One of the most experienced broadcasters at Bay Area NPR member station KQED has announced his retirement. Scott Shafer, veteran political reporter, will retire in December. He made the announcement on Wednesday’s episode of “The Speaker,” his podcast series about Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi.
“Like Pelosi, I’m also retiring this year,” Shafer said, in a precursor to an interview with Pelosi. “Now, just to be clear, the similarities end there. There won’t be any buildings named after me, but we’re both leaving at a time of change for the Democratic Party, the institution Pelosi has devoted her life to.”
After a stint working in politics for Mayor Art Agnos, he joined KQED in 1998, hosting “The California Report,” which is now broadcast on more than 20 California public media stations.
Shafer then went on to co-host the weekly radio program “Political Breakdown.” He’s interviewed a Mount Rushmore’s worth of Bay Area politicians, including Gavin Newsom, Nancy Pelosi, Kamala Harris, Dianne Feinstein and Jerry Brown, whom he covered in an eight-part podcast series…