WAMU 88.5 FM is Dropping Writers Almanac, Science Friday, & The Best of Car Talk Beginning October 2nd

Every morning at 6:45 am, Garrison Keillor started my day with a poem and literary and historical notes from that day in history. Maybe this morning's episode was WAMU 88.5FM's last. The Good Life by Tracy K. Smith. After Garrison Keillor's familiar dulcet tones shared that it was on this day, September 28, in 1066 that William the Conqueror of Normandy arrived on British soil. Now it's over: no more Garrison Keillor on Saturdays or Sundays—he's retired from A Prairie Home Companion—and now he's leaving our daily morning 6:45AM snooze alarm half-sleep.

Well, I have a few more days being wooed back to bed by Mr. Keillor. The changes are going into effect beginning October 2nd.

No more high-culture to kickstart our DC mornings. In addition, WAMU is also killing off both Science Friday and The Best of Car Talk, turning WAMU into possibly just the BBC from now on. On that note, if WAMU kills off The Big Broadcast or stops putting Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar on front-and-center at 7PM every Sunday night, then I will become apoplectic. Please, WAMU! I remember when you introduced me to My Word and My Music back in the day.

Let's not turn Public Radio's crown jewel into a series of witty hipster game shows, podcast reviews, and open mic spoken word. I love all that stuff, don't get me wrong, and I love 1A and already worship Joshua Johnson, but poor Diane Rehm!  Nobody listens to On My Mind!

I reach out to you, WAMU 88.5, because you're relatively autonomous and well-funded. You have a rare freedom. You also have National Public Radio right in your backyard.

I have listened to NPR flavors in many cities and I always come back to WAMU—even when I lived in Berlin and had English-language-speaking Berlin NPR FM 104,1 (which was pretty good and did have Harry Shearer's Le Show, which is awesome).

I have such a tenuous grasp on high, Western, literary culture that I sadly rely on NPR for that. Please, don't shake it up too much. I revile the 0900-1000 hours every morning because I believe you can do so much better than BBC Newshour during that cherriest of weekday hours.

Anyway, here's the schedule changes that WAMU 88.5 just emailed me:

Important Schedule Changes, Christopher

WAMU is excited to announce some new additions to our program schedule beginning October 2nd.

• It’s Been a Minute with Sam Sanders, filled with deep dives into the news of the week as well as “talk it out” conversations with guests, airing at 4pm on Saturdays.

• Hidden Brain, an expansion of the engaging science found on the popular podcast and on Morning Edition, airing at 9pm Wednesdays.

• Weekend Edition is extended for one additional hour on Saturdays, 8-11am.

• Here & Now expands to full daily coverage on weekdays to 2-4pm.

As you might expect, the changes affect a number of existing shows which will no longer be broadcast on WAMU:

• The Best of Car Talk: As of Fall 2017, NPR is no longer offering this program.

• Science Friday: To make room for news-focused Here & Now five days a week, Science Friday will still be available to all fans via its podcast at sciencefriday.com.

• Writers Almanac: To make room for more breaking and local news weekday mornings, Writers Almanac will still be available online at writersalmanac.org.

As a news-focused station in the heart of Washington D.C., WAMU’s most vital purpose must always be to provide our community with the best news and analysis available. We are pleased to continue to enrich and evolve WAMU’s daily schedule to accomplish this priority.

Please feel free to contact us directly at [email protected] or call our member services line at 202-885-8905. We welcome your feedback.

Thank you!

Please click the link below to review the upcoming Program Schedule Changes.

http://wamu.org/around-wamu/wamu-debuts-new-programming-schedule-starting-oct-2/