Whither Bob Edwards?
By Todd Leopold
CNN
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- And what about Bob Edwards?
In late March, much to the shock of many listeners, NPR announced Edwards was leaving the network's flagship "Morning Edition." News reports quickly revealed that the departure wasn't necessarily Edwards' choice, especially with his 25th anniversary as host coming up.
NPR's ombudsman, Jeffrey Dvorkin, noted in an open letter to Edwards that "this issue is one of the most intense I've encountered. It's way up there. Bob, this is a huge outpouring of public opinion."
Edwards himself took a positive attitude in a letter on NPR's Web site.
"I am delighted that NPR and I have agreed on all of the details of my new duties as a senior correspondent. ... I now look forward to the new challenges ahead of me and continuing to be a significant part of NPR and the amazing program lineup."
In an interview to promote his new book, "Edward R. Murrow and the Birth of Broadcast Journalism" (Wiley), he deflected questions about his departure -- what one NPR staffer referred to as "the unpleasantness."
"I'm so busy I don't think about it anymore," he says. "I'm shamelessly flogging this book and [thinking about] what I'm going to do after."
Which is long pieces -- "profiles," he says. Though nothing is set in stone: "I'm doing this until July," he says of his tour.
