Kasell says he'll be "NPR's roving ambassador," complete with magic tricks

NPR news voice Carl Kasell, who'll do his final broadcast for Morning Edition on Dec. 30, chatted with Ozarks Public Radio yesterday about his past and future. Topics included his North Carolina accent ("All of us who were born below the Mason-Dixon line, at some time had to deal with it, to get rid of it. . . . I read some books on the subject and worked with some very good people who did not have an accent and who would help me along the way to get rid of it") and his next adventures ("I’m going to be NPR’s roving ambassador. I’ll be attending fundraisers, any kind of an event a station has and would like to have me there to help out, give a speech, do a little magic. I’m an amateur magician. Anything I can do to help an NPR station, I’ll be there and do it"). He'll also continue his on-air duties as "official judge and scorekeeper" on Wait Wait . . . Don't Tell Me!