Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! @ Arlene Schnitzer, 9/21/11

I recently had the pleasure of attending a live taping of the NPR news quiz "Wait Wait… Don't Tell Me." Assuming you are a fan of the show (why wouldn't you be?), I thought I would provide a bit of insight into what goes on behind the curtains.

As you may have imagined, little extravagance is put into the actual staging. With the panelists spending most of the evening speaking directly into their microphones, it was quite clear that this was a show meant for radio. Public radio at that.

Even the structure of the evening was workmanlike: every segment had to be laboriously cued up and after the show there was even a few minutes when we had to sit and watch the re-dubbing of flubbed lines.

So far this doesn't sound too appetizing does it? After all, I did spend a considerable chunk of change on something I could have just listened to for free three days later.

The real treat is that the taping lasts for about two hours and each round has considerably more dialogue than you hear on air. Most of the bits are presumably edited for timing or excess local flattery (for Portland that meant bringing a Voodoo donut on stage and copious references to Powell's) but it also seemed like quite a bit was left on the cutting room floor due to content (or for the inevitable unrated "Wait Wait… After Dark"). While a majority of the proceedings seemed scripted (particularly Peter Sagal's bits), the improvised lines stole the show, particularly the reoccurring jokes that must have been excised to fit everything into the allotted hour.

All in all, one doesn't listen to NPR for the glamour or the opulence; one does it for the Carl Kasell. And seeing "Wait Wait" live grants you an extended audience at the king's court.