# Carl Kassel to retire **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 4, 2014, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carl-kassel-to-retire/682852 "2014-03-04T19:50:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2014, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carl-kassel-to-retire/682852/1 "2014-03-04T19:50:29Z")
This spring. “Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me” won’t be the same. Who was that guest announcer they had for so long last year, when Carl was out for several months? Roddy ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2014, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carl-kassel-to-retire/682852/2 "2014-03-04T19:53:02Z")
Wasn’t it Bill Kurtis filling in for him a while back when he was sick? He did a fine job, but I will really miss Carl. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2014, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carl-kassel-to-retire/682852/3 "2014-03-04T19:55:45Z")
That was “Legendary Anchorman Bill Kurtis” to be exact. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2014, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carl-kassel-to-retire/682852/4 "2014-03-04T19:56:54Z")
> [@JRDelirious](#): > > That was “Legendary Anchorman Bill Kurtis” to be exact. He just found The Internet. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2014, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carl-kassel-to-retire/682852/5 "2014-03-04T20:03:00Z")
> [@JRDelirious](#): > > That was “Legendary Anchorman Bill Kurtis” to be exact. That’s the one. I liked him, I thought he did a good job. I hope they don’t do what “Whatd’ya Know?” did and hire some vapid girl who doesn’t know announcing from shinola. Roddy ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2014, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carl-kassel-to-retire/682852/6 "2014-03-04T20:13:34Z")
I still miss Carl from announcing during the Morning Edition. ---
**Author:** ![Catamount](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/catamount/32/2840_2.png) [@Catamount](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catamount)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2014, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carl-kassel-to-retire/682852/7 "2014-03-04T20:23:17Z")
No one can do deadpan as well as Mr. Kassel. I miss him already. ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2014, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carl-kassel-to-retire/682852/8 "2014-03-04T20:24:54Z")
Well, they were working him like a dog recording all of those outgoing messages on everyone’s answering machines. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2014, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carl-kassel-to-retire/682852/9 "2014-03-04T20:25:41Z")
that true for his straight delivery. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2014, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carl-kassel-to-retire/682852/10 "2014-03-04T20:31:57Z")
[According to NPR he will continue recording voicemail greetings and will make “occasional appearances” on the show.](http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2014/03/04/285780588/after-five-decade-career-nprs-carl-kasell-will-retire) But I guess he still lives in North Carolina and he won’t be flying to Chicago every week (huh?) to do the show. It won’t be the same without him, but I hope he enjoys his retirement. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2014, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carl-kassel-to-retire/682852/11 "2014-03-04T20:33:24Z")
> [@Ellen\_Cherry](#): > > I still miss Carl from announcing during the Morning Edition. I, too. ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2014, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carl-kassel-to-retire/682852/12 "2014-03-04T20:46:47Z")
Well, Tom and Ray Magliozzi retired from _Car Talk_ over a year ago and haven’t missed a beat yet…I’m sure by now they have enough samples of Carl’s voice that they can just piece together whatever dialog they need him to say, and he can stay on the air forever! ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_Pearce](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Jim\_Pearce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_Pearce)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2014, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carl-kassel-to-retire/682852/13 "2014-03-04T20:49:46Z")
Yeah, good ol’ Carl…the reassuring voice of a grandfather. ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2014, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carl-kassel-to-retire/682852/14 "2014-03-04T23:42:30Z")
I can’t read or hear a limerick without hearing Carl Kassel’s voice reading it in my head. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2014, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carl-kassel-to-retire/682852/15 "2014-03-04T23:50:56Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > [According to NPR he will continue recording voicemail greetings and will make “occasional appearances” on the show.](http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2014/03/04/285780588/after-five-decade-career-nprs-carl-kasell-will-retire) But I guess he still lives in North Carolina and he won’t be flying to Chicago every week (huh?) to do the show. It won’t be the same without him, but I hope he enjoys his retirement. I always wondered if he actually traveled to Chicago every week to do the show. I’d get tired of that pretty quick myself. I like Bill Curtis but a little of his “legendary anchorman” shtick goes a long way. When he was subbing for Carl when he was out last year, I was pretty sick of him by the time Carl came back. I know in the past they’ve also subbed in some other NPR newsreaders, like Corey Flintoff or Korva Coleman. But yeah there’s nobody like Carl. He’s like the Leslie Nielson of public radio. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2014, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carl-kassel-to-retire/682852/16 "2014-03-04T23:54:11Z")
> [@chiroptera](#): > > I can’t read or hear a limerick without hearing Carl Kassel’s voice reading it in my head. “There was a young lady of Madras…” ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2014, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carl-kassel-to-retire/682852/17 "2014-03-04T23:57:16Z")
Kinda makes you wonder what they’ll sub in for a joke-prize once Carl can’t record messages anymore. ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e4f/32.png) [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2014, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carl-kassel-to-retire/682852/18 "2014-03-05T00:19:34Z")
Darn. It won’t be the shame without him. I really hope they don’t use Bill Curtis full time. Carl supported the show - Bill seemed to want to be the show. It got old quickly. I’d rather have some boring (if we can’t get a decent straight man), and let Peter handle all the comedy. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2014, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carl-kassel-to-retire/682852/19 "2014-03-05T01:38:41Z")
I’ll miss him, but I do think Bill Kurtis would do just fine. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2014, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carl-kassel-to-retire/682852/20 "2014-03-05T01:40:50Z")
Count me as a Bill Kurtis supporter. I think he’d settle into the role just fine if he had it full-time. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carl-kassel-to-retire/682852.md?page=2)