Asked about the move, Sikka told SAJAforum: "I'm delighted that I will be able to continue to produce a show that has proved to be so relevant and valuable to millions of listeners every day. Morning Edition's continued success is a testament to the value and necessity of a wide ranging daily magazine show in these times."
From a memo by Ellen McDonnell, director of NPR's morning programming:
From: Ellen McDonnell
Sent: Friday, January 23, 2009 3:08 AM
To: News-All Staff
Subject: Congratulations
Starting today Madhulika Sikka officially takes over as Executive Producer of Morning Edition.
As Deputy Executive Producer she has elevated both the journalism and production of Morning Edition. She has proved herself a skilled manager and generous mentor within the News Division. She has helped develop an integral relationship between desks and the show and I think you'll agree that Morning Edition has never sounded better. As many of you know, she has brought a wealth of experience to NPR with her 25 plus years of award-winning broadcast journalism. She has been an enormous asset as we continuously re-define the role of Morning News at NPR.
This promotion completes a transition which began when I was named Director of Morning programming.
A strong team just got stronger.
Morning Edition, the two-hour newsmagazine airing weekdays and hosted
by Steve Inskeep in Washington, D.C. and Renée Montagne from NPR West
in Culver City, Calif., is public radio's most listened-to program
with more than 13 million weekly listeners. For local stations and
broadcast times, visit www.NPR.org/stations