New York CNN —Bob Edwards, the longtime National Public Radio host and a goliath of the broadcasting world, died on Saturday, his wife, NPR reporter Windsor Johnston, confirmed in a Facebook post. “Bob Edwards understood the intimate and distinctly personal connection with audiences that distinguishes audio journalism from other mediums, and for decades he was a trusted voice in the lives of millions of public radio listeners,” NPR CEO John Lansing said in a statement Monday. “Staff at NPR and all across the Network, along with those millions of listeners, will remember Bob Edwards with gratitude.”Edwards began his 30-year tenure at NPR in 1974, when the network was still in its infancy. He co-hosted “All Things Considered,” NPR’s evening show, before spearheading “Morning Edition” as its inaugural host in 1979, a position he held until 2004. “Morning Edition will continue to be my first source for news,” he wrote in a letter to listeners about his exit.

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Persons: Bob Edwards, Windsor Johnston, “ Bob Edwards, John Lansing, ” Edwards, Ellen McDonnell, Edwards, Bob, ”, “, we’ve, It’s, Edward R, Murrow, Gabriel, Alfred I, du Pont, Red Barber, “ Edward R Organizations: New, New York CNN, longtime National Public Radio, NPR, “ Staff, Los Angeles Times, University of Louisville, US Army, American Forces Korea Network, Corporation for Public Broadcasting, National Catholic Association of Broadcasters, Columbia University Award, Radio Hall of Fame, Journalism Locations: New York, Kentucky, New Albany , Indiana