Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
Encyclopedia
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! is an hour-long weekly radio news
panel game
show produced by Chicago Public Radio
and National Public Radio. It is distributed by NPR in the United States, internationally on NPR Worldwide and on the Internet
via podcast
, and typically broadcast on weekends by member stations.
. When the program debuted in January 1998, Dan Coffey of Ask Dr. Science
was the original host, but a revamping of the show led to his replacement in May of that year. The show has also been guest hosted by Luke Burbank
, Adam Felber
, Peter Grosz
, Richard Sher, Bill Radke
, Susan Stamberg
, Robert Siegel
and Brian Unger
when Peter Sagal is on vacation.
Carl Kasell
, who also served as the newsreader on Morning Edition
, is the show's official judge and scorekeeper. Korva Coleman, Corey Flintoff
, and Jean Cochran among others have served this role. Each week, a panel of three humorists, journalists, and/or comedians are chosen to participate in the program.
Wait Wait... listeners also participate by telephoning or sending e-mail
s to nominate themselves as contestants. The producers select several listeners for each show, and call them to appear on the program, playing various games featuring questions based on the week's news. The usual prize
for winning any game is to have Carl Kasell record a greeting on the contestant's home answering machine
or voice mail system. In most cases, the contestants are given a bit of latitude in getting the correct answer, such as getting another guess and a hint should they initially guess wrong, or being credited for being able to identify everything about a news-maker except their name.
The show typically closes with the Panelists' Predictions, during which each panelist provides a headline that is designed more to make the listener laugh than to actually predict a real news story. That segment usually ends with Carl Kasell stating that if any of those come true, "we'll ask you about it on Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!"
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! is usually recorded in front of a live audience at Chicago's Chase Auditorium in the Chase Tower
on Thursday nights. Until May 2005, the show was recorded in one of Chicago Public Radio's studios, with no audience and often with one or more panelists calling in from other locations. The show often travels to various cities in the United States and produces a road show in front of a live audience for promotional and station relation purposes.
Several shows a year, usually around holiday periods, revolve around past segments compiled into one episode, or theme programming (such as for the 4th of July, an entire program based on questions from American history adapted to fit the current events format), and are either recorded in front of an audience for later broadcast, or WBEZ's studio facilities.
Felber, Burbank, and Grosz have all served as guest hosts. There are several recurring gags involving the panelists. For example, the audience will chant "Luuuke!" whenever Burbank makes an appearance.
of Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! Peter Sagal and Carl Kasell would be in the pilot, and Doug Berman would be the executive producer. The pilot was not picked up for regular production.
On November 16, 2011, BBC America
announced that the show would make its television debut with a "2011 Year in Review" special airing on December 23rd, to be retransmitted by NPR
stations on the 24th and 25th. The show will include participants and guests from "both sides of the pond".
's former talk radio show, The Al Franken Show
, contained a segment called "Wait Wait... Don't Lie to Me!", where contestants had to determine if a soundbite played was truth, lie, or "weasel
" (technically true, but designed to deceive).
. The program website was nominated for a Webby Award for Humor in 2008.
News
News is the communication of selected information on current events which is presented by print, broadcast, Internet, or word of mouth to a third party or mass audience.- Etymology :...
panel game
Panel game
A panel game or panel show is a radio or television game show in which a panel of celebrities participates. Panelists may compete with each other, such as on The News Quiz; facilitate play by guest contestants, such as on Match Game/Blankety Blank; or do both, such as on Wait Wait.....
show produced by Chicago Public Radio
Chicago Public Radio
WBEZ is a noncommercial, public radio station broadcasting from Chicago, Illinois. Financed primarily by listener contributions, the station is affiliated with both National Public Radio and Public Radio International; they also broadcast content from American Public Media...
and National Public Radio. It is distributed by NPR in the United States, internationally on NPR Worldwide and on the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
via podcast
Podcast
A podcast is a series of digital media files that are released episodically and often downloaded through web syndication...
, and typically broadcast on weekends by member stations.
