A new feature for our televisions. You can block violent content by using the V.
Problem is, they didn’t introduce the V right away. They started with age ratings which weren’t useful for blocking violence.
But the guys didn’t know this at the time.
Huh? What episode of CarTalk does this pertain?
"New feature? The V-Chip has been in every TV (13 inches or larger) sold in the US since 2001. It’s not a recent development.
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#2456 Mr. Leadfoot.
And one caller was told she had to deposit 80 cents. I thought the number was toll free. And when it happened again, the guys decided they were through. I think they had given her enough advice.
Just pointing out the date of the newest episodes available on NPR’s web site. There are some newer ones but I’m a few weeks behind. Also, I remember the V-chip being used in the late 90s.
I wanted to mention something incorrect that the guys assumed…
Though the Puzzler is on a well-deserved vacation. They did one anyway. A cowboy rides into town on Friday. Three days later, the cowboy leaves town on Friday…
Amazingly, they’re running for President with the motto “unencumbered by the thought process”.
That should indicate how old the show was. When was the last time you saw a pay phone, and why was the caller using a pay phone?
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+1
The “newest” episodes of Car Talk are now 12 years old, and what the OP was listening to could easily be much older than that.
I actually have a pay phone at my house, but it is no longer in service. Forty seven years ago, I responded to an advertisement in a magazine for pay phones that had been pulled out of phone booths in Long Island, NY and treplaced with push button phones. I mounted it on my kitchen wall and hooked it up.for an extension phone. It was interesting when I had guests who needed to use the phone to ask for change to make a call. The payphone is stored in my attic.
J. Paul Getty reputedly had a functioning payphone in his mansion because he didn’t like his guests and his servants making long-distance calls “on his dime”. He was said to have installed locks on the “regular” phones, thus forcing others to pay for their own calls on that payphone.
Since he refused to pay ransom for his kidnapped grandson, it is conceivable that this tale is true.
Thanks for that info I guess.
After all these years why does it even matter ??
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All I can say is … How far behind and out of touch can you be. You are only 20 years behind. The world moves fast please at least try to keep up.
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I will be honest with you, from a new comers stand point or anybody not familiar with the Car Talk show (or whatever) the OP sounded like a crazy person talking and made absolutely NO since… If Purebred had not responded with What episode of… … … I might have flagged it as Spam… Cause WTH does V-Chip rating and blocking violent content on TV have to do with a automotive help forum??
In the future, it would be nice to be a little more clear about what is being posted… 
Just my 2 cents worth, take it like you want to…
Sorry to be a downer but while the Insurance Crash Tests may be upsetting, what does V Chips have to do with cars?
Further, if you as a parent are concerned with your kids watching violent, explicit or otherwise unacceptable videos there’s a simple solution. Either watch TV with your kids, and/or limit their exposure.
It’s the primary job of the parents and instead of watching TV or playing unacceptable video games they may actually resort to THINKING, READING or learning SKILLS!
This lively discussion about the show forced me to listen to that episode, who knew there are so many fans? This category of the forum is “The Show”. That episode replayed two weeks ago.
The Best of Car Talk : NPR
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I know! But my answer is cheating b/c I heard it on the podcast before. It’s a pretty tricky puzzler. I thought it was on a podcast from several months or maybe even up to a year ago though. Was it repeated again just recently? I have the most recent 12 episodes from the NPR podcast website on my mp3 player but haven’t listened to them yet.
My tv is like my cars, old, so it doesn’t have a v-chip … lol … somehow I get by though.