''Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!'' is an hour-long weekly news radio

panel show A panel show or panel game is a radio or television game show in which a panel of celebrities participates. Celebrity panelists may compete with each other, such as on '' The News Quiz''; facilitate play by non-celebrity contestants, such as ...

produced by

WBEZ WBEZ (91.5 FM) – branded ''WBEZ 91.5'' – is a non-commercial educational radio station licensed to serve Chicago, Illinois, and primarily serving the Chicago metropolitan area. Financed by corporate underwriting, government funding and lis ...

and

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 othe ...

(NPR) in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Roc ...

. 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 A podcast is a program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. For example, an episodic series of digital audio or video files that a user can download to a personal device to listen to at a time of their choosing ...

, and typically broadcast on weekends by member stations. The show averages about six million weekly listeners on air and via podcast.

Format

''Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!'' was usually recorded in front of a live audience in Chicago at the Chase Auditorium beneath the Chase Tower on Thursday nights. They also do tours around the country performing in front of a live audience. Due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...

, in the spring of 2020 they converted to recording remotely, largely from their homes, and had sound effects and a virtual audience added for broadcast. Beginning in August 2021, they have held in-person recordings, when possible, with a live audience. Starting with the June 11, 2022 episode, the show returned to having a live audience every week in the

Studebaker Theater The ten-story Fine Arts Building, also known as the Studebaker Building, is located at 410 S Michigan Avenue across from Grant Park in Chicago in the Chicago Landmark Historic Michigan Boulevard District. It was built for the Studebaker compan ...

. The show is hosted by playwright and actor

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 ...

. When the program had its debut in January 1998, Dan Coffey of ''

Ask Dr. Science ''Ask Dr. Science'' was a daily humorous radio sketch produced by members of 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 se ...

'' 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 Thomas Edward Bodett ( ; born February 23, 1955) is an American author, voice actor, and radio personality, primarily as a host, correspondent and panelist for a number of shows that air on National Public Radio (NPR). Since 1986, he has been t ...

Luke Burbank Luke Burbank (born May 8, 1976) is an American radio host and podcaster who hosts the Portland, Oregon-based syndicated variety show '' Live Wire Radio'' and the Seattle-based former radio program and current podcast ''Too Beautiful to Live''. H ...

Adam Felber Adam Felber is an American political satirist, author, radio personality, actor, humorist, novelist, television writer, and comic book writer. Biography Felber attended Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts, and graduated as an English majo ...

Peter Grosz Peter Grosz is an American actor and television writer. He is most recognizable for appearing in Sonic Drive-In's "Two Guys" commercials, in which he appears as the straight man in a double act with improvisational comedian T. J. Jagodowski un ...

Tom Papa Thomas Papa Jr. (born November 10, 1968) is an American comedian, actor, and radio host. He hosts the Sirius XM Satellite Radio show ''Come to Papa'' and, in July 2019, he and Fortune Feimster started hosting the Sirius XM show ''What a Joke wi ...

Mike Pesca Mike Pesca (born December 29, 1971) is an American radio journalist and podcaster based in New York City. He is the host of the daily podcast, '' The Gist,'' and the editor of ''Upon Further Review: The Greatest What-Ifs in Sports History.'' Ca ...

, Richard Sher,

Bill Radke Bill Radke is an American radio talk show host, web video host, author, comedian and columnist. He currently hosts Seattle's KUOW-FM's ''The Record'' and ''Week In Review''. From November 1, 2010 to October 2012 he hosted Seattle's Morning News on ...

Susan Stamberg Susan Stamberg (born September 7, 1938) is an American radio journalist. Stamberg was co-host of NPR's flagship program ''All Things Considered.'' In that role Stamberg was the first female host of a national news broadcast. She's considered one ...

Robert Siegel Robert Charles Siegel (born June 26, 1947) is an American retired radio journalist. He was one of the co-hosts of the National Public Radio evening news broadcast ''All Things Considered'' from 1987 until his retirement in January 2018. Early ...

Brian Unger Brian Douglas Unger (born 1965) is an American actor, comedian, writer, producer, and commentator. Biography Born in Dayton, Ohio to Richard ("Rich") Unger and Eleanor ("Ellie") Oprea, Unger grew up in Granville, Ohio. He graduated from Granvill ...

Drew Carey Drew Allison Carey (born May 23, 1958) is an American comedian, actor and game show host. After serving in the U.S. Marine Corps and making a name for himself in stand-up comedy, he gained stardom in his own sitcom, '' The Drew Carey Show'', an ...

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 ...

Helen Hong Helen Hong ( ko, 헬렌 홍; born July 7, 1985) is an American stand-up comedian, actress, director, and producer. She has appeared in such works as '' Jane the Virgin'', ''Parks and Recreation'', and the Coen Brothers' ''Inside Llewyn Davis''. ...