Format
The show is hosted by playwright and actor Peter SagalPeter Sagal
Peter Sagal is an American playwright, screenwriter, actor, and host of the National Public Radio game show Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! He is originally from Berkeley Heights, New Jersey, although he currently resides in Oak Park, Illinois. Sagal attended Harvard University in Cambridge,...
. When the program debuted in January 1998, Dan Coffey of Ask Dr. Science
Ask Dr. Science
Ask Dr. Science is a daily humorous radio sketch produced by the comedy troupe Duck's Breath Mystery Theatre. It is broadcast on many public radio stations, using a format that mixes elements of a commercial bumper and a public service announcement. A concerned citizen asks a question, which is...
was the original host, but a revamping of the show led to his replacement in May of that year. The show has also been guest hosted by Luke Burbank
Luke Burbank
Luke Burbank is an American podcaster who currently hosts the Seattle-based former radio program and current podcast Too Beautiful to Live....
, Adam Felber
Adam Felber
Adam Felber is an American political satirist, author, radio personality, actor, humorist, novelist, television writer, and comic book writer.Felber attended Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts, and graduated as an English major in 1989...
, Peter Grosz
Peter Grosz
Peter Grosz is an American actor and television writer.Grosz has worked as both an actor and as a producer. He is most recognizable for his "two guys" Sonic commercials. Grosz is a graduate of Northwestern University, where he worked with Seth Meyers of Saturday Night Live...
, Richard Sher, Bill Radke
Bill Radke
Bill Radke is an American radio talk show host, web video host, author, comedian and columnist. As of November 1, 2010 he started hosting Seattle's Morning News on KIRO-FM 97.3 with Linda Thomas in the 5AM to 9AM PST time slot. Previously he had been hosting American Public Media’s Marketplace...
, Susan Stamberg
Susan Stamberg
Susan Stamberg is an American radio journalist who is currently a Special Correspondent for National Public Radio and guest host for Weekend Edition Saturday.Stamberg was born in Newark, New Jersey...
, Robert Siegel
Robert Siegel
Robert Siegel is an American radio journalist best known as host of the National Public Radio evening news broadcast All Things Considered.-Career:...
and Brian Unger
Brian Unger
Brian Unger is an American actor, comedian, writer, producer, and commentator.-Biography:Born in Granville, Ohio in a family with Romanian ethnic heritage, Unger graduated from Ohio University in 1987, where he majored in communication...
when Peter Sagal is on vacation.
Carl Kasell
Carl Kasell
Carl Kasell is an American radio personality, most widely known as a newscaster for National Public Radio and as the official judge and scorekeeper of the weekly news quiz show Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!.-Early life:...
, who also served as the newsreader on Morning Edition
Morning Edition
Morning Edition is an American radio news program produced and distributed by National Public Radio . It airs weekday mornings and runs for two hours, and many stations repeat one or both hours. The show feeds live from 05:00 to 09:00 ET, with feeds and updates as required until noon...
, is the show's official judge and scorekeeper. Korva Coleman, Corey Flintoff
Corey Flintoff
Corey Flintoff is a newscaster for National Public Radio.Flintoff was born in Fairbanks, Alaska. He has a bachelor's degree from University of California at Berkeley, and a master's degree from University of Chicago....
, and Jean Cochran among others have served this role. Each week, a panel of three humorists, journalists, and/or comedians are chosen to participate in the program.
Wait Wait... listeners also participate by telephoning or sending e-mail
E-mail
Electronic mail, commonly known as email or e-mail, is a method of exchanging digital messages from an author to one or more recipients. Modern email operates across the Internet or other computer networks. Some early email systems required that the author and the recipient both be online at the...
s to nominate themselves as contestants. The producers select several listeners for each show, and call them to appear on the program, playing various games featuring questions based on the week's news. The usual prize
Prize
A prize is an award to be given to a person or a group of people to recognise and reward actions or achievements. Official prizes often involve monetary rewards as well as the fame that comes with them...
for winning any game is to have Carl Kasell record a greeting on the contestant's home answering machine
Answering machine
The answering machine or message machine, also known as the telephone answering machine in the UK and some Commonwealth countries) and previously known as an ansaphone, ansafone, or telephone answering device is a device for answering telephones and recording callers' messages.Unlike voicemail,...
or voice mail system. In most cases, the contestants are given a bit of latitude in getting the correct answer, such as getting another guess and a hint should they initially guess wrong, or being credited for being able to identify everything about a news-maker except their name.
