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Ray and Tom Magliozzi, aka "Click and Clack, the Tappet Brothers."

(Car Talk)

The end of the road has been plotted for one of public radio's most popular shows, "Car Talk," but the Saturday staple will keep rolling in its afterlife.

NPR announced this week that "Best of Car Talk," the show's current broadcast, will end production next year, on Sept. 30, 2017. It will continue as a podcast, however, and some stations may continue to air repeats.

"Best of" is heard locally Saturdays at 10 a.m. on WCPN FM/90.3 and 11 a.m. on WKSU FM/89.7.

The Peabody Award-winning "Car Talk" started as a local program on Boston's WBUR in 1977 and has aired nationally since 1987, featuring mechanic brothers Tom and Ray Magliozzi bantering knowledgeably and humorously about cars and life.

New episodes ended and repackaged "Best of" broadcasts started with Tom's retirement in 2012. He died at 77 in 2014 of complications from Alzheimer's disease.

Despite some audience slippage for the "Best of" shows, NPR says "Car Talk" has more than 2.6 million weekly listeners and still is a gateway for new listeners. It is NPR's most widely carried weekend show after the newsmagazines and "Wait Wait ... Don't Tell Me," according to the public media periodical Current.

"We will make the 2016-2017 season of 'Car Talk' the best of the best," executive producer Doug Berman said in NPR's release. "We will edit, enhance and program the very best of the 30-year series. In many ways, the 'Best of Car Talk' is the best of public radio -- honest, authentic, original, warm, interactive, broadly welcoming and unforgettable."

The exit announcement comes amid some generational shift and long goodbyes for public radio. Garrison Keillor stepped down as host of "A Prairie Home Companion" on July 2 after 42 years. Michael Feldman hosted his final "Whad'Ya Know?" in June after 31 years. Diane Rehm announced in December she will retire from her long-running daily talk show after the fall elections.

"We are in a moment of transition for weekend programming across the public radio system," said Anya Grundmann, NPR's vice president of programing. "This coming year, one of the top priorities of the programming team will be to focus on creating new weekend programming to extend value of of 'Only A Game,' 'Weekend Edition,' 'Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!' and 'Ask Me Another' - all foundational to a strong weekend schedule."

Besides continuing in podcasts, the CarTalk.com website, Facebook page, Twitter and other social media will continue, NPR said. Car Talk will also continue its vehicle donation program that has donated millions of dollars to NPR member stations.