To the Best of Our Knowledge launched on Labor Day, 1990 – an appropriate date for what would turn out to be a 35-year labor of love. We were young and ambitious and in love with public radio. Steve ran WPR’s Talk Department and Anne was the News Director, but we dreamed of making something new: a radio magazine of ideas. It would, we thought, cover everything beyond the headlines – new ideas in science and politics, social and cultural trends, poetry and the arts.
Looking back, the first year is a blur. To the Best of Our Knowledge was a daily show at first, and we worked late into the evenings, editing interviews on reel-to-reel tape with razor blades and splicing tape, and scripting the next day’s show for our host, Jim Fleming. Eventually, we found a better focus and a weekend time slot, and started picking up other stations around the country.
Somewhere along the way, we also got married, bought a house, raised two kids and an assortment of gerbils, goldfish, guinea pigs and corgis. But TTBOOK has always felt like our first baby.
Now, 35 years and a dozen iterations later, it’s time to say goodbye. Our final TTBOOK show aired this past weekend. And this is our last newsletter.
We still love making audio, so we’re excited to announce that we’ll launch an independent podcast in January. It’s called Wonder Cabinet. The vibe will be similar to what you’ve heard on TTBOOK, but the interviews will be more in-depth and longer than we’ve had time for on our radio show. The animating question: how to keep a sense of wonder alive, especially now. We already have some amazing guests lined up, on subjects ranging from quantum physics to fairy tales. Here’s where you can find information about the new podcast.
If you’re already subscribed to TTBOOK on your podcast app of choice, just keep that subscription active. Our new project will drop in 2026 in the same feed. And keep an eye out for a trailer in the coming months.
In the meantime, we’re playing around with starting our own personal websites – portfolios of radio and print interviews we’ve done over the years. You can find Steve’s here. And Anne’s is here.
We are so grateful for our years of making To the Best of Our Knowledge. We’ve had the privilege of working with so many bright minds – curious and creative producers, interviewers, audio engineers and sound designers – and we learned so much from them. And from you! Your curiosity and openness to new ideas has always been the driving force behind TTBOOK – none of this would have existed without you listening. Thank you for being there.
With love,
Anne and Steve