SiriusXM Radio will wind down The Bob Edwards Show next month, according to a Politico article published Friday.
Citing unnamed sources, Politico reported that the show will end Sept. 26. Public Radio International distributes a weekly version of the show to public radio, and PRI spokeswoman Julia Yager said that program will continue.
Edwards declined to comment to Current, and SiriusXM did not respond to a request for comment.
Edwards worked at NPR for 30 years before leaving in 2004 for satellite radio. After hosting Morning Edition for more than two decades, Edwards left after he was moved to a position as senior correspondent.
Kind of odd – if Bob was retiring, surely, he and SXM would announce that. If he’s just moving, why all the secrecy? Wouldn’t he want to publicize his new radio home? (Maybe his SXM contract says he can’t promote any new station until the end of his SXM show?) And, a big question remains – what in the world will SXMPR do to fill the large part of the day they currently fill with Bob?
Answering my own comment. Thanks to a fan who visited XM Studios in DC, it has been revealed that after production of new content ceases, the show will become “The Best of Bob” – “Beginning September 29th, the program will consist of “The Best of Bob,” re-edits of interviews recorded over the almost-decade the program has been on the satellite airwaves.” – from http://blogs.oldradio.net/archives/2014/09/10/bob-edwards-show-ceases-production/ . Sad that this show would fall victim to what seems to be nothing other than corporate cost-cutting by Sirius management. The absolutely oddest thing? Bob will stay on to record updated intros/outros (and, apparently, nothing else). If you’re going to have Bob there, how much more effort and expense does it really take to continue to do new content? Such a head scratcher.
I replied yesterday, but it seems to have vanished. Drop me a note over at the blog and I’ll note why is is _way_ more expensive to produce new interviews than to have him track the repeats.
I am so sorry to hear this news. I have become a big fan of his interviews since getting XM radio six years ago. It won’t be the same listing to repeats. I hope he continues in another venue.