Let's Talk Car Talk

"Will we still hear Car Talk on Saturday morning?"

"Why are you airing Car Talk re-runs?"

These are the questions listeners are asking as Tom and Ray Magliozzi, aka 'Click and Clack', are no longer recording new shows.

VPR will continue to bring you Car Talk Saturday mornings at 10 for the foreseeable future.

Car Talk is one of VPR's most popular programs. Thousands of you count on Tom and Ray for a laugh on Saturday morning. We've also heard from many of you about how much your kids love Car Talk and that it's appointment listening for your family.

It's important to clarify that the programs you're hearing are not 're-runs' of shows you've heard before. The producers of Car Talk are putting together new shows built from the best of the program's 25 years of material. That means you'll hear a new program each week produced from the very best of the 12,500 calls in the archives. The producers say the show will be "better, stronger and funnier" because they have 25 years of experience learning what makes the show work.

We want to hear how you feel about Car Talk. Over the coming months, we'll be listening to the program and your comments.

By the way, the Magliozzi brothers are still writing their twice-weekly Dear Tom and Ray column, and putting their feet in their mouths in surprising new ways on the web and Facebook.

P.S. Speaking of weekends - stay tuned for new programs in 2013, including The TED Radio Hour and The Moth Radio Hour.

State Of The Re:Union Returns To VPR!

State of the Re:Union is coming back to the VPR Saturday Special. For the next ten weeks, enjoy new episodes with host Al Letson.

Courtesy of State of the Re:Union

For those of us who can't travel to all corners of the country, State of the Re:Union is a welcome addition to the Saturday Special line-up. It's a show dedicated to digging deep into communities to find out what makes them tick. State of the Re:Union looks for the common history that ties people together and gives voice to those who are experiencing a common problem that's both unique to the place and universal to the human experience.

These new episodes will take us to Baltimore, the Ozarks, and Tucson--just to name a few! We'll revisit the State of the Re:Union episode on Vermont, and we'll also hear something new: an episode dedicated not to a physical place, but a group of people whose members exist everywhere: comic book fans! We'll also hear an entire episode dedicated to the strange, fascinating ways the Internet creates communities.

Listen Saturdays at 4 on VPR and let us know what you think!

Learn more about State of the Re:Union.

The Met On VPR Classical

The Metropolitan Opera's 81st radio broadcast season gets underway this Saturday at half past noon with Handel's Rodelinda, featuring soprano Renee Fleming.

The season continues with an exciting production of Gounod's Faust, with tenor Jonas Kaufmann in the title role. He knocked us out last season as Siegmund in Wagner's Die Walkure, which he'll do again in April. Wagner fans have Gotterdammerung and Siegfried to look forward to in February and April, as well.

On December 17, Popular Italian repertory begins with Puccini's Madama Butterfly, conducted by Placido Domingo. New Hampshire native Patricia Racette will be Puccini's Tosca on January 28.

Join us for the Met every Saturday on VPR Classical. The majority of programs start at 1, right after A Passion for Opera with Peter Fox Smith. Click here for details. And for information about where to see The Metropolitan Opera live in HD at a local theatre, click here.

Photo:
Patricia Racette as Tosca stands over the fallen Scarpia in Puccini's "Tosca."
Cory Weaver/Metropolitan Opera (c) 2010

BirdNote - A New Feature On VPR

VPR's Vermont Garden Journal with Charlie Nardozzi has concluded for the season, and it's time to put out the bird feeders.

Beginning Saturday, you can listen to and learn about the intriguing ways of birds on VPR. Listen for BirdNote, a new feature Saturday mornings at 8:57.

From New England to the tropics, migration patterns to mating rituals, BirdNote brings you into the world of nature. You'll also hear the featured bird each week, so don't be surprised if your cat runs for the radio on Saturday mornings!

This is a 'test run' of BirdNote, so please let us know what you think.