“…National Public Radio began a new program called Morning Edition, and made me its host…”

That’s how Bob Edwards began his tribute today on his program, The Bob Edwards Show on XMPR, XM Satellite Radio Channel 133. At the risk of running foul of XM, and also risking a bad transcription (I don’t do shorthand), here’s a bit of what Bob said:

“The anniversary is barely acknowledged by NPR, and that’s too bad; the many hundreds who have worked on that program over the last quarter century deserve better than that. … Congratulations to all who have labored there, especially Executive Producer Ellen McDonnell and newscaster Carl Kasell who have been part of the program for the full twenty-five year run. The staff of this program respects anniversaries…we’re five weeks old today.”

So why didn’t NPR say more that a couple of top-of-the-hour pieces? That’s painfully apparent; since for the entire history of the program, with the exception of the last mediocre six months, Bob Edwards was Morning Edition. And hearing Bob’s voice on that show in any retrospective would have reminded their listeners of what they lost when he was fired from the show for no sensible reason whatsoever by the Executive Producer he so magnanimously congratulates, and Jay Kernis who shoud be running a McDonalds right about now but instead is making decisions on the (mis)direction of NPR News. That anger over what has been lost might have translated into lower fund-raising for the member stations and more embarassment for the network, something NPR does not want to deal with again. Nope, better off to stick our heads into the sand and pretend it never happened…this show has always had artificially perky, bland, and inexperienced hosts like “Barbie and Ken,” not Radio Hall of Fame inductees like Bob Edwards.

And as far as I’m concerned, this lesser morning show only started six months ago anyway. Morning Edition was yanked off the air on April 30, 2004.