NPR’s Robert Siegel set to leave ‘All Things Considered’

WASHINGTON – Robert Siegel, a distinctive voice at NPR since 1976 and the host of its signature evening program, “All Things Considered,” since 1987, is stepping down, according to an announcement released by the network. But fans of Siegel’s dulcet tones will have nearly a year to adjust their ears to the new normal. Siegel, 69, won’t sign off until January.

“This is a decision long in the making and not an easy one. I’ve had the greatest job I can think of, working with the finest colleagues anyone could ask for, for as long a stretch as I could imagine,” Siegel said in a statement. “But, looking ahead to my 70s (which start all too soon) I feel that it is time for me to begin a new phase of life. Over the next few months, I hope to figure out what that will be.”

NPR praised the veteran broadcaster as “a model of how to be fully engaged in the world, our work, and with his colleagues.” The network also pointed to Siegel’s signature pop culture moment – he appeared in an episode of “The Simpsons.” Describing Siegel as “not someone who seeks the spotlight,” NPR said that it’s planning celebrations for the newscaster in the coming months.

In 2014, Siegel received the W.M. Kiplinger Distinguished Contributions to Journalism Award from the National Press Foundation. At the awards ceremony in Washington, the voice of “All Things Considered” joked that listeners who meet him in person are often surprised – “You don’t look anything like what I thought you’d look like. I thought you’d be taller and have a lot more hair than you do.”

Siegel’s successor has not been found and, according to the release, NPR plans to “conduct a national search – looking inside NPR and across the media landscape – for the next voice of ‘All Things Considered.’”