The show typically closes with the Panelists' Predictions, during which each panelist provides a headline that is designed more to make the listener laugh than to actually predict a real news story. That segment usually ends with Carl Kasell stating that if any of those come true, "we'll ask you about it on Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!"
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! is usually recorded in front of a live audience at Chicago's Chase Auditorium in the Chase Tower
Chase Tower (Chicago)
Chase Tower, located in the Chicago Loop area of Chicago at 10 South Dearborn Street, is a 60 story skyscraper completed in 1969. At 850 feet tall, it is the tenth tallest building in Chicago, the tallest building inside the Chicago 'L' Loop elevated tracks, and the 32nd tallest in the United...
on Thursday nights. Until May 2005, the show was recorded in one of Chicago Public Radio's studios, with no audience and often with one or more panelists calling in from other locations. The show often travels to various cities in the United States and produces a road show in front of a live audience for promotional and station relation purposes.
Several shows a year, usually around holiday periods, revolve around past segments compiled into one episode, or theme programming (such as for the 4th of July, an entire program based on questions from American history adapted to fit the current events format), and are either recorded in front of an audience for later broadcast, or WBEZ's studio facilities.
Frequent
- Roy Blount, Jr.Roy Blount, Jr.Roy Alton Blount, Jr. is an American writer. Best known as a humorist, Blount is also a reporter, actor, and musician with the Rock Bottom Remainders, a rock band composed entirely of writers. He is also a former president of the Authors Guild....
- Tom BodettTom BodettThomas Edward "Tom" Bodett is an American author, voice actor and radio host. He is also the current spokesman for the hotel chain Motel 6, whose commercials end with the phrase, "I'm Tom Bodett for Motel 6, and we'll leave the light on for ya."-Career:...
- Amy DickinsonAmy DickinsonAmy Dickinson is an American newspaper columnist who writes the syndicated advice column, Ask Amy....
- Adam FelberAdam FelberAdam Felber is an American political satirist, author, radio personality, actor, humorist, novelist, television writer, and comic book writer.Felber attended Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts, and graduated as an English major in 1989...
- Kyrie O'ConnorKyrie O'Connor-Biography:Born in Rochester, New York, she graduated cum laude from Wesleyan University in 1976. She is the sister of Candace O'Connor.She worked for 14 years at the Hartford Courant rising to the rank of assistant managing editor for features. O'Connor led the creation and/or redesign of many of...
- P.J. O'Rourke
- Charlie PierceCharlie PierceCharles P. Pierce is a nationally known American sportswriter, author, and game show panelist.He graduated from St...
- Paula PoundstonePaula PoundstonePaula Poundstone is an American stand-up comedian.- Early life :Poundstone was born in Huntsville, Alabama, and her family moved to Sudbury, Massachusetts. Poundstone attended Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School, but dropped out to pursue a show business career...
- Paul ProvenzaPaul ProvenzaPaul Provenza is an actor, comedian and filmmaker, a self-professed skeptic currently based in Los Angeles.-Early years:...
- Roxanne RobertsRoxanne RobertsRoxanne M. Roberts is a style writer for the Washington Post. She shares "The Reliable Source" column with Amy Argetsinger. She is a regular panelist on the NPR quiz show Wait Wait.....
- Mo RoccaMo RoccaMaurice Alberto "Mo" Rocca is an American writer, comedian and political satirist.-Early life and work:...
Infrequent
- Brian Babylon
- Alonzo BoddenAlonzo BoddenAlonzo Bodden is an American comedian and actor known for winning the grand prize in the third season of the reality-television series Last Comic Standing. He had been the runner-up in the previous season....
