“Marketplace” DC bureau chief Dimsdale laid off

John Dimsdale, the Washington bureau chief of the business and economics focused “Marketplace” radio show, has been laid off by its parent company, American Public Media, according to media reports.

He’s part of at least 10 layoffs that are involved in a reorganization of the company that gives David Kansas, former Wall Street Journal staffer, oversight of all content, reports David Brauer of MinnPost.org.

Dimsdale began working for Marketplace in 1990, when he opened the D.C. bureau.

In his 22 years at Marketplace, Dimsdale has reported on two wars, the dot-com boom, the housing bust, health care reform and the greening of energy.

His interviews with four U.S. presidents, four Hall of Famers, broadcast journalist Walter Cronkite, computer scientist Sergey Brin, U.S. District Court Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson and former U.S. Vice President Hubert Humphrey stand out as favorites.

Some of his greatest contributions include a series on government land-use policies and later, a series on the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste disposal site.