The former long-running host of NPR’s Morning Edition radio news program died yesterday. He hosted that show from its inception in 1979 until 2004. He was an excellent host and I was one of the vast number of regular listeners who was outraged by the way he was summarily replaced. Although he was only 57 when he left, it appeared that the network wanted new voices who could also do field reports, rather than just be a studio-based anchor.

In April 2004, NPR executives decided to “freshen up” Morning Edition‘s sound. Edwards was removed as host, replaced with Steve Inskeep and Renée Montagne, and reassigned as a senior correspondent for NPR News. The move took him by surprise. “I’d rather stay,” he said, “but it’s not my decision to make”.

At first, NPR executives and spokespersons did not fully explain the move, leaving many listeners confused. Eventually they did make some attempts to explain themselves. According to NPR spokeswoman Laura Gross, “It’s part of a natural evolution. A new host will bring new ideas and perspectives to the show. Bob’s voice will still be heard; he’ll still be a tremendous influence on the show. We just felt it was time for a change”.

Executive Vice President Ken Stern also explained the move. “This change in Morning Edition is part of the ongoing evaluation of all NPR programming that has taken place over the last several years. We’ve looked at shows like All Things Considered and Talk of the Nation with an eye to how we can best serve listeners in the future.” Although Stern later participated in an online chat with listeners at NPR’s website, it only heightened their confusion and anger.

The decision to remove Edwards, made shortly before his 25th anniversary with the show, was met with much criticism by listeners. Jeffrey Dvorkin, NPR’s ombudsman, reported that the network received over 50,000 letters and emails, most of them angry, regarding Edwards’ demotion; the listener reaction was the largest reaction on a single subject that NPR had received to that date. Other journalists, including ABC’s Cokie Roberts and CBS’s Charles Osgood, expressed dissatisfaction with the move.

Edwards had a great voice for radio, his smooth baritone shifting easily from conveying gravitas when dealing with serious topics to light-heartedness when talking about less weighty ones. You can get samples of his voice in this clip.

But what made him stand out in my opinion was that he was such an excellent interviewer. He would always seem to ask the exact question that was necessary and even more importantly, his questions would be very brief but pointed, unlike many interviewers whose questions are wordy and confused and who seem to talk more than their guests.

There is no question that Edwards was the person who made Morning Edition the station many of us turned to when we woke up each weekday and made us faithful listeners and subscribers to NPR.