NPR's Talk of the Nation to End

Has been on the air for 21 years

NPR is ending Talk of the Nation after 21 years on the air, and will seek to replace it in a new strategic partnership with WBUR's Here & Now.

Talk of the Nation, broadcast by more than 400 stations nationwide, will stop production at the end of June. NPR says host Neal Conan will "step away from the rigors of daily journalism" after 35 years at NPR and 11 years hosting the show. Science Friday, with Ira Flatow, will continue.

To replace the mid-day staple program and to boost news coverage between its flagship drive-time show Morning Edition and All Things Considered, NPR is partnering with member station WBUR to expand the Boston station's hourlong news magazine Here & Now to two hours. It will be updated throughout the afternoon as it airs in different time zones. The expanded Here & Now debuts July 1.