SUSAN STAMBERG, TRAILBLAZING FIRST WOMAN TO ANCHOR A NATIONAL NEWS BROADCAST, DIES AT 87.(PHOTO).

Susan Stamberg, trailblazing first woman to anchor a national news broadcast, dies at 87

Susan Stamberg, a pioneering journalist who became the first woman to host a national news program and helped shape National Public Radio into a defining voice of American journalism, has died at age 87. NPR confirmed her death on Thursday but did not disclose a cause. Widely celebrated as one of the network’s “founding mothers,” Stamberg joined NPR in its infancy during the early 1970s and helped establish its distinctive conversational tone and deep storytelling approach that came to define public radio. Over her decades-long career, she interviewed thousands of guests — from presidents and artists to everyday workers — while breaking barriers for women in broadcast journalism.

Stamberg became the host of All Things Considered in 1972, a groundbreaking appointment at a time when few women held such prominent media roles. In an interview with Oregon’s KLCC earlier this year, she recalled that she initially tried to emulate male broadcasters before being encouraged to find her own voice. “Bill Siemering told me, ‘Just be yourself,’” she said, describing how that moment led to a more natural and engaging style that became NPR’s hallmark. She affectionately coined the phrase “founding mothers” to describe herself and three of her pioneering colleagues — Cokie Roberts, Nina Totenberg, and Linda Wertheimer — all of whom helped shape NPR’s early years.

During her 14 years hosting All Things Considered, Stamberg helped guide the show through its formative period, when just five reporters were responsible for filling a 90-minute broadcast. She later launched Weekend Edition Sunday, introducing the popular Sunday puzzle segment with Will Shortz, whom she described as part of her vision to make the program “the radio equivalent of a Sunday newspaper.” Stamberg later served as a cultural correspondent for Morning Edition and Weekend Edition Saturday until her retirement in September 2024.

Her career was filled with landmark moments, including hosting a 1979 live call-in special with President Jimmy Carter from the Oval Office — an unprecedented two-hour broadcast that allowed Americans to speak directly with the president. She also conducted memorable interviews with figures such as Rosa Parks, Nancy Reagan, James Baldwin, and photographer Annie Leibovitz. Stamberg’s engaging style and curiosity earned her induction into the National Radio Hall of Fame, which praised her for her “intelligence, warmth, and gift for finding the human story.” She also received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2020.

Born Susan Levitt in Newark, New Jersey, in 1938 and raised in Manhattan, she began her career in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where she met her husband, Louis Stamberg. She is survived by their son, actor Josh Stamberg, and two granddaughters, Vivian and Lena. NPR colleagues and listeners alike remember her as a trailblazer whose voice and presence helped define public radio for generations.