Missing Liane

After 20 years at the helm of NPR’s Weekend Edition Sunday, Liane Hansen is hanging up the microphone. Today is her last show.

I don’t know what I’m going to do—she’s become an integral part of my Sunday mornings, the way Susan Stamberg was before her. She’s broken plenty of big stories on her show, but what has endeared her to me is her unalloyed interest in the stories and people she has covered. That is a reflection of her character, her talent and her professionalism.

Here’s an NPR olio of Hansen’s work—listen to one or two of the early stories and then to the most recent. You can hear how she’s matured in the timbre of her voice. She sounds like a beautiful cello—warm and with a dynamic range that’s really impressive.

Her replacement, Audie Cornish, has been a stand-in for Hansen in the past year. Whenever Cornish was on the air I couldn’t wait for Hansen to return. I’ll have to get used to her; and in the spirit of Hansen’s willingness to delve into new things, I’ll give it my best shot.

But Liane—I miss you already.