Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!: Difference between revisions
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| runtime = Approx. 50 min. | | runtime = Approx. 50 min. | ||
| creator = Doug Berman | | creator = Doug Berman | ||
| producer = {{unbulleted list | Miles Doornbos | Ian Chillag | [[Jennifer Mills News|Jennifer Mills]] | Lillian King | Robert Neuhaus | Lorna White | Colin Miller | Shayna Donald}} | | producer = {{unbulleted list | Miles Doornbos | Ian Chillag | [[Jennifer Mills News|Jennifer Mills]] | Lillian King | Robert Neuhaus | Lorna White | Colin Miller | Shayna Donald | [[Emma Choi]]}} | ||
| executive_producer = Mike Danforth | | executive_producer = Mike Danforth | ||
| presenter = Dan Coffey (1998) <br /> [[Peter Sagal]] (1998–present) | | presenter = Dan Coffey (1998) <br /> [[Peter Sagal]] (1998–present) | ||
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==Format== | ==Format== | ||
{{further|List of Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! episodes{{!}}List of ''Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!'' episodes}} | {{further|List of Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! episodes{{!}}List of ''Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!'' episodes}}{{Multiple image | ||
| image1 = WaitWaitTanglewoodTaping.jpg | |||
| image2 = Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! Live Taping.jpg | |||
| caption2 = Taping of a 2010 episode at the Chase Auditorium, with panelists [[Adam Felber]], [[Roxanne Roberts]], and [[Keegan-Michael Key]] | |||
| caption1 = Taping of a 2025 episode at [[Tanglewood]], with panelists [[Mo Rocca]], [[Joyelle Nicole Johnson]], and [[Tom Bodett]] | |||
}} | |||
''Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!'' premiered in 1998 and was recorded in front of a live audience in the Chase Auditorium beneath Chicago's [[Chase Tower (Chicago)|Chase Tower]] on Thursday nights.<ref>{{cite web|title=Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me Ticketing|url=https://www.wbez.org/events/wait-wait-dont-tell-me-tickets |publisher=[[WBEZ]] Chicago}}</ref> Due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]], episodes were recorded remotely beginning March 2020, mainly from panelists' homes, with sound effects added for broadcast.<ref>{{Cite web |title=For this NPR host, the show goes on ... even during a pandemic |author=Ethan Bauer |work=Deseret News |date=1 May 2020 |access-date=6 May 2022 |url= https://www.deseret.com/indepth/2020/4/30/21238543/people-of-the-pandemic-peter-sagal-npr-wait-wait-dont-tell-me-coronavirus}}</ref> Live audience recordings resumed in August 2021.<ref>{{Cite web |title='Wait Wait ... Don't Tell Me' makes its return to live audiences in Philly |author=Peter Crimmins |work=WHYY |date=6 August 2021 |access-date=6 May 2022 |url= https://whyy.org/articles/wait-wait-dont-tell-me-makes-its-return-to-live-audiences-in-philly/}}</ref> In June 2022, the show moved to the [[Fine Arts Building (Chicago)|Studebaker Theater]] in Chicago's Fine Arts Building.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/2022/05/17/1099627383/mandy-moore|title='Wait Wait' for May 21, 2022: With Not My Job guest Mandy Moore|publisher=NPR|date=May 21, 2022|time=0.47}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/2022/06/07/1103508516/kenan-thompson|title='Wait Wait' for June 11, 2022: With Not My Job guest Kenan Thompson|publisher=NPR|date=June 11, 2022|time=1.00}}</ref> Episodes are periodically recorded on tour in venues across the United States.<ref name=":0" /> | |||
'' | The show is hosted by playwright and actor [[Peter Sagal]]. When the program had its debut 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 [[Tom Bodett]], [[Luke Burbank]], [[Adam Felber]], [[Peter Grosz]], [[Tom Papa]], [[Mike Pesca]], [[Richard Sher (producer)|Richard Sher]], [[Bill Radke]], [[Susan Stamberg]], [[Robert Siegel]], [[Brian Unger]], [[Drew Carey]], [[Tom Hanks]], [[Helen Hong]], [[Jessi Klein]],<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/rundowns/rundown.php?prgId=35&prgDate=08-12-2006 |title=Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!- August 12, 2006|publisher=NPR |access-date=February 3, 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.npr.org/programs/waitwait/archrndwn/2005/aug/050827.waitwait.html |title=Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!- August 27, 2005 |publisher=NPR |access-date=February 3, 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.npr.org/programs/waitwait/archrndwn/2004/aug/040814.waitwait.html |title=Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!