Jessi Klein Jessi Ruth Klein (born August 18, 1975) is an American writer, actress and stand-up comedian from New York City. Klein has regularly appeared on shows such as '' The Showbiz Show with David Spade'' and VH1's '' Best Week Ever'' and has performed ...

Maz Jobrani Maziyar Jobrani ( fa, مازیار جبرانی; born February 26, 1972) is an American comedian and actor who was part of the "Axis of Evil" comedy group. The group appeared on a comedy special on Comedy Central. Jobrani has also appeared in nu ...

, and

Negin Farsad Negin Farsad ( fa, نگین فرساد; born March 24, 1978) is an Iranian-American comedian, actress, writer, and filmmaker based in New York City. Early life and education Farsad was born in 1978 in New Haven, Connecticut, to an Iranian Americ ...

. ''Wait Wait...'' listeners also participate by telephoning or sending emails 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. Prior to 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 An answering machine, answerphone or message machine, also known as telephone messaging machine (or TAM) in the United Kingdom, UK and some Commonwealth countries, ansaphone or ansafone (from a trade name), or telephone answering device (TAD), ...

voice mail A voicemail system (also known as voice message or voice bank) is a computer-based system that allows users and subscribers to exchange personal voice messages; to select and deliver voice information; and to process transactions relating to ind ...

system; after Kasell's death in 2018, the prize was changed to have a host or panelist of the contestant's choice record a greeting.

Panelists

In addition to the regular panelists listed below, the show also occasionally features one-off guest panelists. WaitOctaviaMoRSigningADRB3PanelistsCrop

Regular *

Cristela Alonzo Cristela Alonzo (born ) is an American comedian, actress, writer and producer, who created and starred in the ABC sitcom '' Cristela.'' This made her the first Latina woman to create, produce, write, and star in her own US primetime comedy. E ...

Brian Babylon Brian Babylon is an American comedian and radio host from Chicago. Babylon is a regular panelist on NPR's ''Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!,'' a regular host of The Moth story telling event in Chicago, has appeared on the national broadcast, and is a ...

Roy Blount Jr. Roy Alton Blount Jr. (; born October 4, 1941) is an American writer, speaker, reporter, and humorist. Life and career Blount was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, and grew up in Decatur, Georgia. He attended Ponce de Leon Elementary School and g ...

Alonzo Bodden Alonzo Bodden (; born June 13, 1962) 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. In 2007, he ...

Joel Kim Booster Joel Alexander Kim Booster (born Kim Joonmin; February 29, 1988) is a South Korean-born American actor, comedian, producer, and writer. He co-produced and wrote for '' Big Mouth'' and ''The Other Two'' and as an actor has appeared on '' Shrill'', ...

* Adam Burke *

Amy Dickinson Amy Dickinson (born November 6, 1959) is an American newspaper columnist who writes the syndicated advice column ''Ask Amy''. Dickinson has appeared as a social commentator on ABC's ''Good Morning America'' and NBC's '' The Today Show''. Biogr ...

Bobcat Goldthwait Robert Francis "Bobcat" Goldthwait (born May 26, 1962) is an American actor, comedian, director and screenwriter, known for his black comedy stand-up act, delivered through an energetic stage persona with an unusual raspy and high-pitched voice. ...

Josh Gondelman Joshua Lyons Gondelman (born January 15, 1985) is an American author, comedy writer, producer, and stand-up comedian. He was a supervising producer and writer for '' Desus & Mero'' on Showtime. He was previously a writer on '' Last Week Tonight w ...

Maeve Higgins Maeve Anna Higgins (born 24 March 1981) is a comedian from Cobh, County Cork, Ireland and is based in New York. She was a principal actor and writer of the RTÉ television production ''Naked Camera'', as well as for her own show ''Maeve Higgin ...

Hari Kondabolu Hari Karthikeya Kondabolu (born October 21, 1982)Beem, p. 38 is an American stand-up comic. His comedy covers subjects such as race, inequity, and Indian stereotypes. He was a writer for '' Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell'' and the creator of ...

Laci Mosley Laci Mosley is an American actress, comedian and podcaster. She performs improv comedy at UCB Los Angeles and co-starred in the Pop comedy series '' Florida Girls''. Mosley is best known for her podcast ''Scam Goddess'', which focuses on historic ...

* Paula Poundstone *

Greg Proops Gregory Everett "Greg" Proops (born October 3, 1959) is an American actor, stand-up comedian and television host. He is widely known for his guest appearances on the U.K. and U.S. versions of '' Whose Line Is It Anyway?''. He has also voiced th ...

