In the new memoir “Whirlwind: My Life Reporting the News,” Bill Kurtis, announcer and score-keeper for the NPR news quiz “Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me!”, discusses his nearly six decades in journalism.
Kurtis' career was launched after a 1966 tornado killed more than a dozen people and injured hundreds in Topeka, Kansas.
Kurtis, who was on track to become a lawyer, filled in during the evening news at WIBW-TV. Wanting to convey a sense of urgency, he told viewers, “For God’s sake, take cover.”
The attention-grabbing warning undoubtedly saved lives and changed the trajectory of his life.
“Within three months,” Kurtis said, “those five words would determine 60 years of a career.”
During his time as a journalist, Kurtis was able to break news of Muhammed Ali’s Parkinson’s diagnosis, covered the Charles Manson trials, and linked the negative health effects of Agent Orange.
Bill Kurtis will give the keynote address at The Kansas Book Festival 9 a.m. - 4 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 20 at the Mabee Library, 1800 SW 19th St, Topeka, Kansas 66621.
- Bill Kurtis, announcer and score-keeper, “Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me!”