- August 14, 2004 |publisher=NPR |access-date=February 3, 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Roti|first1=Jessi|title=Tom Hanks to guest host 'Wait, Wait...Don't Tell Me' in Chicago|url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/chicagoinc/ct-tom-hanks-to-guest-host-on-npr-story.html |work=Chicago Tribune|date=December 14, 2016 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/programs/wait-wait-dont-tell-me/519656715/wait-wait-for-march-11-2017-with-not-my-job-guest-neal-brennan|title='Wait Wait' For March 11, 2017: With Not My Job Guest Neal Brennan|website=NPR.org}}</ref> [[Maz Jobrani]],<ref>{{Cite web |date=May 15, 2021 |url=https://www.npr.org/programs/wait-wait-dont-tell-me/996891102/wait-wait-for-may-15-2021-with-not-my-job-guest-elizabeth-warren |title='Wait Wait' For May 15, 2021, With Not My Job Guest Elizabeth Warren |website=NPR.org}}</ref> [[Negin Farsad]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/2022/01/29/1076494413/wait-wait-for-jan-29-2022-with-not-my-job-guest-jeremy-o-harris|title='Wait Wait' for Jan. 29, 2022: With Not My Job guest Jeremy O. Harris|publisher=NPR}}</ref> Alzo Slade,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/2023/02/15/1157244228/rosie-perez-on-her-first-meeting-with-spike-lee|title=Rosie Perez on her first meeting with Spike Lee and her favorite Rihanna song|publisher=NPR|date=February 18, 2023}}</ref> [[Josh Gondelman]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/2023/03/01/1160422137/malala-yousafzai-won-the-nobel-peace-prize-while-in-chemistry|title=Malala Yousafzai on winning the Nobel Peace Prize while in chemistry class|publisher=NPR|date=March 4, 2023}}</ref> [[Karen Chee]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/2023/03/17/1164375148/sam-waterston-on-being-the-most-recognizable-pretend-lawyer-in-new-york|title=Sam Waterston on being the most recognizable pretend lawyer in New York|publisher=NPR|date=March 18, 2023}}</ref> and [[Dulcé Sloan]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/2024/10/26/g-s1-30019/wait-wait-for-october-26-2024-with-not-my-job-guests-sue-bird-and-megan-rapinoe|title='Wait Wait' for October 26, 2024: With Not My Job guests Sue Bird and Megan Rapinoe|publisher=NPR|date=October 26, 2024}}</ref> | ||
The | The announcer, also serving as judge and scorekeeper, has been Bill Kurtis<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/people/578888188/bill-kurtis|title=Bill Kurtis|publisher=NPR|access-date=November 4, 2023}}</ref> since 2014,<ref name=Oregonian/> though Chioke I'Anson,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wnyc.org/story/wait-wait-for-dec-24-2022-with-not-my-job-guest-sarah-polley/|title='Wait Wait' for Dec. 24, 2022: With Not My Job guest Sarah Polley|publisher=[[WNYC]]|access-date=November 4, 2023}}</ref> [[Lakshmi Singh]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/2023/11/04/1198908185/dr-rae-wynn-grant-talks-bear-attacks-and-gummy-bears|title=Large carnivore ecologist Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant talks black bears and gummy bears|publisher=NPR|date=November 4, 2023|access-date=November 4, 2023}}</ref> [[Andy Richter]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/2024/03/16/1238865519/wait-wait-for-march-16-2024-with-not-my-job-guest-david-alan-grier|title='Wait Wait' for March 16, 2024: With Not My Job guest David Alan Grier|publisher=NPR|date=March 16, 2024|access-date=March 16, 2024}}</ref> Helen Hong,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/2024/04/20/1245939719/wait-wait-for-april-20-2024-with-not-my-job-guest-judith-butler|title='Wait Wait' for April 20, 2024: With Not My Job guest Judith Butler|publisher=NPR|date=April 20, 2024|access-date=April 20, 2024}}</ref> [[Ayesha Rascoe]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/2024/09/21/g-s1-23945/wait-wait-for-september-21-2024-with-not-my-job-guest-gary-oldman|title='Wait Wait' for September 21, 2024: With Not My Job guest Gary Oldman|publisher=NPR|date=September 21, 2024|access-date=September 21, 2024}}</ref> [[Joshua Johnson (journalist)|Joshua Johnson]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/2024/11/09/g-s1-33508/wait-wait-for-november-9-2024-with-not-my-job-guest-tara-dower|title='Wait Wait' for November 9, 2024: With Not My Job guest Tara Dower|publisher=NPR|date=November 9, 2024}}</ref> [[Tim Meadows]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/2024/11/23/1215004115/wait-wait-dont-tell-me-draft-11-23-2024|title='Wait Wait' for November 23, 2024: With Not My Job guests Bridget Everett and Jeff Hiller|publisher=NPR|date=November 23, 2024}}</ref> Alzo Slade<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/2025/05/10/1250441648/wait-wait-dont-tell-me-draft-05-10-2025|title='Wait Wait' for May 10, 2025: With Not My Job guest Nathan Lane|publisher=NPR|date=May 10, 2025}}</ref> and [[Rhymefest]] have substituted.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/2025/09/13/nx-s1-5540059/legendary-broadcaster-bob-costas-shares-his-biggest-on-air-mistake-and-how-to-anger-an-entire-olympi|title='Wait Wait' for September 13, 2025: With Not My Job guest Bob Costas|publisher=NPR|date=September 13, 2025}}</ref> [[Carl Kasell]] preceded Kurtis, who often filled in for him.<ref name=Oregonian>{{cite web|url=https://www.oregonlive.com/movies/2014/05/who_should_replace_carl_kasell.html|title=Who should replace Carl Kasell as 'Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!' scorekeeper? (poll)|last=Turnquist|first=Kristi|work=[[The Oregonian]]|date=May 16, 2014|access-date=November 4, 2023}}</ref> | ||
