After 30 years, NPR Ends Production of “Car Talk”

Sports magazine “Only a Game” joins Saturday morning lineup, weekend lineup shifts

AUSTIN, Texas – Sept. 25, 2017 – KUT 90.5, Austin’s NPR station, is adding eight additional hours of news to the weekend schedule by expanding “Weekend Edition” and BBC news.

Additionally, NPR’s “Only a Game” joins the lineup at 6 a.m. Saturdays. Hosted by veteran NPR commentator Bill Littlefield, this award-winning weekly sports magazine, offers a mix of compelling insight and deeply told narratives for people who like great stories – whether they consider themselves sports fans or not.

The new weekend schedule takes effect, Sunday, Oct. 1.

After 30 years, NPR has ended regular production of “The Best of Car Talk,” creating an opportunity for KUT 90.5 to expand “Weekend Edition” by one hour to 10 a.m. Saturdays and Sundays. KUT 90.5 also will begin airing The BBC World Service three hours earlier each weekend evening, enabling listeners to get the latest news from the BBC beginning at 10 p.m. seven days a week.

As a result of the expansion of news programming from NPR and the BBC, air times for some programs will shift, while other programs will be dropped from the schedule.

Shows leaving the KUT 90.5 weekend schedule beyond “The Best of Car Talk” include some of the lowest performing weekend programs: “Public Radio Remix,” “Studio 360,” “Bullseye with Jesse Thorn,” and “The Splendid Table.” Discontinuing shows is always a difficult decision and will disappoint some listeners. The goal of the new schedule is to deliver more of the news programming that has been so successful for KUT 90.5 across the week.

See the new schedule below.

About KUT, Austin’s NPR station

KUT 90.5, Austin's NPR station, delivers in-depth stories by and about people in Austin – for Austin – with the highest journalistic standards from a variety of thoughtful perspectives. A founding member of NPR, KUT News has won more than 200 state, national and international awards for journalistic excellence.

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Contact: Erin Geisler (512) 475-8071