Founding Mothers
We must start our "Women's History Month" tribute with a special thank you to NPR's Founding Mothers: Cokie Roberts, Linda Wertheimer, Nina Totenberg and Susan Stamberg. Who paved the way for women at NPR and in broadcasting.
"...along the way I made lifelong friends, covering Congress and politics and campaigns with the late brilliant Cokie Roberts who was a great partner and Nina Totenberg, the best Supreme Court correspondent there is. For years, the three of us sat in the corner of the newsroom and presided over what some of our colleagues called the Fallopian Jungle. We thought it was a nice nod to the fact that NPR put so many women on the radio..." (Linda Wertheimer's retirement note in 2024.)
"...this was the only place I had ever worked where I wasn't either the only woman or one of two... And it was an amazing thing to work with lots of other women. And, of course, you know, the only reason they hired lots of women by and large was because they could afford us. No man would have worked for what we worked for. " NPR legal affairs correspondent Nina Totenberg to Michel Martin in a 2021 interview.
Industry Firsts
NPR is an organization with a long tradition of women who break down barriers and lead the way, here are some examples of "industry firsts" from NPR women:
- Susan Stamberg: Special Correspondent. Former host, All Things Considered. Former host, Weekend Edition Sunday. Currently special correspondent. First woman in America to anchor a national network nightly news broadcast.
- Linda Wertheimer. Former host, All Things Considered. First broadcast director of All Things Considered. First person to broadcast live from inside the United States Senate chamber. First woman in America to anchor network coverage of a presidential nomination convention and of election night.
- Pauline Frederick. First woman to moderate a presidential debate in 1976.
Women's voices on the air today
Below is a list of the women who hosts NPR's news magazines and podcasts today, we are grateful for their remarkable work helping all of us to make sense of world events and --in the words of Bill Siemering's 1970 Purposes-- to find "understanding, meaning and joy in the human experience."
Ailsa Chang, Co-host, All Things Considered
Aisha Harris, Co-host, Pop Culture Happy Hour
Amanda Aronczyk, Co-host, Planet Money
Anamaria Sayre, Co-host, Alt. Latino
Asma Khalid, Co-Host, NPR Politics Podcast
Ayesha Rascoe, Co-Host, Weekend Edition & Up First
BA Parker, Co-host, Code Switch
Brittany Luse, Host, It's Been a Minute
Deepa Fernandes, Co-host, Here & Now
Emily Kwong, Co-host, Short Wave
Erika Beras, Co-host, Planet Money
Juana Summers, Co-host, All Things Considered
Kelly MvEvers, Host, Embedded
Leila Fadel, Co-host, Morning Edition & Up First
Linda Holmes, Co-host, Pop Culture Happy Hour
Lori Lizarraga, Co-host, Code Switch
Marielle Segarra, Host, Life Kit
Mary Childs, Co-host, Planet Money
Mary Louise Kelly, Co-host, All Things Considered
Michel Martin, Co-host, Morning Edition & Up First
Rachel Martin, Host, Morning Edition (Former)
Regina Barber, Co-host, Short Wave
Rund Abdelfatah, Co-host, Throughline
Sarah Gonzalez, Co-host, Planet Money
Sidney Madden, Co-host, Louder Than a Riot
Stacey Vanek Smith, Co-host, Indicator, Planet Money
Terry Gross, Co-host, Fresh Air
Tonya Mosley, Co-host, Fresh Air
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