''Wait Wait...'' listeners also participate by telephoning or sending emails to nominate themselves as contestants, or as of January 9, 2024, followers of the show's official Instagram account can click a link in the bio which will take them to a form to fill out and register to be a contestant.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.instagram.com/p/C15n7IMM0yf/|title=Instagram|website=www.instagram.com}}</ref> 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. Before October 21, 2017, the usual prize for winning any game was to have Kasell (named "Scorekeeper [[Emeritus]]" following his retirement) record a greeting on the contestant's home [[answering machine]] or [[voice mail]] system; after Kasell died in 2018, the prize was changed to have a host or panelist of the contestant's choice record a greeting.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.avclub.com/article/carl-kasell-steps-down-wait-wait-dont-tell-me-201796 | title = Carl Kasell steps down from Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me | first = Erik | last = Adams | date = March 4, 2014 | access-date = July 11, 2017 | work = [[The A.V. Club]] }}</ref> | |||
''Wait Wait...'' listeners also participate by telephoning or sending emails to nominate themselves as contestants, or as of January 9, 2024, followers of the show's official Instagram account can click a link in the bio which will take them to a form to fill out and register to be a contestant.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.instagram.com/p/C15n7IMM0yf/|title=Instagram|website=www.instagram.com}}</ref> 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. | |||
==Panelists== | ==Panelists== | ||
In addition to the regular panelists listed below, the show also occasionally features one-off guest panelists. | In addition to the regular panelists listed below, the show also occasionally features one-off guest panelists. | ||
[[File:WaitOctaviaMoRSigningADRB3PanelistsCrop.JPG|thumb|Regular ''Wait Wait...'' panelists (l–r) Roy Blount Jr., Amy Dickinson, and Mo Rocca sign autographs following a 2010 taping in [[New Orleans]].]] | [[File:WaitOctaviaMoRSigningADRB3PanelistsCrop.JPG|thumb|Regular ''Wait Wait...'' panelists (l–r) Roy Blount Jr., Amy Dickinson, and Mo Rocca sign autographs following a 2010 taping in [[New Orleans]].]] | ||
<big>'''Regular'''</big><ref>{{cite news |title=About The Panelists |url=https://www.npr.org/2010/12/07/110997511/about-the-panelists |date=July 21, 2009 |newspaper=[[NPR]] |access-date=January 22, 2020}}</ref> | |||
<big>'''Regular'''</big><ref>{{cite news |title=About The Panelists |url=https://www.npr.org/2010/12/07/110997511/about-the-panelists |date=July 21, 2009 |newspaper=[[NPR]] |access-date=January 22, 2020}}</ref> | |||
<!-- Panelists who appear under "About the Panelists" on the main page of the "Wait Wait..." website, and made at least one appearance in 2018/2019. --> | <!-- Panelists who appear under "About the Panelists" on the main page of the "Wait Wait..." website, and made at least one appearance in 2018/2019. --> | ||
[[File:WaitWaitPanel.jpg|thumb|<big>'''Panelist Table'''</big>|left]] | |||
{{div col|colwidth=20em}} | {{div col|colwidth=20em}} | ||
* [[Cristela Alonzo]] | * [[Cristela Alonzo]] | ||
| Line 62: | Line 65: | ||
* [[Maeve Higgins]] | * [[Maeve Higgins]] | ||
* [[Helen Hong]] | * [[Helen Hong]] | ||
* [[Shantira Jackson]] | |||
* [[Maz Jobrani]] | * [[Maz Jobrani]] | ||
* [[Joyelle Nicole Johnson]] | |||
* [[Jessi Klein]] | * [[Jessi Klein]] | ||
* [[Hari Kondabolu]] | * [[Hari Kondabolu]] | ||
| Line 73: | Line 78: | ||
* [[Alzo Slade]] | * [[Alzo Slade]] | ||
* [[Dulcé Sloan]] | * [[Dulcé Sloan]] | ||
{{div col end}} | {{div col end}}<big>'''Past panelists'''</big><ref>{{cite web|last=Pham|first=Linh|title=NPR's Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!: Stats and Show Details |url=http://wwdt.me/panelists |access-date=January 30, 2014}}</ref> | ||
<big>'''Past panelists'''</big><ref>{{cite web|last=Pham|first=Linh|title=NPR's Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!: Stats and Show Details |url=http://wwdt.me/panelists |access-date=January 30, 2014}}</ref> | |||
{{div col|colwidth=20em}} | {{div col|colwidth=20em}} | ||
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==On-air segments== | ==On-air segments== | ||
Though there are some deviations from time to time, episodes of ''Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!'' feature the following format: | Though there are some deviations from time to time, episodes of ''Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!'' feature the following format: | ||
