Ari Shapiro, one of many core voices of NPR, will depart the community in late September, the most recent main exit from the outlet since Congress stripped federal funding for public broadcasters.
In a Tuesday morning memo to staffers, NPR information chief Edith Chapin introduced that Shapiro will host his closing version of “All Things Considered,” NPR’s flagship each day afternoon information program, on September 26 — across the time he celebrates the 10-year mark on the community.
“Several months ago,” Chapin wrote, “Ari came to us to say that the milestone was an amazing capstone to his career here, and it felt like the right time for him to try something new.”
In a Substack post, Shapiro wrote that his departure “has nothing to do with the challenges facing public radio, the news media, or the country.”
He added: “Those are real and profound, and I plan to continue engaging with them in meaningful ways. But they aren’t informing this transition.”
“Working at NPR has been a wild privilege,” Shapiro continued. “Since I became a host of All Things Considered, I’ve kept the original 1970 mission statement from founder Bill Siemering taped in view of my desk. I especially love the part that says we ‘will encourage a sense of active constructive participation rather than apathetic helplessness.’”
Following his exit, Shapiro mentioned, he’ll go on tour with the multi-genre band Pink Martini. He’s been a visitor singer with the band for nearly 20 years.
Shapiro is the most recent high-profile staffer to announce their exit from NPR. In late July, simply days after Congress voted to kill funding for public broadcasters, Chapin announced she’d step down within the fall. And final week, considered one of NPR’s “founding mothers,” Susan Stamberg, announced her retirement, beginning September 1.
In her memo on Wednesday, Chapin wrote that she and Shapiro have “discussed keeping the door open for any opportunities to work together on specific projects in the future.”
She added that “next steps” to fill Shapiro’s host chair will doubtless be introduced subsequent week.