WRITER: ABBY GARLAND
CONTACT: GEORGE MCCRORY
100 Old Public Library
Iowa City IA 52242
(319) 384-0012; fax (319) 384-0024
e-mail: george-mccrory@uiowa.edu

Release: Feb. 24, 2000

National Public Radio hosts to speak at the UI

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- Neal Conan, correspondent and host of National Public Radio's (NPR) "Weekly Edition: The Best of NPR News," and Liane Hansen, host of NPR's "Weekend Edition Sunday," will be speaking at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 7 in the Buchanan Auditorium of the John Pappajohn Business Building.

Conan and Hansen, who were married in 1982, will share their perspectives about covering world news from a public radio perspective. This WSUI's Spring 2000 Friends' Event is co-sponsored by the Friends of WSUI/KSUI and the University of Iowa School of Journalism and Mass Communication. The event is free and open to the public.

Beginning in 1983, Conan spent four years serving as senior editor of NPR's London Bureau In 1987 Conan transferred to NPR's New York Bureau to serve as a foreign correspondent. Later that year, he covered U.S. military operations in the Persian Gulf. Conan worked as managing editor, and national security correspondent, executive producer, and he has recently served as acting senior editor on the foreign desk and as interim host of "Morning Edition" and "Weekend Edition" on Saturdays.

In 1991, Conan became a defense correspondent and was sent to Saudi Arabia and later to Kuwait to cover the Persian Gulf War. During this assignment, Conan was one of three dozen journalists held hostage in Iraq by the Republican Guard. He was released unharmed and returned to the United States in March 1991.

Conan designed NPR's Gulf War coverage plan and played a critical role in carrying out that plan, often anchoring NPR's live coverage of Pentagon briefings and co-hosting afternoon panel discussion/call-in programs. Conan was part of the NPR team that won a 1992 Alfred I. DuPont-Columbia University Award for coverage of the Gulf War.

Hansen came to NPR as a production assistant for "All Things Considered" in 1979 where she met Conan. Hansen hosted "Weekend All Things Considered" from 1980 to 1981, and also hosted "Performance Today" on NPR. In the mid-'80s, Hansen worked as an archivist in London, England at the Maybox Theaters. In 1988, Hansen was a regular guest host for NPR's newsmagazines, "Weekend All Things Considered," "Weekend Edition Sunday," and "Fresh Air" with Terry Gross.

For more information about this event, contact Friends of WSUI/KSUI at (319) 335-5730.