Bill Kurtis Retires From NPR's 'Wait Wait' After 12 Years, Nearing 86
Updated
Updated · NPR · May 20
Bill Kurtis Retires From NPR's 'Wait Wait' After 12 Years, Nearing 86
13 articles · Updated · NPR · May 20
Bill Kurtis' final regular appearance as announcer of NPR's "Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!" will air this weekend, ending a 12-year run on the news quiz.
Nearly 86, Kurtis said the decision was mixed but driven by age, even as he called the show a joyful capstone that reached 5 million listeners each week.
His exit closes a broadcasting career that stretched about 60 years, from Kansas radio at 16 to a life-changing 1966 Topeka tornado report that pushed him fully into journalism.
Kurtis later became a prominent Chicago and CBS journalist, citing his Agent Orange investigation as his defining story because it helped spur compensation for 630,000 veterans.
He joined "Wait Wait" permanently in 2014 after filling in for retiring announcer Carl Kasell, saying the first audience laugh hooked him on the role.
With Bill Kurtis's iconic voice stepping back, how will NPR's hit quiz show reinvent its signature sound and humor?
How did one man’s voice help define both serious investigative journalism and a beloved national comedy show?