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As with other NPR programs, ''Wait Wait'' offers a one-minute top-of-hour billboard teasing the program that will follow the network's hourly newscast (which traditionally starts at one minute past the hour). In this minute, the host offers a humorous comment on the week's news, mentions the identity of the week's interview guest, and sets up an out-of-context reading by the announcer of a quote or game title from the episode. | As with other NPR programs, ''Wait Wait'' offers a one-minute top-of-hour billboard teasing the program that will follow the network's hourly newscast (which traditionally starts at one minute past the hour). In this minute, the host offers a humorous comment on the week's news, mentions the identity of the week's interview guest, and sets up an out-of-context reading by the announcer of a quote or game title from the episode. | ||
===Who's Bill This Time?=== | === Who's Bill This Time? === | ||
The contestant is asked to identify the speaker or explain the context of three quotations from that week's major news stories as read by the announcer (usually Bill Kurtis). Each answer is followed by a humorous discussion of the story by the host and the panelists. Two correct answers constitute a win for the contestant. | The contestant is asked to identify the speaker or explain the context of three quotations from that week's major news stories as read by the announcer (usually Bill Kurtis). Each answer is followed by a humorous discussion of the story by the host and the panelists. Two correct answers constitute a win for the contestant. Before Kasell's retirement, the segment was known as "Who's Carl This Time?" and he read the quotations. Whenever Kurtis is absent, his first name is replaced by that of the person filling in for him in the game's name. | ||
[[File:WaitWaitDontTellMeStage.jpg|thumb|Announcer podiums (left), celebrity guest chair (center) and panelist table (right)]] | |||
===Panel questions=== | ===Panel questions=== | ||
In two separate segments each week, the host asks the panelists questions regarding less serious stories in the week's news, awarding them one point for each correct answer. The questions are phrased similarly to those featured on ''[[The Match Game]]'' or ''[[Hollywood Squares]]'' to allow the panelists to offer a comedic answer in addition to their real guess as well as a hint from the host if needed. | In two separate segments each week, the host asks the panelists questions regarding less serious stories in the week's news, awarding them one point for each correct answer. The questions are phrased similarly to those featured on ''[[The Match Game]]'' or ''[[Hollywood Squares]]'' to allow the panelists to offer a comedic answer in addition to their real guess as well as a hint from the host if needed. A discussion of the story often follows the answer. | ||
===Bluff the Listener=== | ===Bluff the Listener=== | ||
Each panelist reads an unusual story, all sharing a common theme. Only one of the three stories is genuine; the contestant wins the prize by choosing it. A sound bite from a person connected to the | Each panelist reads an unusual story, all sharing a common theme. Only one of the three stories is genuine; the contestant wins the prize by choosing it. A sound bite from a person connected to the authentic story is played to reveal whether the contestant's guess is correct. Regardless of the outcome, the panelist whose story is chosen scores one point. | ||
===Not My Job=== | ===Not My Job=== | ||
{{external media | width = 210px | float = right | audio1 = [https://www.npr.org/programs/wait-wait-dont-tell-me/2006/11/04/13109791/ Jimmy Wales plays "Not my job"], 10:19, [[NPR]], November 4, 2006<ref name="w8w8">{{cite web | title =Not My Job: Wikipedia Founder Jimmy Wales | work = Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! | publisher =[[NPR]] | date = November 4, 2006 | url =https://www.npr.org/programs/wait-wait-dont-tell-me/2006/11/04/13109791/ | access-date =January 13, 2017}}</ref> }} | {{external media | width = 210px | float = right | audio1 = [https://www.npr.org/programs/wait-wait-dont-tell-me/2006/11/04/13109791/ Jimmy Wales plays "Not my job"], 10:19, [[NPR]], November 4, 2006<ref name="w8w8">{{cite web | title =Not My Job: Wikipedia Founder Jimmy Wales | work = Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! | publisher =[[NPR]] | date = November 4, 2006 | url =https://www.npr.org/programs/wait-wait-dont-tell-me/2006/11/04/13109791/ | access-date =January 13, 2017}}</ref> }} | ||
{{For|a full list of "Not My Job" participants|List of Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! guests}} | {{For|a full list of "Not My Job" participants|List of Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! guests}} | ||
[[File:L-16-01-21-A-071 (24523631981).jpg|thumb|''Wait Wait...'' with [[Tom Perez]]]] | |||
A celebrity guest calls in (or occasionally appears onstage) to be interviewed by the host and the panelists as well as take a three-question multiple-choice quiz. In ''Wait Wait''{{'}}s early years, "Not My Job" guests were mainly pulled from NPR's roster of personalities and reporters; the pool of guests later expanded to include guests of greater celebrity. When the show tapes live on the road, the NMJ guest is often someone of local celebrity, as is the chosen listener. | |||
