Who is Susan Stamberg? All about veteran NPR journalist who died at 87

Veteran news anchor Susan Stamberg has passed away. The news of Stamberg’s passing was announced by NPR, a media organization she has been a member of since its founding in 1971. Stamberg was the first woman in the United States to anchor a nightly national news program with All Things Considered. 

Stamberg’s son Josh described her as a “true humanitarian” in a statement:
 

“A true humanitarian, she believed in the power of great journalism. Her life's work was connection, through ideas and culture.”

Katherine Maher, president and Chief Executive of NPR, said Stamberg inspired journalists to explore life and truth:
 

“Susan’s voice was not only a cornerstone of NPR — it was a cornerstone of American life. She showed that journalism could be both rigorous and deeply personal. She inspired countless journalists to believe they could explore life and truth, and lead with both authority and warmth.”

Susan died on October 16, 2025, at the age of 87. She is survived by her son Josh and granddaughters Vivian and Lena.

Susan Stamberg's career journey explored as veteran media personality passes away at 87

Susan Stamberg was born in 1938 in New Jersey. She graduated from Barnard College in 1959 and was the first in her family to achieve such a feat. She pursued a career in journalism and began working as a weather girl at WAMU.

She had her first big career break in 1972 after joining NPR. Susan became the first woman to hold a full-time anchor position on a national nightly news broadcast in the US. She co-hosted the show All Things Considered for 14 years.

NPR’s first program director, Bill Siemering, saw Stamberg’s potential, gave her her first gig behind the microphone and advised her just to be herself:

 

“He said two magical words to me very early on. He said, 'Be yourself.' And what he meant was, we want to hear from — we want to hear voices on our air that we'd hear across our dinner tables at night or at the local grocery store. And we want our announcers and our anchor people to sound that way, too.”

Stamberg was a celebrated media figure. She was awarded the Edward R. Murrow Award. In 1994, the hosting icon was inducted into the Broadcasting Hall of Fame and in 1996, was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame.

On March 3, 2020, Susan was awarded a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame. 

Stamberg married Louis Stamberg in 1962. They were together until Louis' passing in 2007.

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