Liane Hansen (; born September 29, 1951,) is an American journalist and radio personality. She was the host of the

National Public Radio National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...

(NPR) newsmagazine ''

Weekend Edition ''Weekend Edition'' is a set of American radio news magazine programs produced and distributed by National Public Radio (NPR). It is the weekend counterpart to the NPR radio program '' Morning Edition''. It consists of ''Weekend Edition Saturday ...

Sunday'' from 1989 until her retirement in May 2011. Her experience in broadcast journalism includes working as a reporter, producer, and host for local and national programs.

Biography

Hansen was born in

Worcester, Massachusetts Worcester ( , ) is a city and county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, the city's population was 206,518 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the second-List of cities i ...

. Her first participation in public broadcasting was in 1976, when she became a production assistant and substitute host for then then-local public radio show ''

Fresh Air ''Fresh Air'' is an American radio talk show broadcast on National Public Radio stations across the United States since 1985. It is produced by WHYY-FM in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The show's host is Terry Gross. , the show was syndicated to ...

'' in Philadelphia. In 1979, she joined NPR as a production assistant for ''

All Things Considered ''All Things Considered'' (''ATC'') is the flagship news program on the American network National Public Radio (NPR). It was the first news program on NPR, premiering on May 3, 1971. It is broadcast live on NPR affiliated stations in the United ...

''. She later hosted '' Weekend All Things Considered'', ''

Performance Today ''Performance Today'' is a Peabody Award-winning classical music radio program, first aired in 1987 and hosted since 2000 by Fred Child. It is the most listened-to daily classical music radio program in the United States, with 1.2 million listen ...

'' and guest-hosted the ''

'' after that program was in national syndication through NPR. In November 1989, Hansen joined ''

Sunday''. Hansen is the daughter of Edwin Hansen and Lois Hansen. The spelling of Hansen's first name came from that of

Liane de Pougy Liane de Pougy (born Anne-Marie Chassaigne, 2 July 1869 – 26 December 1950), was a Folies Bergère vedette and dancer renowned as one of Paris's most beautiful and notorious courtesans. Early life and marriage Anne-Marie Chassaigne was bor ...

(1869–1950). She was married to fellow NPR host

Neal Conan Neal Joseph Conan III (November 26, 1949August 10, 2021) was an American radio journalist, producer, editor, and correspondent. He worked for National Public Radio for over 36 years and was the senior host of its talk show ''Talk of the Nation'' ...

with whom she has a son (Connor) and daughter (Casey). In April 2011, Hansen stated publicly that she and Conan were divorcing, in a parting described as "amicable". On May 30, 2010 Hansen announced that she would retire from ''

Sunday'' at the end of May 2011, a time that coincided with the end of her contract with NPR and with the lease on her apartment in Washington, DC. She intended to spend her retirement on Delaware's ocean shore. Her last broadcast was May 29, 2011. After retiring, Hansen moved to

Bethany Beach, Delaware Bethany Beach is an incorporated town in Sussex County, Delaware, United States. According to the 2010 Census Bureau figures, the population of the town is 1,060; however, during the summer months some 15,000 more populate the town as vacationer ...

, and helped launch Delaware's only public radio station,

WDDE WDDE (91.1 FM) is an NPR-member radio station based out of Dover, Delaware. It is owned and operated by Delaware First Media Corporation, and is the first and only full-fledged public radio station based in Delaware. WDDE's studios are located on ...

, and serves on its governing board.

References

Sources

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hansen, Liane 1951 births Living people University of Hartford alumni American radio journalists American talk radio hosts American women radio presenters Emmy Award winners American women journalists NPR personalities People from Bethany Beach, Delaware People from Worcester, Massachusetts Journalists from Massachusetts 21st-century American women