Carl Ray Kasell (; April 2, 1934 – April 17, 2018) was an American radio personality. He was a newscaster for
National Public Radio
National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...
, and later was the official judge and scorekeeper of the weekly news
quiz show ''
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!'' until his retirement in 2014.
Early life
A native of
Goldsboro, North Carolina, Carl Ray Kasell was a student of drama in high school, where one of his mentors was
Andy Griffith
Andy Samuel Griffith (June 1, 1926 – July 3, 2012) was an American actor, comedian, television producer, southern gospel singer and writer whose career spanned seven decades in music and television. Known for his Southern drawl, his character ...
, then a high school drama instructor.
Although Griffith urged Kasell to pursue a career in theatre, Kasell preferred radio. Kasell began practicing his newscaster voice as a child and got his first on-air job at 16.
In an interview with
Renée Montagne
Renée Montagne (pronounced Mon-TAIN) is an American radio journalist and was the co-host (with Steve Inskeep and David Greene) of National Public Radio's weekday morning news program, ''Morning Edition'', from May 2004 to November 11, 2016. Mon ...
just before his final broadcast on NPR's ''
Morning Edition
''Morning Edition'' is an American radio news program produced and distributed by NPR. It airs weekday mornings (Monday through Friday) and runs for two hours, and many stations repeat one or both hours. The show feeds live from 5:00 to 9:00 A ...
'', Kasell revealed that he knew he would be in radio at a young age. He said that he hid behind the radio to fool passers-by into thinking they were listening to the radio when they in fact were hearing the young Kasell.
During his time at the
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...
, Kasell helped launch local radio station
WUNC with fellow student and future broadcaster
Charles Kuralt
Charles Bishop Kuralt (September 10, 1934 – July 4, 1997) was an American television, newspaper and radio journalist and author. He is most widely known for his long career with CBS, first for his "On the Road" segments on '' The CBS Eveni ...
.
Kasell pursued a degree in
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
, but never graduated due to being drafted into the U.S. Army.
After serving, he worked as an announcer and DJ at radio station
WGBR in Goldsboro, North Carolina.
He moved to Northern Virginia in 1965.
Career
After leaving North Carolina, Kasell first worked as an announcer and DJ at WPIK in Alexandria, Virginia. He soon joined the staff of all-news
WAVA in Arlington, Virginia as a weekend news announcer, and eventually advanced to the position of news director. He hired
Katie Couric
Katherine Anne Couric ( ; born January 7, 1957) is an American journalist and presenter. She is founder of Katie Couric Media, a multimedia news and production company. She also publishes a daily newsletter, ''Wake Up Call''. From 2013 to 2017, ...
, then a student at the
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia (UVA) is a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United States, with highly selective ad ...
, as an intern one summer, thus starting her career in news broadcasting.
Kasell joined
National Public Radio
National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...
's staff as a news announcer for ''
Weekend All Things Considered'' in 1975.
He was the news announcer for NPR's ''
Morning Edition
''Morning Edition'' is an American radio news program produced and distributed by NPR. It airs weekday mornings (Monday through Friday) and runs for two hours, and many stations repeat one or both hours. The show feeds live from 5:00 to 9:00 A ...
'' from its inception in 1979 through 2009.
On November 23, 2009, NPR announced that Kasell would retire from newscasting at the end of 2009. Kasell's final newscast aired on December 30, 2009.
He continued to work for NPR through fundraising and visits to member stations.
He also continued to appear as the official scorer of ''Wait Wait ... Don't Tell Me!''
''Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!''
NPR launched its weekly news quiz ''
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!'' in 1998, with Kasell as official judge and scorekeeper. Kasell featured in several segments including "Who's Carl This Time?" and the "Listener Limerick Challenge."
Prior to October 21, 2017, listeners who won a game on the show could have Kasell record a greeting for their home answering machine or voice mail system. More than 2,000 people have had his voice on their answering machines, which he recorded even after he left the show.
During the August 7, 2010, broadcast of ''Wait Wait ... Don't Tell Me!'', host
Peter Sagal
Peter Daniel Sagal (born January 31, 1965) is an American humorist, writer, and host of the National Public Radio game show '' Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!'' and the PBS special ''Constitution USA with Peter Sagal''.
__TOC__
Early life, fami ...
announced that Kasell had been voted into the
National Radio Hall of Fame
The Radio Hall of Fame, formerly the National Radio Hall of Fame, is an American organization created by the Emerson Radio Corporation in 1988.
Three years later, Bruce DuMont, founder, president, and CEO of the Museum of Broadcast Communicati ...
.
For many years, Kasell was the announcer for the annual
Kennedy Center Honors broadcast on
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
.
On March 4, 2014, NPR announced that Kasell would be stepping down from his ''Wait Wait ... Don't Tell Me!'' duties. It was later announced that his last show would be May 17, 2014; subsequently he was credited on the air as "Scorekeeper Emeritus".
Retirement and death
Kasell's final show on ''Wait Wait ... Don't Tell Me!'' was recorded on May 15, 2014 and broadcast two days later.
Stephen Colbert
Stephen Tyrone Colbert ( ; born May 13, 1964) is an American comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actor, and television host. He is best known for hosting the satirical Comedy Central program '' The Colbert Report'' from 2005 ...
,
Katie Couric
Katherine Anne Couric ( ; born January 7, 1957) is an American journalist and presenter. She is founder of Katie Couric Media, a multimedia news and production company. She also publishes a daily newsletter, ''Wake Up Call''. From 2013 to 2017, ...
,
Tom Hanks
Thomas Jeffrey Hanks (born July 9, 1956) is an American actor and filmmaker. Known for both his comedic and dramatic roles, he is one of the most popular and recognizable film stars worldwide, and is regarded as an American cultural icon. Ha ...
, and President
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the ...
called in to the show to voice their appreciation for Kasell.
In September 2014, Kasell published his memoir titled ''Wait Wait ... I'm Not Done Yet!''
Kasell died on April 17, 2018, from complications of
Alzheimer's disease in
Potomac, Maryland
Potomac () is a census-designated place (CDP) in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, named after the nearby Potomac River. Potomac is the seventh most educated small town in America, based on percentage of residents with postsecondary deg ...
.
Awards
* 2004 — North Carolina Media & Journalism Hall of Fame
*2010 —
National Radio Hall of Fame
The Radio Hall of Fame, formerly the National Radio Hall of Fame, is an American organization created by the Emerson Radio Corporation in 1988.
Three years later, Bruce DuMont, founder, president, and CEO of the Museum of Broadcast Communicati ...
* 2011 — Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters of the
University of Southern Maine
The University of Southern Maine (USM) is a public university with campuses in Portland, Gorham and Lewiston in the U.S. state of Maine. It is the southernmost of the University of Maine System. It was founded as two separate state universit ...
* 2013 — North Carolinian of the Year
References
External links
NPR biographyNPR : Wait Wait -- Don't Tell Me! : Messages by Carl Kasell*
Find a Grave
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kasell, Carl
1934 births
2018 deaths
20th-century American journalists
21st-century American journalists
21st-century American memoirists
American game show hosts
American radio journalists
Deaths from Alzheimer's disease
Journalists from North Carolina
Military personnel from North Carolina
NPR personalities
Neurological disease deaths in Maryland
People from Goldsboro, North Carolina
Radio personalities from North Carolina
Telephone voiceover talent
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill alumni
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!