Watch: President Obama Bids Farewell To Carl Kasell

Carl unleashes his powers in the lobby of NPR’s headquarters in Washington, D.C. Credit: Katie Burk/NPR

Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me! scorekeeper Carl Kasell will appear on the show for the last time this weekend. It airs locally on 90.3 FM at 11am on both Saturday and Sunday.

Kasell, who turned 80 in April, continued on with Wait Wait, even after retiring from his more demanding role as NPR’s morning newscast anchor, a position he held for 30 years.

Program producers have been calling for fans to send Carl their well wishes, by leaving him a message at 1-888-WAIT-WAIT.

President Obama took them up on it, sending Kasell a personal video message. The President has appeared on Wait Wait in the past and shares the program’s hometown, Chicago. In the often humorous tribute, the President begins on a serious note when he reflects on Carl’s years at Morning Edition:

“Yours was the voice America woke up to. You bought us the news of everything from Presidential elections to the fall of the Berlin Wall. We trusted you to tell us what happened and why it mattered.”

Here’s the entire video:

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Here are some personal thoughts on Kasell’s retirement from Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me! host Peter Sagal.