An Evening with Linda Wertheimer

Week of March 9, 2024

Linda Wertheimer began her career with NPR as the first director of news magazine All Things Considered, hosted by Robert Conley, from its debut on May 3, 1971. She was appointed political correspondent by 1974, and in 1976 became the first woman to anchor NPR’s coverage of a presidential nomination convention and of an election night.  She continued in her role as a political correspondent through 1989, at which point she became a host of All Things Considered, a role in which she would continue for thirteen years. With Wertheimer hosting, the program’s audience grew to record levels, from six million listeners in 1989 to nearly 10 million listeners by 2001, making it one of the top five shows in U.S. radio. In 2002, she left that role and became NPR’s first senior national correspondent.  As of 2008, Wertheimer has anchored ten presidential nomination conventions and twelve election nights. On February 6, 2024, she announced her retirement from NPR.