Kevin Klose
Kevin Klose (1940–2026) was a Canadian‑American journalist and broadcast executive who led National Public Radio as president and oversaw its major growth era.
Particulars
Born in Toronto in 1940 and raised in Red Hook, New York, Klose graduated cum laude from Harvard University in 1962. He began his journalism career at The Washington Post, where he spent 25 years, including a stint as Moscow bureau chief from 1977 to 1981.
In the 1990s he moved into U.S. international broadcasting, directing Radio Liberty and later serving as president of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, relocating the organization to Prague and reshaping its mission.
From December 1998 until September 2008 Klose served as president of National Public Radio, guiding the nonprofit through a period of significant audience and financial growth. After leaving NPR he became dean of the Philip Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland and later returned to RFE/RL as president and CEO. He died in Washington, D.C., on April 15, 2026, from complications of Alzheimer’s disease at age 85.
Compiled from source reports and Wikipedia. Automated record.