Last week WBUR Radio (90.9 FM), home of " The Connection " and, until recently, Lydon, announced a series of temporary hosts who'll fill in while a permanent replacement is sought. The line-up comprises the BBC's Judy Swallow, NPR's Neal Conan, Atlantic Monthly senior editor Jack Beatty -- and Totenberg, NPR's longtime legal-affairs reporter (see " This Just In, " News and Features, March 9).

 Now, given that Totenberg is one of NPR's biggest stars, it hadn't occurred to me that she might actually consider giving up her national perch in order to host what is -- despite its presence on about 75 public radio stations nationwide -- essentially a Boston show. (About 100,000 of the show's estimated 400,000 listeners per week hear the show on 'BUR.)

 But there's Totenberg's smiling face in today's Globe, along with quotes about the difficulties of maintaining two households and about how much she and Reines long for more than a weekend marriage. " We hope to live together in the near future, " Totenberg is quoted as saying. Adds Reines: " We don't like spending part of the weekend apart. At some point, we hope to cure that. "

 Well, one solution would be for Totenberg to take the helm of " The Connection " permanently. Jack Beatty is a Boston guy and a capable fill-in for Lydon, but let's face it: if you've got a chance to go for Nina Totenberg, you do it. Such a move would reassure stations out in the hinterland, some of which, as the Boston Globe's Mark Jurkowitz reported today, have either dumped " The Connection " or are considering it. At 57, Totenberg may well be at the stage of her life at which she concludes there are no more mountains to climb in Washington. And presumably money wouldn't be a problem, since WBUR general manager Jane Christo was reportedly willing to pay Lydon $230,000, with a chance to earn considerably more than that.

 Look, Lydon is a great host, and I hope he and his senior producer, Mary McGrath, kick ass with their new Internet venture/syndicated show/whatever. (Jurkowitz reports that Lydon will make a one-day return to the airwaves this Tuesday at 10 a.m., webcasting an interview with Tip O'Neill biographer Jack Farrell at www.christopherlydon.org.)

 But I'd love to see " The Connection " thrive as a bastion of quality, too. Signing up a host of Totenberg's stature would be a way to ensure that.