- Luke BurbankLuke BurbankLuke Burbank is an American podcaster who currently hosts the Seattle-based former radio program and current podcast Too Beautiful to Live....
- Drew CareyDrew CareyDrew Allison Carey is an American actor, singer, comedian, photographer, sports executive, and game show host. After serving in the U.S. Marine Corps and making a name for himself in stand-up comedy, Carey eventually gained popularity starring on his own sitcom, The Drew Carey Show, and serving as...
- Sue EllicottSue EllicottSue Ellicott is a former television correspondent for the BBC and political writer for The Times in Washington, DC. Ellicott has appeared on CNN, ABC News, and Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher. Ellicott is one of the recurring guest panelists on the NPR radio news quiz show Wait Wait.....
- Peter GroszPeter GroszPeter Grosz is an American actor and television writer.Grosz has worked as both an actor and as a producer. He is most recognizable for his "two guys" Sonic commercials. Grosz is a graduate of Northwestern University, where he worked with Seth Meyers of Saturday Night Live...
- Richard KarnRichard KarnRichard Karn is an American actor and game show host. He is most well known for his co-starring role as Al Borland in the 1990s sitcom Home Improvement and his tenure as the host of Family Feud during the 2000s.-Early life:...
- Keegan-Michael KeyKeegan-Michael KeyKeegan-Michael Key is an American comic actor best known for his roles as a cast member on MADtv for six seasons. He has also had recurring roles on Reno 911! and Gary Unmarried. He used to be the host of The Planet's Funniest Animals...
- Faith SalieFaith SalieFaith Coley Salie is an American actress, comedian, radio host and television personality. She first became known for her role as Sarina Douglas on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and went on to host the Public Radio International program Fair Game with Faith Salie.-Family:Born in Boston,...
- Alison StewartAlison StewartAlison Stewart is an American radio and television journalist. She was one of the hosts of the Bryant Park Project, a morning drive news program from NPR...
- Julia SweeneyJulia SweeneyJulia Anne Sweeney is an American actress, comedian and author best known as a cast member on Saturday Night Live and for her autobiographical solo shows.-Personal life:...
- Maz JobraniMaz JobraniMaziar “Maz” Jobrani is an Iranian-born American comedian who is part of the "Axis of Evil" comedy group. The group appeared on a comedy special on Comedy Central. Jobrani has also appeared in numerous films, television shows, including Better Off Ted, on radio and in comedy clubs...
- Jessi KleinJessi KleinJessi Klein is an American comedy writer and stand-up comic based out of New York City. She has regularly appeared on shows such as The Showbiz Show with David Spade and VH1's Best Week Ever, and has performed stand-up on Comedy Central's Premium Blend. She provided commentary for CNN in the...
Felber, Burbank, and Grosz have all served as guest hosts. There are several recurring gags involving the panelists. For example, the audience will chant "Luuuke!" whenever Burbank makes an appearance.
Ask Carl
- Carl Kasell reads made up inbox messages from "newsmakers with troubles". The listener must then identify who the newsmaker is. Two correct answers out of three constitutes a win. Debuted on May 9, 2009.
Carlbook
- Carl Kasell reads made up FacebookFacebookFacebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
status updates. The listener must then identify who posted the update. Two correct answers out of three constitutes a win. Debuted on March 14, 2009.
Who's Carl This Time?
- The contestant must identify the speaker or explain the context of three quotationQuotationA quotation or quote is the repetition of one expression as part of another one, particularly when the quoted expression is well-known or explicitly attributed by citation to its original source, and it is indicated by quotation marks.A quotation can also refer to the repeated use of units of any...
s read by Carl Kasell. Two correct answers constitutes a win. In a variation of this game, Carl Kasell's Countdown, three popular songs are played and the contestant must identify the related news story. In another variation (debuting on May 18, 2008), Carl Kasell's Answering Machine, Carl Kasell reads three fictitious voice mail messages based on recent events.