Roxanne Roberts Roxanne M. Roberts (born 1954 in Minneapolis, Minnesota) is a style writer for ''The Washington Post''. She was co-author of "The Reliable Source" column with Amy Argetsinger, the paper's daily chronicle of Washington D.C.'s notables and societ ...

Mo Rocca Maurice Alberto Rocca (born January 28, 1969) is an American humorist, journalist, and actor. He is a correspondent for ''CBS Sunday Morning'', the host and creator of ''My Grandmother's Ravioli'' on the Cooking Channel, and also the host of '' Th ...

Faith Salie Faith Coley Salie (born April 14, 1971) is an American journalist, writer, actress, comedian, television, radio, and podcast host and Rhodes scholar. She is a contributor to ''CBS Sunday Morning'' and a panelist on NPR’s '' Wait Wait... Don't T ...

Dulcé Sloan Dulcé Lazaria Sloan (born July 4, 1983) is an American stand-up comedian, actress and writer. She is a correspondent for ''The Daily Show with Trevor Noah'' on Comedy Central. Early life and education Sloan was born in Miami, Florida, and spen ...

Past panelists *

Sue Ellicott Sue 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''. Ellicott is one of the recurring guest panelists o ...

(1998–2007) *

Aamer Haleem Aamer or Amer is a name, used both as a surname and given name. Notable people with the name include: Aamer as surname * Ali Aamer (born 1977), Bahraini footballer *Mohamed Aamer (born 1986), Egyptian actor * Mohammad Aamer (born 1965), Pakistani ...

(2005–06) * Margo Kaufman (1998–1999) *

Angela Nissel Angela R. Nissel (born December 5, 1978) is an American author and television writer best known for her first book ''The Broke Diaries: The Completely True and Hilarious Misadventures of a Good Girl Gone Broke''. She was a writer and executive ...

(2006–2007) * Patt Morrison (2000–2001) *

Kyrie O'Connor Kyrie O'Connor (born November 24, 1954) is a writer and editor. 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 Cou ...

(2004–2015) *

P.J. O'Rourke Patrick Jake O'Rourke (November 14, 1947 – February 15, 2022) was an American libertarian political satirist and journalist. O'Rourke was the H. L. Mencken Research Fellow at the libertarian Cato Institute and a regular correspondent for ''T ...

(2001-2020) *

Charlie Pierce Charles Patrick Pierce (born December 28, 1953) is an American sportswriter, political blogger, liberal pundit author, and game show panelist. Biography Pierce graduated from St. John's High School in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, and from M ...

(1998–2015) *

Paul Provenza Paul Provenza (born July 31, 1957) is a television presenter, actor, radio panelist, stand-up comedian, filmmaker, and skeptic based in Los Angeles. He has appeared on several podcasts and in recent years has interviewed other stand-up comedians. ...

(2006–2010) *

Richard Roeper Richard E. Roeper (born October 17, 1959) is an American columnist and film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times''. He co-hosted the television series '' At the Movies'' with Roger Ebert from 2000 to 2008, serving as the late Gene Siskel's success ...

(2004–2006) *

(1998) *

Alison Stewart Alison Stewart (born July 4, 1966) is an American journalist and author. Stewart first gained widespread visibility as a political correspondent for MTV News in the 1990s. Early life and education Stewart was born in Glen Ridge, New Jersey. ...

(2008–2009) *

Julia Sweeney Julia Anne Sweeney (born October 10, 1959) is an American actress, comedian, and author, who gained fame as a cast member on ''Saturday Night Live'' from 1990 to 1994. She played Mrs. Keeper in the film '' Stuart Little'' and voiced Brittany in ...

(2009–2010)

On-air segments

Bill Kurtis and Peter Sagal of Wait Wait

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 1 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 Kurtis 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 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. Prior to Kasell's retirement, the segment was known as "Who's Carl This Time?" and he read the quotations.

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 ''Match Game'' is an American television panel game show that premiered on NBC in 1962 and has been revived several times over the course of the last six decades. The game features contestants trying to match answers given by celebrity panelist ...

'' or ''

Hollywood Squares ''Hollywood Squares'' (originally ''The Hollywood Squares'') is an American game show in which two contestants compete in a game of tic-tac-toe to win cash and prizes. The show piloted on NBC in 1965 and the regular series debuted in 1966 on the ...

'' 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. The answer is often followed by a discussion of the story.

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 genuine 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

A celebrity guest calls in (or occasionally appears on stage) 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. 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 Madeleine Jana Korbel Albright (born Marie Jana Korbelová; May 15, 1937 – March 23, 2022) was an American diplomat and political scientist who served as the 64th United States secretary of state from 1997 to 2001. A member of the Democratic ...

was asked questions on the history of

Hugh Hefner Hugh Marston Hefner (April 9, 1926 – September 27, 2017) was an American magazine publisher. He was the founder and editor-in-chief of ''Playboy'' magazine, a publication with revealing photographs and articles which provoked charges of obsc ...

and ''

Playboy ''Playboy'' is an American men's lifestyle and entertainment magazine, formerly in print and currently online. It was founded in Chicago in 1953, by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. K ...

