Carl Kasell
| Carl Kasell | |
|---|---|
 Carl Kasell with a stuffed duck after a broadcast of Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! | |
| Born |
April 2, 1934 Goldsboro, North Carolina, U.S.A. |
| Residence | Washington, D.C.[1] |
| Nationality | United States |
| Occupation | Radio Newscaster |
| Employer | NPR |
| Spouse(s) | Mary Ann Kasell |
Carl Kasell (/ˈkæsəl/; born April 2, 1934) is an American radio personality, most widely known as a newscaster for National Public Radio and as the official judge and scorekeeper of the weekly news quiz show Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!.
Early life
In an interview with Renée Montagne, just before his final broadcast on NPR's Morning Edition, Kasell reveals that he knew he would be in radio at a young age. He talks about how 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.[2]
A native of Goldsboro, North Carolina, Kasell was a student of drama in high school, where one of his mentors was Andy Griffith, then a high school drama instructor. Although Griffith urged Kasell to pursue a career in theatre, Kasell took to radio more. During his time at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, he helped launch local radio station WUNC with fellow student Charles Kuralt.
Career
He worked as an announcer and DJ at a radio station in Goldsboro before moving to the Washington, DC area in 1965. He advanced to the position of news director at WAVA in Arlington, Virginia. As news director in Virginia, he hired Katie Couric as an intern one summer. He joined National Public Radio's staff as a news announcer for Weekend All Things Considered in 1975. He was the news announcer for NPR's Morning Edition from its inception in 1979 through 2009.
NPR launched its weekly news quiz Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! in 1998, with Kasell as official judge and scorekeeper. The prize that Wait Wait... offers to its listener contestants is a recording of Kasell's voice for their personal telephone's answering machine or voice mail. Because this prize has been such a long standing tradition for the show, more than 2,000 people have had Carl Kasell's voice on their home answering machine.[2]
He is a member of the North Carolina Journalism Hall of Fame. In 1999, Kasell shared in the George Foster Peabody Award given to Morning Edition.
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.[3] Kasell continues to appear as the official scorer of Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me! He will also continue to work for NPR through visiting member stations and helping with fundraising.[2]
During the August 7, 2010 broadcast of Wait Wait..., host Peter Sagal announced that Kasell had been voted into the National Radio Hall of Fame.[4][5][6]
For many years, Kasell has been the announcer for the annual Kennedy Center Honors broadcast on CBS.
In March 2013, Kasell was named "North Carolinian of the Year" by the North Carolina Press Association.
Awards
- 1999 George Foster Peabody Award
- 2010 National Radio Hall of Fame
- 2013 North Carolinian of the Year
References
- ↑ "Carl Kasell". NPR. Retrieved 2011-04-11.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Carl Kasell: After 30 Years, A Chance to Sleep In". NPR.org. Retrieved 14 August 2010.
- ↑ Memmott, Mark (2009-11-23). "NPR's Kasell Leaving Newscasts; Remains On 'Wait Wait' : The Two-Way". NPR. Retrieved 2010-11-03.
- ↑ "Opening Segment". Wait Wait Don't Tell Me. National Public Radio. Retrieved 7 August 2010.
- ↑ "Carl Kasell Knocks Out Howard Stern in Voting". Radio Business Report. Retrieved 14 August 2010.
- ↑ "New Radio Hall of Famers: Cathy Hughes, Carl Kasell, Terri Hemmert, Ralph Emery". Radio-Info.com. Retrieved 14 August 2010.
External links
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