NPR has tapped Eric Deggans as the radio networks' first TV critic, hiring him away from the Tampa Bay Times after an 18-year run there.
"There is no way to sum up how amazing my time has been here at the newspaper in a few words typed on a blog," Deggans wrote. "But I’ll try for better language when I write my last column for the newspaper a few months from now, charting my progress from an enthusiastic kid who loved writing about pop music to a television critic, media critic, editorial writer, social issues columnist and social media addict all in one."
Also read: NPR Ending 'Talk of the Nation'
Deputy managing editor Jeanne Grinstead added that she would "miss his sensitivity and fearless voice."
Deggans' first book, Race-Baiter: How the Media Wields Dangerous Words to Divide a Nation, was published in 2012. He'll start at NPR in October.