Daniel replies:

No, it's not a toll upon me.  I accept that things change, and things come to an end. Just before the internet flowered into a world of discrete communities, public radio, speaking of things reaching a zenith, had a special significance for some few millions of us.  The broadcasters were generally listeners, and the listeners felt connected to the broadcasters and one another. In the years when All Things Considered used to air a commentary by me roughly once a week it was usual for the phone to ring when the program ended, and some listener would comment on my commentary, and tell me a story, always better than mine.  They felt they knew me--I'd been talking to them on their drive home week after week--so the calls had the quality of a conversation between acquaintances being continued.  Car Talk, more than any other program, exploited this aspect of commonality--because of the friendliness and charm of the brothers, and the skill of the producer/editor...you see, it was a work of art of a sort, and informal as it seemed, it was crafted by talented people making the most of an opportunity to do high quality work. And that's what it meant to me, a chance to do a bit with professionals who would not let me down--and naturally, I tried my best not to let them down. It was great, and I'm happy I had the chance to listen and participate--but mutatis mutandis, now we go on to the next things.