In 1977, Car Talk’s Tom and Ray got a phone call from WBUR (Boston Public Radio) asking if they could sit in on a show about car mechanics. As it turned out Tom was the only one who showed up – not even the mechanics or Ray came to the show that day. Surprisingly enough, listeners tuned in and called in looking for automotive advice. It went so well Tom was invited back the following week. When he showed up that next week, the program director who’d approved Tom’s show had been fired, but despite this the new director still wanted Tom to do the show. The third week Tom brought along his brother Ray to help with the show. The show, at this time, was on for an hour and a half, during which time Tom and Ray would answer three questions. After several years of doing “Car Talk” pro bono, Tom and Ray finally steeled up the nerve to ask WBUR for twenty dollars a week. To their shock and amazement, WBUR agreed to it on the spot. In 1980, they asked for a five dollar a week raise and they were told to take a long walk off a short plank.
In the years following, the now notorious Car Talk puzzler effectively doubled their listener base. One day, one of NPR’s hosts, Robert Seigel heard the show while on vacation in Massachussetts and decided that Car Talk was national material. The person who first put them on the air, however, was Susan Stamberg, who invited Tom and Ray to host a segment on her Sunday show. Nine months after starting with Susan, in the fall of 1987, NPR agreed to launch “Car Talk” nationally. Tom and Ray quickly found out that producing a national show is a lot like work. They were able to hire staff and even founded a company called Dewey, Cheatem and Howe, which resides in Cambridge, MA.
In 1989, they launched a twice weekly newspaper column and today they’re in more than 200 newspapers around the country. They made their way to various celebrity talk shows like Jay Leno, the Today Show, the David Letterman and more!
These days they’re on 588 stations with 4.4 million weekly listeners, giving advice on everything from vehicle noises to repairs, all of which are delivered with their signature sense of humor.
For more history visit: CarTalk.com
Consider Donating a car to support Car Talk
Get a Second Opinion on your recent repair from Car Talk’s Mechanics.