Bluff the Listener
- The contestant hears three odd but related news stories read by the panelists. Two of the stories are invented by two panelists, with the actual story being read by the remaining panelist. The listener must determine which one is true and not a product of the panelists' imaginations. The show uses a sound bite from the actual story (either the newsmaker himself or herself, or a reporter or expert familiar with the story) to reveal the answer. (This is one of the few games where the contestant cannot receive any hints at the correct answer or receive partial credit for being "close enough" to the actual answer.)
An Internet Destination Called Carlslist
- Carl Kasell reads postings from the fictional Internet site "Carlslist" (a parody of CraigslistCraigslistCraigslist is a centralized network of online communities featuring free online classified advertisements, with sections devoted to jobs, housing, personals, for sale, services, community, gigs, résumés, and discussion forums....
) based on recent news events. The contestant must guess the person or event being referred to in the "posting" to score points. Debuted on October 21, 2006.
Listener Limerick Challenge
- The contestant must identify the last word or phrase in three news-related limericksLimerick (poetry)A limerick is a kind of a witty, humorous, or nonsense poem, especially one in five-line or meter with a strict rhyme scheme , which is sometimes obscene with humorous intent. The form can be found in England as of the early years of the 18th century...
read by Carl Kasell (and written by Philipp Goedicke). Two correct answers constitutes a win.
Extra! Extra!
- Carl Kasell reads three headlines to each of the panelists; two are fake and one is true. The panelist earns one point if they select the true headline. Debuted on January 29, 2011.
Not My Job
- A specially invited guest takes a three-question multiple-choice quiz on a topic that is a comic juxtaposition to the celebrity's field, with a unique appropriate category name used each week. Originally, the guests on these segments were NPR personalities and reporters, but the pool of guests later expanded to include mostly celebrityCelebrityA celebrity, also referred to as a celeb in popular culture, is a person who has a prominent profile and commands a great degree of public fascination and influence in day-to-day media...
guests, ranging from former U.S. Secretary of StateUnited States Secretary of StateThe United States Secretary of State is the head of the United States Department of State, concerned with foreign affairs. The Secretary is a member of the Cabinet and the highest-ranking cabinet secretary both in line of succession and order of precedence...
Madeleine AlbrightMadeleine AlbrightMadeleine Korbelová Albright is the first woman to become a United States Secretary of State. She was appointed by U.S. President Bill Clinton on December 5, 1996, and was unanimously confirmed by a U.S. Senate vote of 99–0...
who was asked questions on the history of Hugh HefnerHugh HefnerHugh Marston "Hef" Hefner is an American magazine publisher, founder and Chief Creative Officer of Playboy Enterprises.-Early life:...
and Playboy magazine, to author Salman Rushdie who was asked about the history of PezPEZPez is the brand name of an Austrian confectionery and the mechanical pocket dispensers for the same...
candy. Two correct answers constitute a win and the prize goes to a randomly selected listener who contacted the show but was not chosen as a contestant. At least one exception to this rule has been recorded when, in June 2005, Sagal made an "executive ruling" in favor of then-major Robert Bateman, who was participating as the celebrityCelebrityA celebrity, also referred to as a celeb in popular culture, is a person who has a prominent profile and commands a great degree of public fascination and influence in day-to-day media...
from his station in Baghdad, Iraq.
- See List of Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! guests for a full list of participants.
Getting to Know You
- The contestant must answer a question or quote having to do with a presidential candidate.
Wait Wait... Television
- Carl Kasell reads commercials for fictional television shows based on recent news events. The contestant must guess the person that the "commercial" references to score a point. As with the other games, two correct answers out of three possible yields the prize. Debuted on October 1, 2006. In a variation of this game, called Carlvision (debuted April 11, 2009) Carl Kasell reads fictitious episode descriptions (based on news events) for actual current or former television programs as such descriptions might appear in TV GuideTV GuideTV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...
, and the contestant must identify the newsmaker or event; two out of three correct answers are required to win.
