KNPR’s signature show ‘State of Nevada’ losing its host
The host of KNPR’s “State of Nevada” for almost 10 years is signing off and turning the page, in a real sense.
Joe Schoenmann, the longtime Las Vegas journalist and host of the affairs program since 2016, is vacating the post effective Friday. National Public Radio announced the move Monday morning.
Schoenmann is focusing on a book about his days in Las Vegas. He moved to the city in 1997 after taking a reporting job at the Review-Journal.
“There is a book in me I have to write,” Schoenmann said in a phone chat shortly after Monday’s announcement. “I want to write a real, true story of Las Vegas.”
Friday morning marks Schoenmann’s final broadcast of “State of Nevada,” which airs weekday mornings on 88.9-FM. He will be the guest on a 15-minute recorded segment, hosted by Desert Companion Managing Editor Heidi Kyser.
KNPR says an interim host will step in, and a permanent replacement will be hired in the coming weeks.
Schoenmann started work on a book proposal about 18 months ago. He said the decision to leave was his. He told his colleagues two months ago of his plans to exit.
Asked if the move might be related to planned $9 billion in funding cuts by Congress to NPR and PBS across the country, the veteran journalist said, “I just want to be clear, it nothing to do with that. Who knows what will happen in the Senate? I have actually been thinking about this for years.”
KNPR President and CEO Favian Perez reiterated Schoenmann’s move was not because of budgetary concerns.
“The subcommittee and DOGE questioning of NPR and PBS practices has been an increasing drum beat, I would say, since March,” Perez said in a phone chat Monday afternoon. “So some of the timing here is unfortunate. But I can assure you, it is a completely separate issue.”
Friday marks Schoenmann’s final broadcast of “State of Nevada,” which airs weekday mornings on 88.9-FM. KNPR says an interim host will step in, and a permanent replacement will be hired in the coming weeks. A rotation of 10 hosts will cover the period before the next “State of Nevada” host is hired.
“You need to have a singular voice that makes that connection to the listenership,” Perez said. The exec said that “SoN’ is a “signature” product under the KNPR umbrella, similar to Desert Companion.
“That’s how we localize NPR,” Perez said. “We’ve had many changes over the past 45 years, and in that time ‘State of Nevada’ has become a signature product for Nevada Public Radio. In a few weeks we’ll announce full plans of how we will go forward.”
Schoenmann joined the station in 2014 after a lengthy career as a print reporter at the Review-Journal and Greenspun Media Group. He moved up from producer to senior producer and host of “SoN” in 2016.
As a personal note, yours truly has been a frequent guest on the show during Schoenmann’s tenure. The comic tandem of Luenell and Kelly Clinton-Holmes lit up the studio on one especially memorable occasion. Over the years he goaded me into singing, after lengthy discussions of Vegas entertainment trends. Schoenmann’s range and depth of knowledge will be missed.
“There are a lot of people who like me on the radio, and those don’t like me on the radio,” Schoenmann said. “But whether you liked me or not, keep supporting the station. It’s needed now, more than ever.”
John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on X, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.
