John Dimsdale

Washington, D.C. Bureau Chief, Marketplace

SHORT BIO

John Dimsdale has spent almost 40 years in radio. As the former head of Marketplace’s Washington, D.C., bureau, he provided insightful commentary on the intersection of government and money for the entire Marketplace portfolio.

As Dimsdale notes, “Sooner or later, every story in the world comes through Washington,” and reporting on those issues is like “… going to school with all the best professors and then reporting to listeners what I found out at the end of the day … Can you believe they pay me to do that?”

Dimsdale began working for Marketplace in 1990, when he opened the D.C. bureau. The next day, Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait, triggering the first Gulf War, and Dimsdale has been busy ever since.

In his 20 years at Marketplace, Dimsdale has reported on two wars, the dot-com boom, the housing bust, healthcare 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.

Before joining Marketplace, Dimsdale worked at NPR, the Pennsylvania Public Television Network, Post-Newsweek Stations and Independent Network News.

A native of Washington, D.C., and the son of a federal government employee, Dimsdale has been passionate about public policy since the Vietnam War. He holds a bachelor’s degree in International Studies from Washington College in Chestertown, Md., and a master’s degree in Broadcast Journalism from the University of Missouri in Columbia, Mo.

Dimsdale and his wife, Claire, live in the suburb of Silver Spring, Md., and when not working, he enjoys traveling, carpentry, photography, videography, swimming and home brewing.

Latest Stories (983)

Mortgage lenders foot bill for payroll cut extension

Dec 23, 2011
Mortgage lenders will pay higher fees to Fannie and Freddie to guarantee their loans. That pays for the extension of the payroll tax cut.

GDP third quarter revisions coming

Dec 22, 2011
Economists expect third quarter GDP grew at around 2 percent. But if all goes well, it'll be even higher in the fourth quarter.

The House caves: GOP leaders accept two-month extension of payroll tax cut

Dec 22, 2011
At the urging of President Obama and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, the GOP-led House say they will pass a two-month payroll tax cut extension.

Bipartisan legislation on Medicare unveiled

Dec 16, 2011
Senator Ron Wyden and Representative Paul Ryan released a bipartisan Medicare reform plan. The timing, amid budget and payroll tax fights, could be intentional.

The pros and cons of the payroll tax cut

Dec 14, 2011
The payroll tax cuts expire at the end of the year, and the clock is ticking to make a decision to renew them or not. Why can they help or hurt the economy?

Europe looks to the IMF

Dec 8, 2011
The Europeans are starting to turn to the IMF for help with bailouts. Some in Congress are resisting. But withdrawing our help could have consequences.

Gingrich behind in fundraising

Dec 7, 2011
As of September, Gingrich had raised about $3 million and owed more than $1 million. But he's at the top of the polls and that could help him.

Military veterans and the current job market

Dec 2, 2011
Servicemembers return stateside to one of the worst job markets in history. Two veterans share their job-hunting stories: One who is still searching for a job and another who found work quickly after he retired from the military.

Payroll tax cut extension still in limbo

Dec 2, 2011
Extending the payroll tax cut failed in the Senate over divisions on how to pay for it. If it isn't paid for, that diverts money from Social Security.

Fairfax, Va.: Land of corporate headquarters and 4.6 percent unemployment

Nov 28, 2011
One country in Virginia is managing to survive and prosper even as the country at large has ongoing financial problems.