February 2003

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More Q&A with Melissa Block

Q: You have been at NPR since 1985, working as producer, editor, director, and reporter. How do your experiences prepare you to be host of All Things Considered?

Melissa Block: Sometimes I think the best preparation for hosting All Things Considered would be an expert-level juggling class. Next best: being steeped in the ATC bath, as I was for so many years. Having done a variety of jobs at NPR means that I understand how the program is put together: what the pacing should be, what kind of story mix is ideal, and - maybe most important - what the soul and sensibility of the show are.

That said, I know there will be days when preparation and training go out the window, and the best I can muster will be instinct and a sense of humor.

Q: What are your thoughts on taking the mic as All Things Considered host?

MB: My first job at NPR 17 years ago was setting up interviews for ATC host Noah Adams. I can't imagine better radio teachers than Noah and his then co-host Susan Stamberg; and later, Linda Wertheimer and Robert Siegel. It's a thrill to be joining Robert in hosting ATC. I feel like I'm coming home.

Q: History is a great teacher, what have you learned from previous All Things Considered hosts such as Susan Stamberg, Noah Adams, Robert Siegel, and Linda Wertheimer?

MB: All four have been tremendous teachers. Susan's spark and energy, Noah's warmth and intense curiosity, Linda's empathy and elegant writing, and Robert's humor and probing intelligence - all are qualities I hope have rubbed off on me over the years.

Of course, what's true of all four is that they're terrific listeners, which is also what makes them such great hosts. (Incidentally, one of the early lessons I learned from Noah when I was his producer was to bring lots of change to make pay phone calls when we were on the road. Now I have to remember my cell phone charger.)

Q: What have been your toughest assignments for NPR?

MB: Far too many interviews with family members of people who died terrible deaths -- at the World Trade Center, on TWA flight 800, in the terrorist bombings of U.S. embassies in Africa. Those who agree to talk do so, I think, to pay tribute to their loved ones. And often, they talk to NPR because they know and trust us. But I always leave these interviews emotionally spent, uncomfortable that I've been poking into people's private grief.

Q: What are the most memorable people you've interviewed?

MB: I have a particular fondness for some local characters I've met in my years in New York. There's Sal Napolitano, who's run the Central Park carousel since he was 15 years old: "It took me a while to learn how to get on and off... It was so bad that I used to get off at the back of the carousel, because I used to go crashing into the closets."

There are Renee and Josephine, two elderly women I met on a park bench in Brooklyn who regaled me with wonderful memories of the old New York they knew: "I thought it was wonderful going to work for a nickel, you know, and come back for a nickel. It was wonderful. Never looking over my shoulder, who's going to rob you, or anything."

And there's Larry Doherty, a retired New York City cop who raises racing pigeons on the roof of his house in the Bronx: "Oh, yeah, I'm in my glory here. Well, honestly, in my heart I would love to be a horse owner, a racehorse owner. But in my pocket, it dictates I go to pigeons."

Their love of the city, their passion for what they do, and their thick, delicious New York accents are unforgettable.