Car Talk

October 30, 2008

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Profile America — Thursday, October 30th. One of the more innovative radio programs of recent years debuted this week in 1987 on National Public Radio — “Car Talk.” While the program ostensibly helps people find out what’s wrong with their cars, many of its faithful listeners don’t know anything about cars but tune in to hear the irreverent humor and ready laughter of the co-hosts, brothers Ray and Tom Magliozzi, also known as “Click and Clack, the Tappet brothers.” The show had been on a local Boston station for 10 years before going on the NPR network. Across the U.S., there are nearly 438,000 automotive repair and maintenance shops. Keeping America’s cars running is an $87 billion a year business. You can find these and more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau online at <www.census.gov>.

Sources: Chase's Calendar of Events 2008, p. 534
2002 Economic Census, NAICS 8111
http://www.census.gov/econ/census02/data/industry/E8111.HTM