Thistle and Shamrock from NPR is ending its run and will no longer be available to NPR stations after the first weekend of October. Thistle and Shamrock has become a mainstay of our Saturday afternoon KUAC soundtrack, and it will be missed.
Although the host, Fiona Ritchie is retiring, it is not the end of her presence on KUAC, and it’ll be delight to bring you her future holiday specials from NPR.
“I am blessed to work in a way that doesn’t feel job-like, so I’m certainly not retiring, but it is time for a change.” Ritchie said. “Although I want to bid farewell to weekly deadlines, it’s not goodbye to listeners. I hope to connect in a different way, including curating archives for the web and producing special programs for NPR.”
For avid KUAC TV viewers, our new Saturday afternoon lineup features a familiar face! Travel with Rick Steves goes beyond the European journeys that Steves is famous for, with episodes covering travel and cultures across every continent. This hour-long travel show features a lively mix of guests and listener calls, and is sure to be a favorite of travelers and adventurers of all ages.
“Radio provides a virtual café for travelers to meet up, sharing tips, insights and discoveries.” Steves said. “On my radio show, rather than being the tour guide, as I am on TV, I get to host the coming together of experts on various cultures and travel themes with our callers and listeners. Serving as the conduit for all this exciting travel information comes with a downside: now I want to travel everywhere our radio show does.”
Please join us on October 5th (the first day of our Fall Fundraiser!) as we celebrate 41 years of Thistle and Shamrock on KUAC. An encore of the Thistle and Shamrock finale will air Monday, October 7th at 7pm. Then on October 12th, look forward to our newest Saturday show, Travel with Rick Steves, at 1pm!
