The “butter-smooth voice” of Gura returning to Bloomberg

NPR chief business editor Pallavi Gogoi sent out the following on Thursday:

Dear all,

We are writing with some bittersweet news.

David Gura is leaving NPR after almost three years as a business correspondent covering Wall Street. He has worked at NPR on and off for the last 15 years and has crossed paths with so many people in this organization. Some have watched David on TV, anchoring his own show at MSNBC. Scores of others know him because of his deep ties with public radio. He launched his career with a public radio internship at North Carolina Public Radio and then joined as an intern at the NPR mothership and then started as an editor and producer for “Talk of the Nation.” He left for Marketplace, Bloomberg and NBC before returning to his favorite news organization during the pandemic.

Anyone who has worked with David will tell you what a wonderful and gracious colleague he is. Decency courses through his veins. The business desk will sorely miss him and NPR listeners will miss his butter-smooth voice. David is returning to Bloomberg, where he will be the host of its flagship daily news podcast, called “The Big Take.”

David has covered so many big events at NPR with stories were sharp, analytical and human. Here are a few highlights from the last few months:

They were Sam Bankman-Fried’s friends. Now they could send him to prison for life

He took away the country’s top AAA rating in 2011. He ended up fearing for his life

It’s nothing personal: On Wall Street, layoffs are a way of life

His last day with us is March 8. While David will be hard to replace, we will hire for the position he is vacating in the days ahead.

Best,

PG

David’s reflections are below:

I rejoined NPR in the middle of the pandemic, and thanks to Ops and IT, I managed to cobble together a serviceable home studio.

iRig? Check. RE50/B? Check. A heavy blanket that I always hoped would mask the sounds of, variously — and sometimes simultaneously, a steam radiator, a busy Brooklyn avenue, and three young children? Check.

I’ve always thought this medium is magic, and the MacGyver-ing I did in those early days added to the mystique.

I’m so fortunate to have had the opportunity to cover Wall Street for NPR at such an eventful time, with help from, and the encouragement of, so many kind and generous colleagues. Each of you has made my work better. Thank you.

I’m especially grateful to everyone on the business desk, which is small but so, so mighty. It’s a team that encourages collaboration and creativity and, as you’re no doubt aware, does such excellent work day in and day out.

This is a bittersweet moment for me, as I prepare to leave a place I love — and have loved! — for a new challenge. I’ll remain a faithful listener, and I hope you’ll keep in touch.

–David