Linda Wertheimer, viewed as one of the “Founding Mothers” of NPR, has announced her retirement from the network.
“I have had a great ride over more than fifty years – and now that ride is over,” Wertheimer wrote in a memo to staffers, according to Deadline. She noted that when she was hired as the network launched in 1971, she was there when “the only part of the company that was fully staffed was top management and engineering.”
Wertheimer, Susan Stamberg, Nina Totenberg, and Cokie Roberts were dubbed the “Founding Mothers” of the outlet when it first debuted. Wertheimer lauded the network for its early adoption of women in the newsroom in her farewell message.
“There were also more women doing that kind of work from the beginning than there were at most broadcast operations,” she wrote.
After becoming the first director of All Things Considered in 1971, Linda Wertheimer eventually ascended to host of the program in 1989. She then rose to senior national correspondent in 2002.
She was a staple of election night coverage on NPR. She anchored coverage of 12 Presidential elections, in addition to coverage from 10 party conventions during her illustrious career.
“Along the way, I spent many years traveling and listening to voters. I can say without a trace of modesty that after all those conversations I always knew who was going to win the election,” she said.
