Yahoo Autos NPR Stations Begin Canceling "Car Talk"
Bad news for those of us willing to waste another perfectly good hour: NPR's "Car Talk," the hilarious and insightful car repair and life advice radio show, will air its final episode this weekend on some local public radio stations.
Editor's Note: This post originally stated that "Car Talk" was going off the air nationwide this weekend. We've updated to indicate that, while certain local stations are removing "Car Talk" from their schedules, NPR will continue to produce weekly episodes of the show until September 30, 2017. After that date, individual stations will still have the option to air repeat episodes for as long as they like. We regret the error.
North Carolina's WUNC Public Radio announced that this weekend will see the last broadcast of "Car Talk." Southern California's KPCC will also remove the show from its schedule this month.
The show began in 1977 on local NPR affiliate WBUR of Boston, becoming a national program 10 years later. Through all that time, the show stuck to the same basic format - listeners would call in with their car troubles, and hosts Tom and Ray Magliozzi would razz them, cajole them, occasionally berate them ... and perhaps tell them how to fix their troublesome cars.
It was a car show, in the sense that the presumed topic of discussion was automotive repair, but the show had huge appeal beyond the limited scope of car enthusiasts. Brothers Tom and Ray had an undeniable chemistry and charisma, their humor and joy emanating through the radio waves and drawing in even the least car-savvy listeners.
The brothers stopped producing new episodes back in 2012, pivoting to "The Best of Car Talk," which repackaged old episodes for radio broadcast and podcast consumption. Host Tom Magliozzi died in 2014 at the age of 77. NPR will continue to produce and distribute greatest-hits "Best of Car Talk" episodes until September 30, 2017, after which point individual stations will have the option to continue to air past episodes.
But take heart: Even if your local public radio station decides to remove "Car Talk" from its schedule, the show will continue to be available as a podcast or direct download from CarTalk.com.
You Might Also Like