As the segment's title suggests, the guests are quizzed on topics that are not normally associated with their field of work. For example, former U.S. Secretary of State [[Madeleine Albright]] was asked questions on the history of [[Hugh Hefner]] and ''[[Playboy (magazine)|Playboy]]'' magazine,<ref>{{cite interview | subject=Madeleine Albright | interviewer=Peter Sagal |title=Not My Job! | url=https://www.npr.org/programs/waitwait/archrndwn/2003/dec/031206.waitwait.html | type=Interview: Audio | work=Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! | publisher=NPR/WGBH | date=December 6, 2003 | access-date=January 13, 2008}}</ref> while author [[Salman Rushdie]] was asked about the history of [[Pez]] candy.<ref>{{cite interview | subject=Salman Rushdie | interviewer=Peter Sagal |title=Not My Job! | url=https://www.npr.org/programs/waitwait/archrndwn/2001/sep/010908.waitwait.html | type=Interview: Audio | work=Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! | publisher=NPR/WGBH | date=September 9, 2001 | access-date=January 13, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=NPR's 'Wait, Wait ... Don't Tell Me!' You Can't Make This Stuff Up. Or Can You? |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/04/arts/television/04brenn.html?_r=0 |work=[New York Times] |date=June 4, 2006 |last=Brenna |first=Susan |access-date=July 22, 2016}}</ref> Often, the subject matter of the quizzes serve as an oblique yet comic juxtaposition to the guests' fields of work, such as when ''[[Mad Men]]'' creator/producer [[Matthew Weiner]] was quizzed on ways people try to cheer others up ("Glad Men") in a March 2015 appearance.<ref>[https://www.npr.org/2015/03/28/395741081/not-my-job-mad-men-creator-matthew-weiner-gets-quizzed-on-glad-men "Not My Job: 'Mad Men' Creator Matthew Weiner Gets Quizzed On Glad Men,"] from NPR.org (March 28, 2015)</ref> | |||
===Listener Limerick Challenge=== | ===Listener Limerick Challenge=== | ||
Kurtis (or the announcer) reads three [[Limerick (poetry)|limericks]] connected to unusual news stories, leaving out the last word or phrase of each. The contestant wins the prize by correctly completing any two of them. | Kurtis (or the announcer) reads three [[Limerick (poetry)|limericks]] connected to unusual news stories, leaving out the last word or phrase of each. The contestant wins the prize by correctly completing any two of them. Philipp Goedicke writes the limericks.<ref>[https://www.npr.org/programs/waitwait/features/2001/011116.limerick.html Limerick Lesson by Philipp Goedicke] Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me.</ref> | ||
=== Lightning Fill-in-the-Blank === | === Lightning Fill-in-the-Blank === | ||
In the Lightning Fill-in-the-Blank, each panelist has to answer as many questions as they can in 60 seconds with each correct answer earning the panelist 2 points. At the end there is a question whose answer gets an expanded clarification by Peter or whoever is guest hosting; this question usually deals with an especially odd or obscure news story from the week. | In the Lightning Fill-in-the-Blank, each panelist has to answer as many questions as they can in 60 seconds with each correct answer earning the panelist 2 points. At the end there is a question whose answer gets an expanded clarification by Peter or whoever is guest hosting; this question usually deals with an especially odd or obscure news story from the week. | ||
== | === Panelist Predictions === | ||
Each panelist is asked to give their prediction of a story that may appear in the following week's news, often being prompted with a question that relates to a previously mentioned story. Sagal (or the week's host) does not award points, but quips that if any of the stories are correctly predicted, they will be asked about it on the following episode, which signals the end of the show. | |||
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 23, to be retransmitted by [[NPR]] stations on the 24th and 25th. The taping included two American panelists—''Wait Wait'' regulars [[Paula Poundstone]] and [[Alonzo Bodden]]—and British newcomer [[Nick Hancock]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/network-press-releases/bbc-america-and-npr-to-bring-wait-wait-dont-tell-me-to-tv-in-december/|title=BBC America And NPR To Bring ''Wait | {{Multiple image | ||
| image1 = Bill Kurtis and Peter Sagal of Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!.jpg | |||
| image2 = BillAndPeterWaitWaitTanglewood.jpg | |||
| caption2 = Kurtis and Sagal, 2025 | |||
| caption1 = Kurtis and Sagal, 2017 | |||
| align = left | |||
}} | |||
== Television == | |||
