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Updates to WYSO's Saturday Schedule

Brendan Francis Newnam and Rico Gagliano, hosts of the Dinner Party Download

Dear WYSO Listeners,

Soon we will make two program changes to our Saturday schedule.

As you may know, Tom Magliozzi, one the two brothers who hosted Car Talk on NPR passed away  three years ago.  With his brother Ray, they began their national radio show in 1987.  Since Tom’s passing, NPR has distributed “The Best of Car Talk.

Starting this fall, there will be no new “Car Talk”  programs, so instead of continuing to air re-runs on WYSO, we’ve decided to put a new program in its place.

It’s called “Dinner Party Download.”  It’s a hip, fun, fresh, fast-paced, program from a young, talented team of producers. We’ve been listening to their podcast for a few years now and we were so happy when they decided to become a weekly radio show.  

“…Could be considered the icebreaker that helped public radio loosen up.” (The Los Angeles Times)

“Dinner Party Download” tells you everything you need to know to prepare yourself for a dinner party that very night.

“If all dinner parties were this cool, we sure would be a lot less antisocial.” (Bon Appetit)

But if you’re not heading out to a party, and not hosting one, you’ll get your weekly dose of pop culture.

“Dinner Party Download” is hosted by Rico Gagliano and Brendan Francis Newnam, who has ties to our area. (We’ll tell you more about that during the WYSO fall fund drive. )  They’re not brothers, but they have great chemistry.

Rico and Brendan listed among “40 Big Food Thinkers 40 and Under” (Food and Wine Magazine)

It’s hard to say good-bye to our old friends at Car Talk.  No one can replace them, really, but it’s a new day and we’re so happy to welcome Rico and Brendan to our airwaves.  You’ll be hearing them at 10am on Saturdays, starting October 7.   Car Talk will continue to be available as a podcast.  

We’re also adding an amazing music program to our Saturday night line-up called E-Town. It’s a live performance program produced by Nick Forster, a former member of the bluegrass super group Hot Rize.  E-Town features musicians of all flavors recorded in front of an audience at their solar-powered auditorium in Boulder Colorado.  Recent shows have featured Over the Rhine, Marty Stuart, Lake Street Dive, Mumford and Sons, Bill Frisell, Brandi Carlile and John Hiatt.  WYSO music director Niki Dakota says:

“E-town also presents the weekly “eChievement award” to people who are making their communities a better place by doing everything from feeding the hungry and housing the homeless to cleaning up the environment.  It’s a music program with a social conscience.  We think WYSO listeners will love it.”

E-Town will air at midnight Saturday nights.  

At WYSO, we don’t take program changes lightly, but there are a lot of great new programs available and we want you to have a chance to sample the big wide world of public radio.

Please give these new programs a chance – and let us know what you think.

Thanks for your support of WYSO.

Neenah Ellis
General Manager