neal Conan: Talking About The Nation & The News". KCUR 89.3. Retrieved November 22, 2023.
  10. ^ "PLAY BY PLAY: Baseball, Radio, and Life in the Last Chance League". PublishersWeekly.com. PWwyz, LLC. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
  11. ^ Sutherland, J.J. [@jjsutherland] (August 10, 2021). "My uncle @nealconan died today" (Tweet). Retrieved August 11, 2021 – via Twitter.
  12. ^ Abrams, Amy. "Still Talking" (PDF). AmyAbramsWrite.com. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
  13. ^ The Outsider World news, The Guardian, James Ridgeway, January 3, 2008. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  14. ^ Stelter, Brian (March 29, 2013). "NPR to end Talk of the Nation". The New York Times. Retrieved April 6, 2013.
  15. ^ 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.
  16. ^ 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.
  17. ^ "Neal Conan". Hawai'i Public Radio. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
  18. ^ "Truth, Politics and Power". Facebook. Retrieved April 25, 2017.
  19. ^ "About Truth, Politics and Power". Truth, Politics and Power. Archived from the original on April 26, 2017. Retrieved April 25, 2017.
  20. ^ "Liane Hansen and Neal Conan Go Where They've Never Gone Before". National Public Radio. November 18, 2005. Archived from the original on December 5, 2008. Retrieved September 28, 2008.
  21. ^ Albeck, Elisabeth (April 29, 2011). "Keep Calm and Carry On: An evening with Liane Hansen". ThirdCoast Digest. Archived from the original on October 8, 2011. Retrieved April 30, 2011.
  22. ^ Piercy, Matt (August 12, 2016). "Down on the farm with Neal Conan". West Hawai'i Today. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
  23. ^ Cronin, Brian (October 18, 2013). "Comic Book Legends Revealed #441". CBR.com. Archived from the original on January 20, 2018. Retrieved August 27, 2018.
  24. ^ Claremont, Chris (w), Silvestri, Marc (p), Green, Dan (i). The Uncanny X-Men #226–227 (Marvel Comics, February – March 1988).
  25. ^ "NPR colleagues send off longtime engineer Manoli Wetherell". July 7, 2017. Retrieved December 31, 2023.
  26. ^ "Neal Conan, stalwart host of NPR's 'Talk of the Nation,' dies at 71". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved August 14, 2021.
  27. ^ Siegel, Robert (August 10, 2021). "Neal Conan, Longtime Host Of NPR's 'Talk Of The Nation,' Dies At 71". National Public Radio. Retrieved August 11, 2021.