In 2008, National Public Radio reached an agreement with CBS Entertainment to create a television pilot of ''Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!''<ref>[http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/columnists/chi-tue-phil-rosenthal-0909sep09,0,2782717.column 'Wait' may soon get answer on TV vision], ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'', September 9, 2008</ref> Peter Sagal and Carl Kasell would be in the pilot, and Doug Berman would be the executive producer.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowlDC/radio/wait_wait_to_become_tv_show_93640.asp|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090222164329/http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowlDC/radio/wait_wait_to_become_tv_show_93640.asp|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 22, 2009|title="Wait, Wait" To Become TV Show? - mediabistro.com}}</ref> | |||
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 23, to be retransmitted by [[NPR]] stations on the 24th and 25th. The taping included two American panelists—''Wait Wait'' regulars [[Paula Poundstone]] and [[Alonzo Bodden]]—and British newcomer [[Nick Hancock]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/network-press-releases/bbc-america-and-npr-to-bring-wait-wait-dont-tell-me-to-tv-in-december/|title=BBC America And NPR To Bring ''Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!'' To TV In December|date=November 16, 2011|access-date=August 4, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180804212626/https://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/network-press-releases/bbc-america-and-npr-to-bring-wait-wait-dont-tell-me-to-tv-in-december/|archive-date=August 4, 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> In December 2018, [[NBCUniversal]] announced it was developing a television version of ''Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!''<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.thewrap.com/nprs-wait-wait-dont-tell-me-is-being-developed-for-tv-by-nbcus-wilshire-studios/ | title = NPR's 'Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me' Is Being Developed for TV By NBCU's Wilshire Studios | date=December 11, 2018 }}</ref> | |||
==Live cinema== | ==Live cinema== | ||
On May 2, 2013, an episode was performed at the [[Skirball Center for the Performing Arts|NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts]] in New York City and was streamed live via satellite as a [[Fathom Events]] presentation to hundreds of cinema theaters throughout the United States and Canada.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.fathomevents.com/#!wait-wait-dont-tell-me-encore | title=Fathom Events - Wait Wait..Don't Tell Me! | access-date=May 3, 2013}}</ref> The show included host Peter Sagal, announcer Carl Kasell, and panelists Mo Rocca, Paula Poundstone, and Tom Bodett. Celebrity guest [[Steve Martin]] won in the ''Not My Job'' segment.<ref name=":0">{{cite news | url=https://www.npr.org/2011/07/16/110997820/see-the-show-live | title=See the Show | date=March 15, 2013 |newspaper=NPR |publisher=[[National Public Radio]] |access-date=May 3, 2013}}</ref> | On May 2, 2013, an episode was performed at the [[Skirball Center for the Performing Arts|NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts]] in New York City and was streamed live via satellite as a [[Fathom Events]] presentation to hundreds of cinema theaters throughout the United States and Canada.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.fathomevents.com/#!wait-wait-dont-tell-me-encore | title=Fathom Events - Wait Wait..Don't Tell Me! | access-date=May 3, 2013}}</ref> The show included host Peter Sagal, announcer Carl Kasell, and panelists Mo Rocca, Paula Poundstone, and Tom Bodett. Celebrity guest [[Steve Martin]] won in the ''Not My Job'' segment.<ref name=":0">{{cite news | url=https://www.npr.org/2011/07/16/110997820/see-the-show-live | title=See the Show | date=March 15, 2013 |newspaper=NPR |publisher=[[National Public Radio]] |access-date=May 3, 2013}}</ref> The show featured a performance by [[Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Music Interlude |url=https://www.npr.org/2013/05/04/181034260/music-interlude |access-date=29 December 2025 |work=NPR |date=4 May 2013 |language=en}}</ref> | ||
==Awards== | ==Awards== | ||
[[File:Peter Sagal and the crew of Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me at the 67th Annual Peabody Awards.jpg|thumb|Peter Sagal (third from left) and the crew of ''Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me'' at the 67th Annual Peabody Awards]] | [[File:Peter Sagal and the crew of Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me at the 67th Annual Peabody Awards.jpg|thumb|Peter Sagal (third from left) and the crew of ''Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me'' at the 67th Annual Peabody Awards]] | ||
[[File:WaitWaitDontTellMeStaffandSupport.jpg|thumb|Production staff for ''Wait Wait...'' at Tanglewood]] | |||