The news
- In between games, Peter Sagal asks the panelists questions from the week's news and the panelists earn points by giving correct answers. These questions are generally based on less-newsworthy stories of the week, and phrased similar to questions in The Match Game or Hollywood SquaresHollywood SquaresHollywood Squares is an American panel game show in which two contestants play tic-tac-toe to win cash and prizes. The "board" for the game is a 3 × 3 vertical stack of open-faced cubes, each occupied by a celebrity seated at a desk and facing the contestants...
to allow the panel to give a comedic answer should they be unaware of the real one. A panelist also earns a point if a contestant chooses his/her story in the Bluff the Listener game, whether that story was true or made-up. At the end of the show, the panelists take a Lightning Fill-In-The-Blank quiz. Each panelist is given a series of eight fill-in-the-blank questions about news stories, and must answer as many as he or she can (the stories become more frivolous and humorous as the quiz progresses) and are scored 2 points for each correct answer. After the quiz, all the points are totaled, and the panelist with the highest score is declared the week's champion (in the event of a tie for first place, the tying contestants are declared co-champions). Panelists do not receive prizes for winning. Three-way ties are quite uncommon; in the 23-Oct-2010 show--which was such a tie, between Mo Rocca, Kyrie O'Connor and Peter Grosz--no one could remember when the previous occurrence might have been. The most recent three-way tie was on October 15, 2011, between Mo Rocca, Charlie Pierce, and Amy Dickinson. Mo Rocca humorously begged for a three-way tie where each player would have nine points in honor of Herman CainHerman CainHerman Cain is a candidate for the 2012 U.S. Republican Party presidential nomination.Cain has a background as a business executive, syndicated columnist, and radio host from Georgia. He served as chairman and CEO of Godfather's Pizza from 1986 to 1996...
's 9-9-9 plan.
Television
In 2008, National Public Radio reached an agreement with CBS Entertainment to create a television pilotTelevision pilot
A "television pilot" is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell the show to a television network. At the time of its inception, the pilot is meant to be the "testing ground" to see if a series will be possibly desired and successful and therefore a test episode of an...
of Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! Peter Sagal and Carl Kasell would be in the pilot, and Doug Berman would be the executive producer. The pilot was not picked up for regular production.
On November 16, 2011, BBC America
BBC America
BBC America is an American television network, owned and operated by BBC Worldwide, and available on both cable and satellite.-History:The channel launched on March 29, 1998, broadcasting comedy, drama and lifestyle programs from BBC Television and other British television broadcasters like ITV and...
announced that the show would make its television debut with a "2011 Year in Review" special airing on December 23rd, to be retransmitted by NPR
NPR
NPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
stations on the 24th and 25th. The show will include participants and guests from "both sides of the pond".
Parodies
Al FrankenAl Franken
Alan Stuart "Al" Franken is the junior United States Senator from Minnesota. He is a member of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, which affiliates with the national Democratic Party....
's former talk radio show, The Al Franken Show
The Al Franken Show
The Al Franken Show was the flagship talk show of the former talk radio network, Air America Radio. Hosted by Al Franken, it featured commentary and interviews arguing for left-wing positions on the issues of the day, and comically poking fun at the George W. Bush Administration. The show began as...
, contained a segment called "Wait Wait... Don't Lie to Me!", where contestants had to determine if a soundbite played was truth, lie, or "weasel
Weasel word
A weasel word is an informal term for equivocating words and phrases aimed at creating an impression that something specific and meaningful has been said, when in fact only a vague or ambiguous claim, or even a refutation has been communicated.For example, an advertisement may use a weasel phrase...
" (technically true, but designed to deceive).
Awards
In April 2008, Wait Wait won a Peabody AwardPeabody Award
The George Foster Peabody Awards recognize distinguished and meritorious public service by radio and television stations, networks, producing organizations and individuals. In 1939, the National Association of Broadcasters formed a committee to recognize outstanding achievement in radio broadcasting...
. The program website was nominated for a Webby Award for Humor in 2008.