WNYC and NPR to Co-Produce "Ask Me Another" Quiz Show

NPR AND WNYC PARTNER TO CO-PRODUCE
‘ASK ME ANOTHER,’

EXPANDING TO WEEKLY SHOW
HOUR OF WORD GAMES, PUZZLES AND TRIVIA BEGINS TAPING
IN NOVEMBER AT THE BELL HOUSE IN BROOKLYN

WNYC to Begin Airing ‘Ask Me Another’ on Saturday, September 15, 2012

(September 6, 2012, New York, NY) – In its uproarious summer debut, NPR’s Ask Me Another tested wits with an hour of puzzles, word games and trivia. The ruckus continues, as WNYC becomes a co-producer of Ask Me Another and it expands to a weekly public radio staple.

WNYC will begin airing the debut season of Ask Me Another on 93.9FM and www.wnyc.org on Saturday, September 15 at 3PM. NPR and WNYC will begin taping new episodes in November before audiences at The Bell House in Gowanus, Brooklyn. The weekly season will air on NPR Member stations nationwide in January 2013.

Ask Me Another is pub trivia, comedy club and house concert rolled into one. Hosted by comedian and storyteller Ophira Eisenberg, the show invites in-studio guests and listeners to stretch their noggins, and enjoy witty banter and a spontaneous soundtrack from computer programmer-turned-Internet phenomenon Jonathan Coulton. Eisenberg puts questions to a rotating band of puzzle gurus, audience members and guests (think Baratunde Thurston, Nikki M. James and Meghan McCain), who then take a turn facing custom trivia games.

The show aired on 150 stations since its launch as a 13-show pilot in May, part of a programming expansion from NPR that also introduced audiences to TED Radio Hour and Cabinet of Wonders. As co-producers, NPR and WNYC will collaborate on the creative direction for the program moving forward. New York Public Radio is home to America’s most listened to public radio stations, WNYC and WQXR, and is known for developing and producing award-winning content such as Radiolab, Studio 360, Here’s the Thing with Alec Baldwin and Freakonomics Radio.

“In its first short run, Ask Me Another hooked a whole audience who, like me, couldn’t get enough,” said Gary E. Knell, President and CEO of NPR. “For a show with firm roots in New York City, there’s no better production partner than WNYC – we’re thrilled to share the excitement around Ask Me Another with them.”

Ask Me Another has many of the qualities – humor, energy, smarts – that WNYC embodies everyday, so it made sense for us to partner with NPR on this fresh offering in public radio,” said Laura Walker, President and CEO of New York Public Radio. “We look forward to collaborating with NPR on this and other exciting new programs that will attract new audiences to public radio.”

This fall, Ask Me Another again sets up shop at The Bell House in Brooklyn, where it sold out its entire inaugural run and played before more than 4,000 audience members. The show will record 25 episodes there, and hit the road for another five in cities to be announced. Visit the show’s Facebook page and follow its Twitter account (@NPRAskMeAnother) for ticket information and more.

Tickets are available now for the first six dates: November 12, 19 and 26, and December 4, 10 and 17. Expect puzzles and games like the palindrome-loving “Forward and Backwards,” and “Replacement Math,” a pop culture arithmetic problem, of sorts. Questions get to the bottom of such pressing issues as: What U.S. city anagrams into “nacho rage”? Is the word “epoisses” a type of cheese, dance move or character from Moby Dick?*

The current season of Ask Me Another will air on WNYC 93.9FM and stream at www.wnyc.org on Saturdays at 3PM, beginning September 15. In addition to being heard on NPR Member stations across the country, all shows are also available as a podcast, on NPR’s mobile apps and archived online: askmeanother.npr.org

*“Nacho rage” is an anagram for Anchorage. Epoisses is a type of cheese. Circular, and quite pungent, if you must know.

NPR is an award-winning, multimedia news organization that reaches 26 million listeners each week, and nearly 23 million people monthly on digital platforms. In collaboration with more than 900 independent public radio stations nationwide, NPR strives to provide the public with a deeper understanding and appreciation of events, ideas and cultures. To find local stations and broadcast times, visit www.npr.org/stations.

New York Public Radio is New York’s premier public radio franchise, comprising WNYC, WQXR, The Jerome L. Greene Performance Space, and New Jersey Public Radio, as well as www.wnyc.org, www.wqxr.org, www.thegreenespace.org and www.njpublicradio.org. As America's most listened-to AM/FM news and talk public radio stations, reaching 1.1 million listeners every week, WNYC extends New York City’s cultural riches to the entire country on-air and online, and presents the best national offerings from networks NPR, Public Radio International, American Public Media, and the British Broadcasting Company. WQXR is New York City’s sole 24-hour classical music station, presenting new and landmark classical recordings as well as live concerts from the Metropolitan Opera, the New York Philharmonic, and Carnegie Hall, among other New York City venues, immersing listeners in the city's rich musical life. In addition to its audio content, WNYC and WQXR produce content for live, radio and web audiences from The Jerome L. Greene Performance Space, the station’s street-level multipurpose, multiplatform broadcast studio and performance space. New Jersey Public Radio extends WNYC reach and service more deeply into New Jersey. For more information about New York Public Radio, visit www.nypublicradio.org.

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