'' magazine, while author

Salman Rushdie Sir Ahmed Salman Rushdie (; born 19 June 1947) is an Indian-born British-American novelist. His work often combines magic realism with historical fiction and primarily deals with connections, disruptions, and migrations between Eastern and W ...

was asked about the history of

Pez Pez (, ; stylised as PEZ) is the brand name of an Austrian candy and associated manual candy dispensers. The candy is a tableting, pressed, dry, straight-edged, curved-corner block 15 mm ( inch) long, 8 mm ( inch) wide and ...

candy. 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 ''Mad Men'' is an American period drama television series created by Matthew Weiner and produced by Lionsgate Television. It ran on the cable network AMC from July 19, 2007, to May 17, 2015, lasting for seven seasons and 92 episodes. Its ...

'' creator/producer

Matthew Weiner Matthew Hoffman Weiner () (born June 29, 1965) is an American television writer, producer, and director best known as the creator and showrunner of the television series ''Mad Men'', and as a writer and executive producer on ''The Sopranos''. ...

was quizzed on ways people try to cheer others up ("Glad Men") in a March 2015 appearance.

Listener Limerick Challenge

Kurtis reads three

limericks A limerick ( ) is a form of verse, usually humorous and frequently rude, in five-line, predominantly trimeter with a strict rhyme scheme of AABBA, in which the first, second and fifth line rhyme, while the third and fourth lines are shorter and ...

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. The limericks are written by Philipp Goedicke.

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.

Television

In 2008, National Public Radio reached an agreement with CBS Entertainment to create a television pilot 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. On November 16, 2011,

BBC America BBC America is an American basic cable network that is jointly owned by BBC Studios and AMC Networks. The channel primarily airs sci-fi and action series and films, as well as selected programs from the BBC (such as its nature documentary ...

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 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 ...

stations on the 24th and 25th. The taping included two American panelists—''Wait Wait'' regulars Paula Poundstone and

—and British newcomer

Nick Hancock Nicholas John Hancock (born 25 October 1962) is an English actor and television presenter. He hosted the sports quiz '' They Think It's All Over'' for 10 years. He also formerly presented '' Room 101'' (1994–1999) on TV, as well as its earlie ...

. In December 2018,

NBCUniversal NBCUniversal Media, LLC is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate corporation owned by Comcast and headquartered at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, United States. NBCUniversal is primaril ...

announced it was developing a television version of ''Wait Wait… Don't Tell Me!''

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 Fathom Events is an entertainment content provider that broadcasts entertainment events in movie theaters throughout the United States including Metropolitan Opera Live in HD, the performing arts, major sporting events, and music concerts. Th ...

presentation to hundreds of cinema theaters throughout the United States and Canada. The show included host Peter Sagal, announcer Carl Kasell, and panelists Mo Rocca, Paula Poundstone, and Tom Bodett. Celebrity guest

Steve Martin Stephen Glenn Martin (born August 14, 1945) is an American actor, comedian, writer, producer, and musician. He has won five Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, and was awarded an Honorary Academy Award in 2013. Additionally, he was nominat ...

won in the ''Not My Job'' segment.

Awards

In April 2008, ''Wait Wait'' won a

Peabody Award The George Foster Peabody Awards (or simply Peabody Awards or the Peabodys) program, named for the American businessman and philanthropist George Peabody, honor the most powerful, enlightening, and invigorating stories in television, radio, and ...

. The program website was nominated for a

Webby Award The Webby Awards are awards for excellence on the Internet presented annually by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, a judging body composed of over two thousand industry experts and technology innovators. Categories includ ...

for Humor in 2008.

References

External links

* *
''Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!''
s

site
Show Details and Statistics

"Wait, Wait... It's Peter Sagal and Doug Berman"
��October 28, 2019

Commonwealth Club of California The Commonwealth Club of California is a non-profit, non-partisan educational organization based in Northern California. Founded in 1903, it is the oldest and largest public affairs forum in the United States. Membership is open to everyone. Act ...

interview and discussion of the show and its origins {{NPR 1998 radio programme debuts 1990s American comedy game shows 1990s American radio programs 2000s American comedy game shows 2000s American radio programs 2010s American comedy game shows 2010s American radio programs 2020s American comedy game shows 2020s American radio programs American radio game shows American satire Peabody Award-winning radio programs Chicago radio shows radio programs adapted into television shows satirical radio programmes