The Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me! Podcast

Podcast

Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me!


Here’s another podcast that I continually find myself listening to. If you’re a fan of NPR, specifically weekends on NPR, you’ve probably heard Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me! If not, you don’t know what you’re missing.

The podcast is posted every Monday and essentially replays the preceding weekend’s radio broadcast. I know what you’re thinking…big deal, right? Well if you missed the show you can still hear it and, the best part is, it’s free. Other shows broadcasted on NPR are available for download, but several of them you have to pay for through services like audible. Don’t get me wrong, I love audible, but it’s nice not to have to pay for something once in a while.

Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me! is based out of Chicago and is a “co-production” of Chicago Public Radio and NPR. It's hosted by Peter Sagal who is assisted by “Official Judge and Scorekeeper” and NPR veteran, Carl Kasell. Every week, you can also find a trio of panelists more often than not made up by Roy Blount Jr. (Author), Sue Ellicot (London Times/New York Times), Adam Felber (Writer/Performer), P.J. O’Rourke (Author/Atlantic Monthly), Charles Pierce (Boston Globe), Paula Poundstone (Comedian), Roxanne Roberts (Washington Post) or Mo Rocca (Contributor to all things great and small).


Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me! is set up as a quiz show where questions based on current events are asked to the panelists and they are awarded points based on their answers. It may sounds dry, but with segments like Who’s Carl This time, Carl Kasell’s Way Back Machine, Listener Limerick Challenge and Carl Kasell’s Countdown, the silliness that is the world we live in becomes apparent. There are two listener call in segments and another called Not My Job where they have various celebrity guests try to answer questions on topics they know nothing about.

If your still reading this and think it sounds geeky…yeah, it probably is. But it’s entertaining. Think of it as fun for the educated masses…I mean, come on it is NPR after all. That being said, it’s funny and clean and topical and it’s definitely worth a listen…oh yeah, and you can win Carl Kasell’s voice on your answering machine.