A Public Radio Farewell To Diane Rehm

1A

NPR

News

4.4 • 4.3K Ratings

🗓️ 2 May 2025

⏱️ 29 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Host Diane Rehm sat behind the mic at our home station, WAMU, for nearly 40 years. Her eponymous news talk program aired from 1979 to 2016 to nearly 3 million listeners each week.

In some ways, her success in radio defied the odds. In 1998, she was diagnosed with the neurological condition spasmodic dysphonia. It gave her the distinct voice that over time became synonymous for many with civil conversations on frequently tough topics.

In 2014, President Barack Obama presented Diane with a National Humanities Medal in recognition of her work.

In 2016, she stepped away from her live show, handing the reins to 1A and making the move to her own weekly podcast.

Now, she's saying goodbye to public radio for good, with the end of her podcast and the start of new independent projects.

She joins us to talk about what her tenure in radio and news.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Does the idea of listening to political news freak you out?
0:03.6	Well, don't sweat it.
0:04.6	The NPR Politics Podcast makes politics a breeze.
0:08.2	Every episode will break down the day's headlines into totally normal language
0:12.5	and make sure that you walk away understanding what the day's news might mean for you.
0:17.4	Take a deep breath and give politics another chance with the NPR Politics Podcast,
0:22.3	available wherever you get your podcasts.
0:37.3	If your ears just perked up, you're probably a longtime public radio listener, and you're not alone.
0:41.2	That was the theme song to the Diane Ream Show. The Public Radio News Talk program aired from 1979 to 2016 to nearly three million listeners each week.
0:52.1	Host Diane Reams sat behind the mic here at our home station, WAMU, for nearly 40 years.
0:58.6	In some ways, Diane's success in radio defied the odds.
1:02.6	In 1998, she was diagnosed with a neurological condition spasmodic dysphonia that causes spasms
1:08.4	of the vocal cords and makes speech more halting and difficult.
1:11.9	It gave her the distinct voice that, over time, became synonymous for many with civil
1:16.8	conversations on frequently tough topics.
1:20.4	In 2014, President Barack Obama presented Diane with the National Humanities Medal in
1:25.6	recognition of her work.
1:26.7	The White House citation for the award said, quote,
1:30.1	Ms. Ream's incisive, confident, and curious voice
1:34.0	has deepened our understanding of our communities and our culture.
1:38.0	In 2016, she stepped away from her live show,
1:40.8	handing the reins to 1A and making the move to her own weekly podcast. Over her career,
	...

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