In April 2008, ''Wait Wait'' won a [[Peabody Award]].<ref>[http://www.peabodyawards.com/award-profile/wait-wait...dont-tell-me 67th Annual Peabody Awards], May 2008.</ref> The program website was nominated for a [[Webby Award]] for Humor in 2008.<ref>{{cite web | title=Webby Nominees | url=http://www.webbyawards.com/webbys/current.php?season=12 | publisher=Webby Awards | year=2008 | access-date=June 29, 2008}}</ref> | In April 2008, ''Wait Wait'' won a [[Peabody Award]].<ref>[http://www.peabodyawards.com/award-profile/wait-wait...dont-tell-me 67th Annual Peabody Awards], May 2008.</ref> The program website was nominated for a [[Webby Award]] for Humor in 2008.<ref>{{cite web | title=Webby Nominees | url=http://www.webbyawards.com/webbys/current.php?season=12 | publisher=Webby Awards | year=2008 | access-date=June 29, 2008}}</ref> | ||
Latest revision as of 15:15, 29 December 2025
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Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! is an hour-long weekly news radio panel show produced by WBEZ and National Public Radio (NPR) in Chicago, Illinois. On the program, panelists and contestants are quizzed in humorous ways about that week's news. 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. The show averages about six million weekly listeners on air and via podcast.[1]
Format
Script error: No such module "labelled list hatnote".Script error: No such module "Multiple image". Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! premiered in 1998 and was recorded in front of a live audience in the Chase Auditorium beneath Chicago's Chase Tower on Thursday nights.[2] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, episodes were recorded remotely beginning March 2020, mainly from panelists' homes, with sound effects added for broadcast.[3] Live audience recordings resumed in August 2021.[4] In June 2022, the show moved to the Studebaker Theater in Chicago's Fine Arts Building.[5][6] Episodes are periodically recorded on tour in venues across the United States.[7]
The show is hosted by playwright and actor Peter Sagal. When the program had its debut 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 Tom Bodett, Luke Burbank, Adam Felber, Peter Grosz, Tom Papa, Mike Pesca, Richard Sher, Bill Radke, Susan Stamberg, Robert Siegel, Brian Unger, Drew Carey, Tom Hanks, Helen Hong, Jessi Klein,[8][9][10][11][12] Maz Jobrani,[13] Negin Farsad,[14] Alzo Slade,[15] Josh Gondelman,[16] Karen Chee,[17] and Dulcé Sloan.[18]
The announcer, also serving as judge and scorekeeper, has been Bill Kurtis[19] since 2014,[20] though Chioke I'Anson,[21] Lakshmi Singh,[22] Andy Richter[23] Helen Hong,[24] Ayesha Rascoe,[25] Joshua Johnson,[26] Tim Meadows[27] Alzo Slade[28] and Rhymefest have substituted.[29] Carl Kasell preceded Kurtis, who often filled in for him.[20]
Wait Wait... listeners also participate by telephoning or sending emails to nominate themselves as contestants, or as of January 9, 2024, followers of the show's official Instagram account can click a link in the bio which will take them to a form to fill out and register to be a contestant.[30] 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. Before October 21, 2017, the usual prize for winning any game was to have Kasell (named "Scorekeeper Emeritus" following his retirement) record a greeting on the contestant's home answering machine or voice mail system; after Kasell died in 2018, the prize was changed to have a host or panelist of the contestant's choice record a greeting.[31]
Panelists
In addition to the regular panelists listed below, the show also occasionally features one-off guest panelists.
Regular[32]
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- Cristela Alonzo
- Brian Babylon
- Roy Blount Jr.
- Alonzo Bodden
- Tom Bodett
- Joel Kim Booster
- Luke Burbank
- Adam Burke
- Eugene Cordero
- Amy Dickinson
- Negin Farsad
- Adam Felber
- Bobcat Goldthwait
- Josh Gondelman
- Peter Grosz
- Maeve Higgins
- Helen Hong
- Shantira Jackson
- Maz Jobrani
- Joyelle Nicole Johnson
- Jessi Klein
- Hari Kondabolu
- Laci Mosley
- Tom Papa
- Paula Poundstone
- Roxanne Roberts
- Mo Rocca
- Faith Salie
- Alzo Slade
- Dulcé Sloan
Past panelists[33] <templatestyles src="Div col/styles.css"/>
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- Sue Ellicott (1998–2007)
- Aamer Haleem (2005–06)
- Margo Kaufman (1998–1999)
- Angela Nissel (2006–2007)
- Patt Morrison (2000–2001)
- Kyrie O'Connor (2004–2015)
- P.J. O'Rourke (2001-2020)
- Charlie Pierce (1998–2015)
- Greg Proops (2015-2017)
- Paul Provenza (2006–2010)
- Richard Roeper (2004–2006)
- Peter Sagal (1998)
- Alison Stewart (2008–2009)
- Julia Sweeney (2009–2010)
- Keegan-Michael Key
- Reza Aslan
On-air segments
Though there are some deviations from time to time, episodes of Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! feature the following format:
Opening tease
As with other NPR programs, Wait Wait offers a one-minute top-of-hour billboard teasing the program that will follow the network's hourly newscast (which traditionally starts at one minute past the hour). In this minute, the host offers a humorous comment on the week's news, mentions the identity of the week's interview guest, and sets up an out-of-context reading by the announcer of a quote or game title from the episode.
Who's Bill This Time?
The contestant is asked to identify the speaker or explain the context of three quotations from that week's major news stories as read by the announcer (usually Bill Kurtis). Each answer is followed by a humorous discussion of the story by the host and the panelists. Two correct answers constitute a win for the contestant. Before Kasell's retirement, the segment was known as "Who's Carl This Time?" and he read the quotations. Whenever Kurtis is absent, his first name is replaced by that of the person filling in for him in the game's name.
Panel questions
In two separate segments each week, the host asks the panelists questions regarding less serious stories in the week's news, awarding them one point for each correct answer. The questions are phrased similarly to those featured on The Match Game or Hollywood Squares to allow the panelists to offer a comedic answer in addition to their real guess as well as a hint from the host if needed. A discussion of the story often follows the answer.
Bluff the Listener
Each panelist reads an unusual story, all sharing a common theme. Only one of the three stories is genuine; the contestant wins the prize by choosing it. A sound bite from a person connected to the authentic story is played to reveal whether the contestant's guess is correct. Regardless of the outcome, the panelist whose story is chosen scores one point.
Not My Job
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A celebrity guest calls in (or occasionally appears onstage) to be interviewed by the host and the panelists as well as take a three-question multiple-choice quiz. In Wait WaitTemplate:'s early years, "Not My Job" guests were mainly pulled from NPR's roster of personalities and reporters; the pool of guests later expanded to include guests of greater celebrity. When the show tapes live on the road, the NMJ guest is often someone of local celebrity, as is the chosen listener.
As the segment's title suggests, the guests are quizzed on topics that are not normally associated with their field of work. For example, former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright was asked questions on the history of Hugh Hefner and Playboy magazine,[35] while author Salman Rushdie was asked about the history of Pez candy.[36][37] Often, the subject matter of the quizzes serve as an oblique yet comic juxtaposition to the guests' fields of work, such as when Mad Men creator/producer Matthew Weiner was quizzed on ways people try to cheer others up ("Glad Men") in a March 2015 appearance.[38]
Listener Limerick Challenge
Kurtis (or the announcer) reads three limericks connected to unusual news stories, leaving out the last word or phrase of each. The contestant wins the prize by correctly completing any two of them. Philipp Goedicke writes the limericks.[39]
Lightning Fill-in-the-Blank
In the Lightning Fill-in-the-Blank, each panelist has to answer as many questions as they can in 60 seconds with each correct answer earning the panelist 2 points. At the end there is a question whose answer gets an expanded clarification by Peter or whoever is guest hosting; this question usually deals with an especially odd or obscure news story from the week.
Panelist Predictions
Each panelist is asked to give their prediction of a story that may appear in the following week's news, often being prompted with a question that relates to a previously mentioned story. Sagal (or the week's host) does not award points, but quips that if any of the stories are correctly predicted, they will be asked about it on the following episode, which signals the end of the show.
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Television
In 2008, National Public Radio reached an agreement with CBS Entertainment to create a television pilot of Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me![40] Peter Sagal and Carl Kasell would be in the pilot, and Doug Berman would be the executive producer.[41]
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 23, to be retransmitted by NPR stations on the 24th and 25th. The taping included two American panelists—Wait Wait regulars Paula Poundstone and Alonzo Bodden—and British newcomer Nick Hancock.[42] In December 2018, NBCUniversal announced it was developing a television version of Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me![43]
Live cinema
On May 2, 2013, an episode was performed at the NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts in New York City and was streamed live via satellite as a Fathom Events presentation to hundreds of cinema theaters throughout the United States and Canada.[44] The show included host Peter Sagal, announcer Carl Kasell, and panelists Mo Rocca, Paula Poundstone, and Tom Bodett. Celebrity guest Steve Martin won in the Not My Job segment.[7] The show featured a performance by Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings.[45]
Awards
In April 2008, Wait Wait won a Peabody Award.[46] The program website was nominated for a Webby Award for Humor in 2008.[47]
References
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- ↑ "Not My Job: 'Mad Men' Creator Matthew Weiner Gets Quizzed On Glad Men," from NPR.org (March 28, 2015)
- ↑ Limerick Lesson by Philipp Goedicke Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me.
- ↑ 'Wait' may soon get answer on TV vision, Chicago Tribune, September 9, 2008
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- ↑ 67th Annual Peabody Awards, May 2008.
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External links
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- Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!'s BBC America site
- Show Details and Statistics
- "Wait, Wait... It's Peter Sagal and Doug Berman"—October 28, 2019 Commonwealth Club of California interview and discussion of the show and its origins
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